‘Below Deck’ Capt. Sandy Yawn dishes on Fort Lauderdale favorites, the reality TV life
You get three shows in one with “Below Deck: Mediterranean,” according to the reality TV show’s star, Captain Sandy Yawn.
“You get the drama, the yacht experience and the career, and we’re a travel show,” the Broward County resident says. “It offers three different experiences in one hour.”
The hit spinoff of BravoTV’s “Below Deck” franchise follows a mega yacht crew in a sort of “Upstairs, Downstairs” unscripted docu-series as they live and work during the charter season.
“You get to see these [crew members] live and deal with each other and do a real job and travel to these beautiful places and have these incredible experiences on a super yacht,” Yawn adds. “[The show] has three elements that other shows don’t have, which is genius.”
The sixth season of “Below Deck: Mediterranean” premieres at 9 p.m. today on Bravo.
But if you just can’t wait, the first episode — as well as the first five seasons — is already available on the video streaming service Peacock (with the premium option) at Peacocktv.com/stream-tv/ below-deck-mediterranean.
The original “Below Deck” debuted in 2013 and was followed by “Below Deck: Mediterranean” in 2016. Last year, “Below Deck: Sailing Yacht” debuted and “Below Deck: Down Under” has been announced for this year.
There is some buzz that a fifth show possibly titled “Below Deck: Adventures” or “Below Deck: Norway” may be next.
Like the other shows in the “Below Deck” berth, the one helmed by Yawn does indeed give you lots of Mediterranean melodrama, hilarious hijinks and enough romantic bunk-hopping to rock any boat.
But the 56-year-old Yawn, who was born in Bradenton and moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1987, is up to the task, navigating through the choppy waters of reality TV since she took command of the bridge in the second season.
Here are excerpts of a conversation with Yawn.
Where do you live in Broward County?
“I [lived] east of US 1, off of Bayview Drive in Bal Harbour. It’s that little neighborhood behind Whole Foods. I have a home in Plantation now. But we’re going to Jacksonville, where my sister is. The house is under construction, so we will be there in a couple of years.”
What are some of your favorite places to hang out at here in SoFlo?
“I like Coconuts on the beach. I love their Scoobies [blue crab fried in oil with lots of garlic]. Last time I was [in Fort Lauderdale] I couldn’t actually go. I had all my boat crew there and I couldn’t come, so they all sent me pictures and they had a blast. There’s Kevin Merrigan, he owns [luxury yacht broker] Northrop & Johnson and wherever, whatever event we’re at together he says it’s my birthday and makes them celebrate it. So he said, ‘I announced your birthday.’ And they sang ‘Happy Birthday.’ They showed me the birthday card. It’s just this running joke with Kevin.”
You’ve had amazing success with the series, so why do you think you’re such a good fit for the show?
“I think it’s because I love captaining. I just love it. I think they were looking for someone, a woman in particular, who made it up from washing boats and doing the grunt work to captain. I didn’t seek it, it came to me. But I always say, When something lands in your lap, it is meant to be. When that ship comes into shore, it’s time to step onboard.”
Was it tricky adapting to how a reality show works?
“My first season, yes. Charter captains fill their crew from agencies. The show filled the crew positions from casting. That was hard for me at first. But then my second season came and I thought it was kind of cool. I thought to myself, ‘This is awesome.’ For me what is interesting is to get their character unfold, see how they deal with things. I get to have that experience and sometimes I get to just say, ‘Whoa, this is an awesome human being who has this awesome opportunity.’ Those experiences for me to witness is far beyond anything I’ve ever done before in my life. I look at it this way: I always find the good; I don’t look for the bad. You can dump me in the middle of nowhere and I will find the good.”
How’s your health? Didn’t you have a heart scare or something last year?
I had a full-blown heart attack. It’s called SCAD — spontaneous coronary artery dissection, which is very prevalent in women post-pregnancy. They don’t know a lot of about it. I had high blood pressure. Every time I would go to the doctor’s office they would ask me if I had hypertension and I would say no ... I didn’t know their terminology. But high blood pressure does run in my family. My health is good. I was a little freaked out about the COVID thing. I don’t drink. I haven’t for over 30 years. Lately I’ve been focusing on exercising, so I lost weight. Like everyone else I gained weight [during the pandemic]. I’ve just been laying off the cookies and cakes, which I love.”
Tell me about appearing on the show “Celebrity Call Center.”
“Oh that was so fun. Basically people call in and you give them advice, they call in to celebrities. I had a blast. The show, it started in the U.K., so I watched their version first and I thought, ‘Ohmygod, this is hilarious.’ “
We’ve seen you get a twerking tutorial on the show, so how’s that going?
“I need a few more lessons from Courtney because she’s got it down.”