8 Below Deck Alums Who Could Replace Captain Sandy (Will She Ever Leave Below Deck Med?)

If Captain Sandy Yawn leaves Below Deck Mediterranean, there are plenty of Below Deck alumni who could take over her spot as captain. She made franchise history as the first — and only — woman to lead the show with her casting in Below Deck Med season 2. After her first appearance on the show, Captain Sandy cemented her presence within the franchise and is regarded as the best Below Deck captain. However, Below Deck Med lost its esteem within the franchise after the captain fired Hannah Ferrier for having unprescribed Valium and a vape pen aboard in season 5.

Below Deck Med season 8 was a total letdown and led the show to make major changes. Former Below Deck Down Under Chief Stew and fan favorite Below Deck yachtie Aesha Scott was brought in to lead and restore Below Deck Med season 9 to its glory. Luckily for the franchise, her return to the spin-off and the decision not to recast any crew members from season 8 served the show well. Nonetheless, all good things must come to an end, leaving the question of who will replace Captain Sandy on Below Deck Med when she eventually exits the franchise.

8 João Franco

Below Deck Mediterranean Seasons 3 & 4, Below Deck Down Under Season 2

João Franco had a rough start with the reality yachting franchise. He was the lead deckhand during Below Deck Med season 3 and made waves with his bad behavior. His alter-ego, “Jezabob,” came out when he was drinking. João acted terribly while intoxicated and was reprimanded for acting negatively toward the women of the crew. He clashed with Hannah and Aesha but was promoted to Bosun during Below Deck Med season 4. João didn’t have much of a better time in the fourth season of the spin-off, but seemingly redeemed himself with his third season in the franchise.

After a bad showing, João became a fan favorite during Below Deck Down Under season 2. He was invited to replace Luke Jones after he was fired for sexual misconduct. João stepped in and took over the role of Bosun adequately. He wasn’t a fully reformed version of himself during the season but made a lot of improvement. After his days on the show, João became a small vessel captain in 2021 and advanced to larger vessels in 2023. If he continues to grow, João could take over Below Deck Med one day.

7 Katie Glaser

Below Deck Season 10

Katie Glaser was a deckhand during Below Deck season 10, and with a little more growth in her yachting career, she could become a captain one day. Her main point of contention during the charter season stemmed from her boatmance with the crew’s bosun, Ross McHarg. They had a turbulent relationship that distracted them from their work at times. After Below Deck season 10, Katie became a yacht broker. She worked hard to advance her yachting career and enjoys partaking in the business side of the industry, but she could return to the deck to become a captain.

6 Kelsie Goglia

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 3

Kelsie Goglia was a deckhand during Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 3. The spin-off typically rotates through its cast each season, except for long-term personalities like Daisy Kelliher and Gary King. Kelsie was a great deckhand during the show but wasn’t brought back for Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 4. According to Kelsie’s Instagram bio, she works for the United States Coast Guard as a captain. She may not have the most entertaining personality during her time on the show, but she’s one of the few alums who will have the adequate qualifications to be a captain.

5 Sydney Zaruba

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2

Sydney Zaruba joined the second season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht as one of Captain Glenn Shephard’s deckhands. She worked underneath Gary King’s leadership as First Officer, whom she was also in a boatmance with. Sydney was one of the first women the First Officer hooked up with during his multiple seasons of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, though she was remembered for taking her job as a deckhand incredibly seriously. After the show, she moved to Spain and became a luxury travel advisor. While she’s mostly left the yachting industry, Sydney’s skills as a deckhand hint she’d be a great captain.

4 Gael Cameron

Below Deck Med Season 9

Gael Cameron has the skills to become a great Below Deck captain one day. At the beginning of season 9, she revealed she had recently begun working in the yachting industry as a deckhand. Gael went into the season eager to learn and grow in her job, and she did all of that and more. Iain Maclean, the Below Deck Med season 9 Bosun, made silly mistakes that the deckhand often called out in her confessional interviews. While his performance faltered, Gael corrected him and had incredible ideas that contributed to the success of the deck team.

As a newbie yachtie, Gael proved herself to be a great crew member during the ninth installment. She stirred up drama in her boatmance with fellow deckhand Nathan Gallagher. Gael joined the crew in a relationship but had undeniable chemistry with the deckhand. Despite the drama circulating in her personal life, Gael always excelled on the deck. She got along swimmingly with Captain Sandy and strived to impress her at every chance.

3 Isabelle “Izzy” Wouters

Below Deck Season 8

Isabelle “Izzy” Wouters had an interesting journey in Below Deck season 8. She joined the crew as a stew and transitioned to the role of deckhand when Avery Russell was injured. Izzy was excited about making the jump from the interior to the exterior team and did great in the new position. She was incredibly passionate about the job and was promoted to lead deckhand by the halfway point of the season. Izzy had the chops to become a great captain after her showing in season 8 but seems to prioritize travel since the show.

2 Malia White

Below Deck Med Seasons 2, 5, & 6

As the first woman to be featured as Bosun in the franchise in Below Deck Med season 5, it would be incredible if Malia White took over Captain Sandy’s leadership role on the show one day. Her first introduction to the franchise was during season 2 as a deckhand. Despite making history within the franchise during season 5, Malia is often credited with Hannah’s infamous firing during the same season. She told Captain Sandy that the Chief Stew had unprescribed Valium and a vape pen on the Mustique which led to her termination of employment.

Despite fan backlash, Malia was invited back for the sixth season but hasn’t appeared on the show since. In the years since appearing on reality TV, she became an officer of the watch in 2023. Malia’s career in the yachting industry has grown exponentially since her time on the show, and she’s likely working her way up to captain status. It would be a full-circle moment if the Below Deck Bosun made her return to the franchise as a captain instead of a crew member.

1 Marie “Sunny” Marquis

Below Deck Season 11

Marie “Sunny” Marquis had a great showing in her first season of Below Deck. She reported to Captain Kerry Titheradge in the eleventh season of the mainstay show. Sunny formed an early connection with Ben Willoughby, who was promoted to Bosun after Jared Woodin was fired for poor performance. As the season went on, their boatmance stirred up drama. Nonetheless, Sunny and Ben took a break from their romance for a few charters, and she was promoted to lead deckhand. She became a fan-favorite yachtie for her incredible performance as a deckhand and her persistence through drama with her boatmance.

Sunny formed a close bond with the season 11 deck team. She impressed Captain Kerry and learned a lot from him during the charter season. The lead deckhand is rumored to return for Below Deck season 12 alongside her season 11 co-star, Kyle Stillie, hinting that her initial run on the show cemented her place within the franchise. It’s unclear if she was brought back as Bosun, but if not, she has room to grow in the role. Sunny is a hard worker and with the trajectory of her career thus far, she’s set herself up for success to become a potential future captain.

Captain Sandy will always be known as the resident captain of Below Deck Med, but she won’t be able to lead the show forever. When she departs from the franchise, the production team should tap a yachtie from Below Deck past to take her place. From former seasoned yachties like Malia to new franchise hopefuls such as Gael or Sunny, the options of who could replace Captain Sandy in the future are limitless.

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo, then streams the following day on Peacock.

Source: Kelsie Goglia/Instagram

Below Deck Mediterranean

Below Deck Mediterranean is a Bravo reality television series that follows a crew that works aboard a gigantic superyacht during the busy season. The show highlights the challenges of the crew as they serve their high-end clientele. Each season tackles new locations, such as Greece, Croatia, Italy, and France, with some repeating.

Release Date

May 3, 2016

Seasons

7

Network

Bravo

Cast

Sandy Yawn , Hannah Ferrier , Malia White , Mzi Dempers , João Franco , Colin Macy-O’Toole , Kyle Viljoen , Christine Drake

Main Genre

Reality-TV

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