Captain Sandy's Biggest Below Deck Regret
For fans of Bravo TV's "Below Deck Mediterranean," Captain Sandy Yawn is indeed a familiar face. She serves as a super-yacht captain on the series, imparting insights about life and leadership as she navigates through a range of challenges while at sea. Throughout her illustrious 30-year career, she has attained the most prominent position as a mega yacht captain and received the prestigious Distinguished Crew Award from the International Superyacht Society.
She has had decades of experience in the ocean but only became a part of the Bravo series in 2015. As a leader, she had the duty of taking care of her crew, but the female captain sometimes also had to face making tough calls like letting people go. One instance of this was during her interim tenure at St. David, Yawn made the decision to dismiss Alissa Humber, the second stew, and Camille Lamb, who held the position of deck-stew. Fraser Olender also faced the possibility of being let go.
He held the crucial role of handling all the interior crew members as the chief stew. However, he faltered by talking about the captain behind her back. This came to a head and their confrontation led Yawn to call Olender something inappropriate. She knew it wasn't right when she referred to him as a "cancer." She told US Weekly in an exclusive interview, "I had cancer and I will say this — I should have chosen different words."
Yawn knew she messed up
Captain Sandy Yawn deeply regretted what she said, particularly as a leader and a professional. She further told US Weekly, "I've been a captain for many years [and] those were the terms we used. So [in terms of] evolving, I would change my terminology for sure."
In addition to this, there was also a moment when Fraser Olender almost lost his job. She said, "There was a moment [where I considered firing him]. Absolutely. Because listen the walls are thin and [it is important to not] jump on their bandwagon. Change that narrative. That's your role as the superior here."
The fans of "Below Deck" couldn't help but share their reactions to the feud. In a Reddit discussion, people were divided on the drama and claimed that both of them messed up, but the general consensus was Yawn was a toxic boss.
Although she was being tagged as a bad leader, she recognized the power of her crew. Yawn added that the interior team members are under the authority of the chief stew, so she let them solve the issues themselves. Yawn stood by her refusal to get between the crew members, she explained, "If you need help, ask me. But until then, I stay out of it. I will only help if I see that the client is suffering in service."
Despite the drama, Olender admitted he learned a lot from Yawn
There's no doubt that Captain Sandy Yawn crossed a line with her remarks, but Chief Stew Fraser Olender acknowledged his lack of experience in the said role. To solve this, Yawn was prompted to grant him the freedom to seek assistance whenever necessary. She shared that Olender's apprehension concerning his position was pretty normal and further remarked, "As a captain, I still defer to my team. I don't know everything about everything. And there's no shame in that."
In his defense, Olender was still adjusting to Captain Sandy Yawn's management style. The chief stew confessed that Captain Lee Rosbach and Yawn's management styles weren't similar. While Rosbach trusted him to be on his own, Yawn helped him discover himself.
Despite their dispute, Olender was thankful for the learning experience while working alongside Yawn. He told US Weekly in an interview, "She taught me a lot about myself. ... She really opened my eyes to things I previously wouldn't have dealt with so well — without her making sure I did."
Olender also credited Rachel Hargrove's help. He said she was one of the reasons why he was able to navigate his new role better. He added, "I absolutely loved working with her. She was a sense of security for me coming back this season with everything that was on my plate."