An ongoing divide. Captain Sandy is just as in the dark about her public drama with Captain Lee as Below Deck fans have been.
“I’m not in his shoes. I don’t know what’s going on mentally. I can only imagine,” Sandy, 57, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, February 27, about Lee slamming her via social media, while promoting her book Be the Calm or Be the Storm: Leadership Lessons. “After seeing the condition Captain Lee was in [during season 10] — I went back to the gym and started doing Pilates. I’m a lot younger — 20 years younger — I honestly don’t wanna be that.”
During season 10, the Florida native took over for Lee, 73, after he left the boat to deal with health issues. As the hit Bravo series aired new episodes, the OG Below Deck star questioned why he was only learning about some of Sandy’s decisions — including firing Camille Lamb and Alissa Humber — now.
Lee, however, had nothing but praise for Sandy when he returned to St. David and found out about the crew shakeup.
“She did the right thing. If they need to go, they need to go,” he said in Monday’s episode. “She’s the one that had to deal with it and I am sure she made the best decision for the boat and the crew. I can’t express how much I appreciate [her filling in for me]. And maybe one day I will get to return the favor for her.”
Off screen, Sandy was left confused about their interactions on social media. “I tried to call him,” she told Us, noting that she didn’t get ahold of Lee. “I am just so grateful to be alive because I almost died so many times. I have no enemies. I’m here to love and live and that’s it. Like I love puppies, I love people and I love life.”
Last month, Lee surprised viewers when he addressed Sandy’s time onboard. “So, I found out after the fact that she fired one of my crew, not before. Ok?” the Michigan native tweeted in response to a new episode. “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.”
Since then, Us broke the news that season 10 will presumably be Lee’s last. He will be replaced by Below Deck Adventure‘s Captain Kerry for season 11, which is currently filming in Grenada.
Sandy, for her part, has expressed her excitement to be getting back to Below Deck Mediterranean. While reflecting on her Below Deck time, the Be the Calm or Be the Storm author was able to walk away with crucial lessons.
“My teachable moment was maybe not step on a vessel without a handover. That was a big boat and I was really intimidated to be honest,” she shared with Us on Monday. “I never ran that vessel before in my life, so maybe a little more training before I step out the helm next time.”
In her new book, Sandy utilized her time in the yachting industry to offer advice to her readers.
“The fans were asking for a book on leadership, and I thought [I would] just throw a little bit of my personal life in there,” she added. “I wanted to show them that you could go from who I used to be [but] that when people invest in other people you can actually change your life and become a super yacht captain. I had no idea that was possible.”
Below Deck airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. and Sandy’s book Be the Calm or Be the Storm: Leadership Lessons is available now.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
