He’s irreplaceable. But since the Stud of the Sea had to temporarily bow out due to health issues, Below Deck fans have come to terms with Captain Lee Rosbach’s departure from the show. That doesn’t mean that all viewers are happy with his replacement.
As the original captain from Season 1, cruising the Bahamas has become synonymous with Captain Lee’s presence in the wheelhouse. US Weekly reported that Captain Lee promised that his ticket was “roundtrip,” but until he does return, spinoff star Captain Sandy Yawn will be running things on St. David.
After the episode in question aired, Captain Lee tweeted appreciation to his Below Deck Mediterranean colleague. Capt Sandy came in an[d] bailed me out in a tough situation and I appreciate her efforts,” Captain Lee wrote.
“I’m gonna go back to the [United] States, get this straightened out — and as soon as I do — I’ll be on the first plane back here and tell whoever’s on board to get the f—k off my boat,” Captain Lee explained to the crew during this week’s episode.
Captain Lee started the season post-surgery and was expected to progress towards full health. However, his issues with mobility only increased, and affected his ability to captain the vessel.
“My injury, it’s getting worse. The left side of my body, I don’t feel anything,”Captain Lee said. “I expected a lot more progress than I’m experiencing, and the most frustrating part about it is, I can’t do a god goddamn thing about it, and it’s hard.”
To his credit, the Flordia native wanted to hold himself accountable to the same standards he demands of his crew. And since Captain Lee felt unable to do the job, he wanted to do “right by” them and decided to step down.
“One of my biggest problems now is I’m not able to observe. I don’t know who’s doing what, it’s my job,” he added. “They expect that out of me. There comes a point if a captain is really being objective, he should be putting the best interests of his crew first.”
Indeed, Captain Lee seemed unaware of Camille Lamb’s insubordination to not only Bosun Ross McHarg but also Chief Stew Fraser Olender. In a promising turn of events, Sandy is already on to the stew/deck hand’s toxic additude.
RELATED: Kate Chastain Reacts To Captain Lee Rosbach’s Exit; Says “He Had A Great Run”
In his exit speech to the crew, Captain Lee said, “As you guys know I’ve been struggling with my mobility, and it’s been hard and I’ve let you guys down and for that, I apologize. So I’ve made a decision to leave the boat.”
In December, he teased the decision in an interview with US Weekly. “Back surgery came out great, it really did,” Captain Lee said. “You will find this season that I do something that I’ve never, ever done before in my career or in my life. And there’s gonna be a lot of situations where you’re gonna go like, ‘Wow, didn’t see that coming at all.’ And not only will it be true for the viewers, [but] it was also true for myself and the crew,”he added.
So what can Below Deck fans expect from Captain Sandy? Presumably a lot of micro-managing in the galley, something chef Rachel Hargrove may not appreciate. Perhaps she will push for a larger role for deck hand Katie Glaser. Hopefully, there will be no breaches of maritime law under her watch.
Sandy described her management style to Us Weekly earlier this year. “Sometimes you got to be in and get your hands dirty. That’s why I want [my team] to feel supported because I have a high expectation. Like, I am not going to stand over them, but I wouldn’t sit on the bridge knowing that they’re down crew members and not bail them out,” she said.
The Below Deck Mediterranean captain joined the series in 2017.
TELL US- WERE YOU SURPRISED CAPTAIN SANDY WAS PICKED TO REPLACE LEE? HOW DO YOU THINK SHE WILL CHANGE THE DYNAMIC THIS SEASON?
[Photo Credit:Charles Sykes/Bravo]
