Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Yawn made major waves when she climbed aboard spin-off show Below Deck: Mediterranean in Season 2. As one of only a handful of female yachting captains in the industry, Yawn, who is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., started off at an immediate disadvantage upon joining the crew.
However, Yawn — known best as just “Captain Sandy” — has turned her unique position into a major selling point, leading the charge through season after season of the hit Bravo show, all the while proving herself calm under pressure, a great mentor, and an even better boss. Comparisons to the legendary Captain Lee abound but this is one lady whose style is all her own.
The reality TV star had her hardships, found love in a modern, tech-obsessed age, and even earned a nickname for her impressive managerial style. This is the untold truth of Below Deck Med’s inimitable Captain Sandy.
She’s Sandy to her friends but Captain Sandy to her Below Deck crew
It’s difficult to know how to refer to Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Yawn — should people use her surname, call her Captain Sandy, or even Captain Yawn? The folks over at Decider were similarly confused, so they asked the Below Deck Mediterranean fan fave how she likes to be addressed. “Anyone can call me Sandy. What happens in the yachting industry is people think we’re all friends because we live together. And then they start losing that, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s actually in charge of me,'” she explained.
Captain Sandy ensures her team knows who’s the boss right off the bat, even though she considers herself a “warm” and “friendly” person by nature. “I always want people to feel I’m approachable. Having said that, I also need them to remember that I am in charge, and if you don’t set that precedent in the beginning, then they get confused because I play a lot,” she said. Considering how beloved she is among staff both past and present, clearly whatever Captain Sandy is doing is working.
Below Deck’s Captain Sandy almost died in a motorbike accident
Anybody who’s had even a fleeting glimpse of Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Yawn in action know she’s a total boss babe. But her strength goes beyond leading a difficult crew on the high seas. As she revealed in an interview with Women’s Health, a near-death experience ended up saving her life. Yawn recounted how, in February 2015, when she was 49, she crashed her motorcycle into a car, which left her with fractured bones in most of her limbs.
After having full reconstructive surgery on her foot and ankle, which were both totally crushed in the accident, a chance meeting with a urologist friend-of-a-friend led to a tumor being discovered on Captain Sandy’s kidney. She had laparoscopic surgery less than a month later to remove it. “Who would have ever thought they would be grateful for being in a motorcycle crash? But I was. As the doctor explained, it might have been years until that tumor was found. At that point, the cancer would have progressed, and it would have been too late,” she revealed.
Below Deck’s Captain Sandy is not the crew’s mother, she’s their leader
The casts of Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean might not be as debauched as, say, the Vanderpump Rules lot, which features the likes of Lala Kent and Stassi Schroeder, but spending so much time isolated on boats together does bring out a certain… element in people, particularly young, hot crew-members looking to quash their boredom between shifts. Thankfully, Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Yawn couldn’t care less what her charges get up to on-board, just as long as they keep things kosher when the time comes.
“How I handle it is, I don’t care who you sleep with or if you all sleep together, but the minute you come up on deck you better be professional. I don’t want to see that behavior on deck and do your job. And they do. Most of the time they do their jobs,” she told People. Although Captain Sandy has had to intervene a few times, she makes it clear that she’s “not their mother” but “their leader.” And, as their leader, the Below Deck Med star understands that “they have to have outlets,” adding, “You can’t demand what we demand from these crews and not let them have these outlets.”
Shared faith helped Below Deck’s Captain Sandy find love
After years of working in a male-dominated industry, wondering whether she’d ever find someone who could fit into her insanely busy life, Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Yawn found love in the unlikeliest of places: on Facebook, where gospel singer Leah Shafer sent her a sweet message about Below Deck Mediterranean. It stood out among a multitude of DMs because of the “many blessings” at the end, which struck a chord with the faith-focused yacht captain. After researching Shafer, Captain Sandy realized she’d be ideal for her “I Believe” speaking tour “because her music has a message,” as she told The Cheat Sheet.
When the two finally met in person, they knew instantly. Captain Sandy even relocated to Denver to be with Shafer. Their shared faith brought them together, with Shafer revealing, “It was like a spiritual connection in the beginning. She has a passion for inspiring through music and the youth. And broken people and so do I coming from the gospel industry. That’s what brought us together. And then, of course, the attraction and falling in love with a beautiful soul and knowing you want to be with someone forever. I’ve never felt that way before.”
Below Deck’s Captain Sandy thinks being a captain is pretty hot
She may have found her ideal partner, but Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Yawn still has to fend off unwanted attention from horny yacht guests. As she told Bravo, it’s largely because of her standing on the ship. “It’s sexy. It’s pretty hot,” the Below Deck Mediterranean star said of being a captain. Guests are attracted to a woman at the helm because they don’t see it very often, and they instantly want to know everything about her.
Below Deck’s Captain Sandy was quick to note, “I have respect for him. We get along. He’s great, he refers to me as kiddo. He’s a great guy.” Still, she also asserted, “As a woman in this industry, I worked hard to get to where I am. When you’re a guy it’s an easier climb, right?” She explained that everything has to be 100 percent by the book because mistakes aren’t as forgivable for a female captain.
Below Deck’s Captain Sandy sees being a female captain as an advantage
As much as being a woman made it harder for Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Yawn to make her mark (via Decider), she doesn’t necessarily see it as a setback. She told Bravo, “Being a female captain in this industry is challenging and inspiring because I thrive on problem solving. Being a woman in the male dominated yachting world is an advantage due to my ability to multi task while managing the emotions of the crew. I choose not to come from a place of power and control and it really, really works.”
She continued, “I prefer to be hands-on, firm, and compassionate. That’s how I navigate my leadership.” Furthermore, Captain Sandy sees her role as inspirational too, telling The Little White Lie that this is her time “to inspire other young ladies to jump in and say YES to taking a risk.” She continued, “It’s so worth it! If you fall short don’t give up, just pick yourself up, brush yourself off and go for it again.”
