Below Deck was a little show featuring the work and play lives of a deck crew on a motor yacht. It was the gift that kept on giving with a charismatic cast, outrageous guests, and mind-blowing views. The little show that could wound up spawning multiple spin-offs. And made Captain Lee Rosbach the Stud of the Sea.
Below Deck Mediterranean premiered three years after the original. Along the way we met the first female Captain featured on the franchise, Sandy Yawn. Sandy’s leadership style was always a bit different from her predecessors. It was a far cry from Captain Lee’s methods of motivation. We don’t often see two different Captains on a season. But Season 10 found Captain Lee suffering from some medical issues and bringing in Captain Sandy as a back-up.
During Captain Sandy’s tenure on Lee’s charter season, she had to deal with a problem named Camille Lamb. For context, Chief Stew Fraser Olender is pleased as punch over Camille’s departure. She caused a lot of issues on the boat. And she threw in a negative attitude and pissy work ethic for good measure. Captain Sandy tried to check Camille, and she did for maybe a whole 3 seconds. After getting into a fight in front of charter guests AND more drinking, Fraser was given the go-ahead by Sandy to make Camille walk the plank.
Now here’s the problem. Captain Lee hired the original crew. He placed Sandy at the helm on a temporary basis while he recovered. Sandy did not advise Lee she was firing Camille prior to her exit. That didn’t sit well with Captain Lee. Since he is a man that does not mince words, he clocked Sandy on social media. Us Weekly has the details.
Captain Lee took to Twitter and wrote, “So I found out after the fact that she [Captain Sandy] fired one of my crew, not before. Ok?” Viewers saw Sandy ring up Captain Lee after Camille was told to pack her crap and go. Via FaceTime, Lee expressed gratitude for keeping him in the know during his absence.
RELATED: Below Deck Season 10 Episode 6 Recap: Don’t Throw Sandy Under The Bus
Off-screen Lee said he was unaware Sandy told him about Camille’s firing until after the fact. He said, “Then why contact me after and tell me at all? Plenty of time to call me after, but not before. She made the right call. But lacked in procedure and respect. Just the way I roll.”
Lee tweeted, “Had I been replacing Captain Sandy on her boat temporarily and felt the necessity to fire one of her crew, I would have called her first to let her know what I was doing and why. I agree with her decision, just not how she went about it.”
Obviously they have different managerial styles and that’s normal. Captain Lee felt butt-hurt that someone he hired was released without his knowledge. That said, what Sandy did certainly isn’t the worst thing Sandy has ever done. Right, Hannah Ferrier? Fans questioned Captain Lee putting Sandy on blast instead of contacting her privately. “She did it on tv in front of how many people with out consulting me. That doesn’t sound very private to me at all,” he responded. Oh it’s petty out there on the high seas.
Lee has no problem with Camille being let go. He just didn’t like the way it happened. “Not at all, she deserved what she got. That was never my issue,” he explained. “So many people can’t see that, and I’m sorry for that.”
Ultimately Lee was upset that Sandy didn’t keep him informed. Lee did clarify he wasn’t expecting her to ask him for permission to dismiss a crew member. “I didn’t want her to ask permission, just wanted the update, that quick call you mentioned, good manners.”
Captain Sandy is sure to respond to Lee’s attempt to adjust her levels of “good manners.” I would think if you have relieved yourself of duty for medical issues, the Captain in charge doesn’t need to make sure it’s cool with anyone before she makes a decision. One has to assume Sandy, the overseer of Maritime Law, did everything within the appropriate levels of conduct.
TELL US- DO YOU AGREE WITH CAPTAIN LEE? DO YOU THINK SANDY WILL RESPOND TO CAPTAIN LEE’S CRITICISM? WAS SANDY OUT OF LINE FOR FIRING CAMILLE WITHOUT CONTACTING LEE FIRST?
[Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo]
