Below Deck‘s Captain Lee Rosbach and Captain Sandy Yawn were friendly before their time in the Bravo franchise seemingly created a rift.
Viewers were introduced to Lee during the first season of Below Deck in 2013. Sandy, for her part, became a household name for Bravo fans when she took over for Captain Mark Howard on Below Deck Mediterranean.
Below Deck season 10 gave a glimpse of the pair’s interactions when Sandy came onboard as a replacement. “Thanks for coming. I appreciate you coming on such short notice. I’ll do my best to get back as quickly as I can to relieve you,” Lee told the Be the Calm or Be the Storm author in a December 2022 episode before he left St. David’s due to health concerns.
The swap marked the first captain crossover in Below Deck history, and Sandy reflected on the pressure that came with stepping into Lee’s shoes. “It’s never easy taking over for another Captain,” she said in a confessional. “My hope is that Captain Lee feels supported. I’m here to take care of his boat and his crew until he gets back.”
Off screen, however, the duo’s dynamic took an unexpected turn when Lee questioned Sandy’s leadership. The OG Below Deck star claimed that his coworker didn’t tell him about stew Camille Lamb‘s firing after her exit aired in January 2023.
Sandy seemingly reacted to being called out by Lee when she shared a cryptic quote via social media, which read: “If someone treats you bad, just remember that there is something wrong with them, not you. Normal people don’t go around destroying other people.”
Scroll down to relive Lee and Sandy’s ups and downs:
Credit: Laurent Bassett/Bravo
June 2019
In response to a question about Ashton Pienaar's season 6 accident, Sandy came to Lee's defense.
"My reaction was I knew exactly how Captain Lee felt. He probably wanted to drop to his knees, just the thought of killing someone. It wasn't his fault," she explained on WWHL. "I think training, training, training, and when you have a new crew that you don't really get to train, it makes it harder. Our jobs are very difficult."
January 2020
Lee publicly took Sandy's side after being asked about her performance. "I am not the devil's advocate at that point. I have complete empathy for what she's going through because I know what she's going through," he explained during Below Deck's 100th episode celebration on WWHL. "And some of the situations that Captain Sandy gets put in, I see where they're just totally unfair and totally just biased."
He added: "Because she's had to endure a lot of things, because she's a female captain in a male-dominated industry. And so, it's like, I don't know what she's gone through, but I try to put myself in that situation."
October 2020
After Valium and a CBD vape pen were found in Hannah Ferrier's possession during season 5 of Below Deck Med, Sandy made the difficult choice to let her go.
Lee subsequently questioned the choice after Hannah confirmed she had a prescription. “When you have a legally prescribed medication that you’re supposed to take by a licensed, practicing doctor. Captains do not have the authority to deprive you of that privilege” he said on WWHL in 2020. "I mean, it’s just the way it is. We’re not doctors.”
June 2021
Sandy raised eyebrows when she publicly shaded Lee for asking a guest to depart the boat. In a season 8 scene, the My Seanna captain refused to continue a charter after Delores Flora chose to take a drunken night swim without permission.
"I wasn't there, but I would never talk to a guest like that," Sandy told Andy Cohen during an interview, referring to how Lee put his foot down before Delores was removed.
June 2021
After Below Deck Sailing Yacht premiered on Bravo, Lee and Sandy reflected on their history during an interview with Captain Glenn Shephard.
"And Captain Lee I've known for many, many years because we were docked at the same marina — at Hall of Fame Marina — 20 years ago," Sandy said on Bravo's YouTube channel, to which Lee replied, "Sandy was on like, 67 [or] 70-footers. And at that point in time, that was still a pretty big boat."
December 2022
"Captain Lee and I go way back," the Below Deck Med star explained to the cameras after coming to relieve Lee. "So when I heard about Captain Lee's situation, I felt terrible. Who wants to leave because you can't physically do it?"
The St. David's captain noted that he was grateful for his colleague's assistance, writing via Twitter, "Capt Sandy came in an[d] bailed me out in a tough situation and I appreciate her efforts."
Sandy replied, "It's what we do. So glad to see you in much better health now. Stay Well my friend."
December 2022
"She really did me a solid. I'm grateful she was there," Lee said during an interview with People amid his onscreen absence. "That's a very difficult situation that I put her in. You're taking over somebody else's boat and somebody's else's crew. That's hard enough as it is — now add on top of it the fact that you're also filming a TV show and you've got me over here saying, 'By the way, I may or may not be back. It's open-ended, but I'll do my best!' I recognize how hard that is."
He continued: "The fact that she was willing to jump in; that she sucked it up and came on board and did what I asked her to do? I owe her big time for that. For her to step forward and take it on says a lot about her."
January 2023
After watching Camille's firing unfold on screen, Lee questioned why he wasn't kept in the loop. "Not at all, [Camille] deserved what she got. That was never my issue. So many people can’t see that, and I’m sorry for that," he wrote via Twitter. "I didn’t want [Sandy] to ask permission, just wanted the update, that quick call you mentioned, good manners."
Lee also broke down his choice to air out his issues online, replying to a fan, "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."
January 2023
Eagle-eyed followers noticed that Sandy shared a cryptic quote one day after Lee's complaints made headlines, that seemingly responds to the drama. "Hurt people hurt others, but luckily, healed people heal others. Safe people, shelter others," her message read. "Free spirits, free others. Enlightened people, illuminate others. And love always wins. So shine your light of love on all who may cross your path in life, because what you do matters."
February 2023
After Sandy claimed she didn't have "the time to keep up" with news of the feud, she threw major shade at her costar.
"I have to say this. When they go low, we go high," she told SiriusXM’s Reality Checked. "I told Lee [through a Twitter post]. I was like 'Hurt people hurt people' right? So, I don't know. I haven't ever hurt him — but I think when you spew that kind of stuff it's inward and I feel bad for the guy."
The Be the Calm or Be the Storm author also said that Lee was "definitely not acting" his age amid the drama.
February 2023
"I tried to call him," Sandy exclusively told Us about her attempt to mend the rift between her and Lee. "I'm not in his shoes. I don't know what's going on mentally. I can only imagine."
The Below Deck Med star noted that she wasn't able to get in touch with her fellow Bravo star.
June 2023
During an interview with Us, Sandy weighed in on her disagreement with Lee.
"I just can't believe there was a thing about it. The reality is when you're on a boat and someone's sick in the hospital, as a captain you're not gonna call them up and say, 'Can I fire someone?' You don't need permission. You're actually in command," she told Us. "So I did call after and said, 'Here's what's happened.' You always wanna have that respect. But yeah, I agree with him. I think people took it to the next level."
Sandy noted that she attempted to make contact with Lee, adding, "I did reach out to him a few times. He just had to call me back. If I see him, it wouldn't be a conversation because he understands. If he was in my shoes, he would've done the same thing."
April 2024
"We do things differently and there's certain things we don't see eye to eye on. But I think that is true of any profession," Lee said on the "Amy and T.J." podcast about where he stands with Sandy. "It is fine. We don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. But she has a job to do and I commend her for her achievements."
When asked whether he is friends with Sandy, Lee replied, "No. But I am fine with that. There's a lot of people I don't like but I respect them."