Do the Below Deck Captains Know Each Other? Lee and Sandy Actually Go Way Back

Yachting is a very small world, as we've learned on the various Below Deck franchises over the years. It's not unusual to see crew members who have worked together on boats in the past (or those who have even dated the same people).

So, we've often wondered if the three captains of Below Deck ever knew each other before their time on their respective series and what their relationship with each other is like now.

Thankfully, we finally got our answer to all of that and so much more when Captain Lee Rosbach, Captain Sandy Yawn, and Captain Glenn Shephard came together for the first time ever in a chat on Bravo's YouTube channel on June 1. 

Captain Glenn kicked off the virtual conversation by sharing that, prior to this, he had only communicated electronically with Captain Lee and Captain Sandy. "I did a couple Instagram Lives with Sandy, and she held my hand through those, which was really helpful, and I really appreciate that," the Below Deck Sailing Yacht captain explained. "And when I first got involved, I reached out to Captain Lee, and we kind of emailed back and forth. But that's it. We've never met in person yet."

Captain Sandy noted that she had seen the Parsifal III docked in Croatia while she was also in the country for Below Deck Mediterranean Season 6, which premieres on Monday, June 28 at 9/8c. "Yeah, when I was in Croatia, I saw the boat, but because of quarantine, I couldn't meet Captain Glenn. And I was like, 'Oh my god, I just want to meet him,'" Captain Sandy said before sending some major compliments Captain Glenn's way. "You've been in the sailing world for a long time and the charter world, which is really cool. I love your vibe. You're so chill."

She then revealed that she actually goes way back with Captain Lee. "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," Captain Sandy said.

Captain Lee recalled of that time at the Fort Lauderdale, Florida dock, "Sandy was on like 67, 70-footers. And at that point in time, that was still a pretty big boat."

As the newest captain to the world of Below Deck, Captain Glenn admitted that he wasn't as familiar with the series prior to joining Below Deck Sailing Yacht. "Well, I had seen bits and pieces. Living in Europe, I don't get to watch a lot of American television, you know, broadcast television. So I hadn't really seen that much," he shared. "My life really hasn't changed that much. I was just saying to Sandy, I haven't gotten recognized that many times because I pretty much exclusively live in Europe, and especially recently, I haven't had a chance to go to North America."

Captain Glenn added that he has been recognized out in public by fans maybe five or six times since Below Deck Sailing Yacht first debuted in early 2020. "I want people to recognize me in airports, but it hasn't happened yet," he said.

Even though fans sometimes like to compare the management styles of the Below Deck captains, Captain Sandy said that what's "great for the viewers" is that each of these leaders has their own special way of keeping things in ship shape. "We're career captains. I was a very busy charter captain in the Med. I'm glad I'm in the Med, because that's my territory. That's what I did for 20 years in the Med. My career was a very different career path than Glenn's. Glenn's on sailing yachts but also in the Med but also other parts of the world," she said. "I think everybody has their own unique thing to offer, which is so cool."

Captain Glenn agreed, adding that each captain is just being true to themselves in their respective Below Deck franchise. "I'm a little more casual than you guys, but I get away with it. It's worked so far, so I keep doing it. And I can only be the way I am, you know?" Captain Glenn said. "I can't be Captain Lee. I can't be Captain Sandy. I'm just Captain Glenn, and if it works, it works. If it doesn't work, I'll go drive a truck or something. So far, it's working."

Head over to Bravo's YouTube channel to see the captains' full chat, including Captain Lee and Captain Sandy's thoughts on how Captain Glenn handled the biggest boat crash in Below Deck history, their most memorable charter guests, and what it's really like filming the show.

Catch up on all of the jaw-dropping moments from this season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht here.