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Below Deck, season one served as the foundation of this franchise. It premiered in July 2013 and has never stopped growing since. The series, though, is infamous for its changing crew, as some got replaced, some left, and some were fired for their misdemeanors.
The captains of the franchise though, always seem to be carefully selected, as they've never left or been fired. Their high pay, ranging from $150,000 to $210,000 per Dexerto, seems to keep them motivated.
Throughout the show's journey of more than a decade, there have been four captains who were never complained about. All four carried out their duties smoothly and were loved by crew members and the audience alike.
The four captains that sailed the ships on Below Deck from 2013 to 2024
1) Captain Lee Rosbach
Captain Lee Rosbach has been the longest-reigning captain of the series, with ten initial seasons to his name. Lee Rosbach has yachting experience of more than three decades and has even written a book on his yachting experiences named, Running Against the Tide, which was published in 2018.
Captain Lee, who is also known as The Stud of the Sea, started his sailing journey while managing restaurants in Turks & Caicos. He immediately fell in love with the sea and obtained his captain's license at the age of 35.
2) Sean Meagher
Captain Lee, in his 10-season-long journey on the show, was seen missing on two occasions because of his health issues. One was at the beginning of season 8, and the other was at the start of season 9.
Captain Sean Meagher was the one to step into Captain Lee Rosbach's shoes for the first two episodes of season 9. However, he wasn't seen again after he gave away the reigns into Captain Lee's hands upon his return.
Captain Sean hails from Florida, like Captain Sandy, and is a pioneer in maritime security, both cyber and physical, according to his LinkedIn. He is also a yacht broker and runs the website worthavenueyachts, where he lists yachts for sale and charter.
3) Captain Sandy Yawn
Captain Sandy Yawn stepped in on season 10 after Captain Lee Rosbach had to leave the season one charter early. Fans of the show were already familiar with the captain because of her captaincy on Below Deck Mediterranean.
Talking about helping out Captain Lee, Captain Sandy told the Below Deck cameras,
"Captain Lee and I go way back, so when I heard about Captain Lee’s situation, I felt terrible. Who wants to leave because you can’t physically do it? My hope is that Captain Lee feels supported. I’m here to take care of his boat and his crew until he comes back."
Like Captain Lee, Captain Sandy also has a yachting experience of over three decades. Hailing from Florida, she knew she wanted her career to revolve around the ocean from a very young age. After pioneering in her field, she started her own charity, Captain Sandy's Charities, where she helped support women's maritime and environmental education and employment.
4) Captain Kerry Titheradge
Captain Kerry is the first full-time captain on Below Deck after Captain Lee Rosbach, as the latter bid farewell to the show. Captain Kerry wasn't unknown to the fans, as he was the captain on Below Deck Adventurer, one of the few Below Deck spin-offs.
Captain Kerry also has thirty years of experience with the boating industry and twenty years of yachting. He admitted to calling Captain Lee Rosbach when he was allowed to captain the show. Recalling his talks with Lee, Kerry shared,
"When it came, the opportunity to do this, I gave Lee a call and asked him would he do it again if he had to redo his time? He said, 'One Hundred Percent.'"
All the captains from the spin-offs Below Deck
The captains of the spin-offs of the show are equally dedicated and experienced, among whom are captains like Mark Howard, who led the yacht in the first season of Below Deck Mediterranean before Captain Sandy Yawn took the helm from him for its remaining 7 seasons. Captain Mark also had a yachting career spanning over thirty years, before he passed away in 2021.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht also has a popular captain in Glenn Shephard, who has served the show for all four of its seasons. The Montreal native has been the captain of Parsifal III for thirteen years now, which is the reason for his affinity for the Sailing Yacht ship. He expertly juggles his duties on the ship and his four-year-long girlfriend, Dani. But the fact that she's also a globetrotter makes things easier for the duo.
Jason Chambers is the captain for Below Deck Down Under. With 23 years of yachting experience, Jason is familiar with the Australian waters he treads in as he calls the country his hometown. He has a daughter named Saskia, who he loves dearly and spends his time with when he's not working.
New episodes of Below Deck season 11 air on Bravo, on Mondays, at 9 p.m. ET.
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