Entertainment

'Below Deck's First Female Captain Has An Awesome Resume

by Alaina Urquhart-White
Virginia Sherwood/Bravo

Finally, the very highly anticipated second season of Below Deck: Mediterranean on its way, and fans can get their fix of outrageous guest demands, sea shenanigans, and crew love triangles. This season, the crew will be taking their big ol' yacht, named the Sirocco, around the gorgeous islands of Croatia. Of course, with a cast of mostly newcomers comes a brand new captain to keep them all in line. Sandy Yawn will be managing her staff all season while catering to the extraordinarily wealthy guests' whims along the way. So, who is Below Deck Captain Sandy Yawn?

She is a certified badass, is what she is. As one of the only female captains in her line of work, she has faced legitimate pirates and lived to tell the tale, according to her Bravo bio. I have to say, if I'm going to be floating around the open ocean on any boat, I would want this woman to be at the helm. In addition to escaping pirates on the high seas, Sandy has also survived a nearly fatal motorcycle accident and beat cancer.

One thing is for sure, this crew better stay in line because you don't get to her position by taking anyone's crap. When asked if she's been discriminated against because of her gender, Yawn told WPTV, "The industry embraced me, I did have some push back but I navigated through that." She also isn't afraid that her skills will be misrepresented by the show. "You can't edit competence, to look incompetent," the captain said. "I'm competent. I know what I'm doing."

Behind the tough-as-nails exterior that drives her work ethic, Sandy has a passion for giving back as well. She passionately shows her support for Jacksonville School For Autism, which was founded by her sister and her family. She also takes part in fundraisers for Marine Industry Cares. She recently posted on Twitter about taking part in one of their events to support youth STEM programs.

Personally, I am super excited to see this empowering female captain as the boss of the ship this season. Make sure you hop on board for Season 2 of Below Deck: Mediterranean when it premieres May 2 on Bravo.