Did Captain Sandy Hit a $200 Million Yacht? Details on the "Intense” Below Deck Med Moment

Listen, maneuvering a 180-foot mega yacht is no walk in the park. Even if you're one of the best captains out there.

During Season 9, Episode 8 of Below Deck Mediterranean, which aired on Monday, July 22, we saw Captain Sandy Yawn work her magic to get Mustique out of the marina after it was boxed in by another 200-foot, $200 million dollar yacht. While it was a close call, she ultimately got the job done without issue. That issue, anyway, as wildfire smoke was also plaguing the process.

"Whoa, that was some precision driving, hey?" said bosun Iain Maclean after the captain expertly steered clear of the blockade. "That was literally insane. Look how close we are," a guest chimed in. "Good job, Sandy."

Sandy, for her part, made the declaration that was on everyone's mind: "That was intense."

The Mustique yacht boxed in shown during Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Episode 8. Photo: Bravo

After the drama was over, Sandy also gave a shoutout to Nathan Gallagher for his command of the bow. "He saved the day. I would've ran over their ground line," she said. "On docking, this one was a little challenging. And when I watched Nathan on the bow I thought, 'He's my bow guy.'" 

Captain Sandy Yawn shares new details on the "crazy" departure

In the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 After Show video above, Sandy shared new details on just how stressful the departure actually was. "That was crazy," she said. "There were no boats there when we docked, there wasn't even one on our port side. Next thing you know, that night I heard a horn blowing, where they almost hit our boat because the wind was blowing like insane. Then I wake up, and there's a super yacht, like super super yacht, on our bow that you could touch if you reached out your hand. 

"I had about 15 feet off the bow, and I'm about 180 feet long," she continued. "There was no margin for error."

Noting "so many things can go wrong," she added, "But I don't think of that. All I kept thinking about was maneuvering. I don't think about anything but what I'm doing, so there's no stress involved. It is complete focus. The stress comes after." 

Here's What You May Have Missed on Bravo:

The Below Deck Med Crew Faces a "F-cking Scary" Issue: "Someone Can Get Hurt, If Not Die"

The Below Deck Med Crew Runs Into a “F-cking Expensive” Problem: “Worst Possible Time"

Below Deck Med Returns for Season 9 in a Historic Location — and with Returning Yachties

Wildfires threatened the Below Deck Mediterranean departure

The reason the crew had to get out of the marina so quickly? Approaching wildfires. They could see and smell smoke overhead.

"Typically, I wouldn't take the risk to leave the dock, but because we have so much smoke coming in I have to get this vessel off the dock, so I'm going to take the risk," Sandy shared in a confessional during Episode 7. "It's crazy. You can see the fires over the hill, I have clients on the boat, and I can smell the ash that's on top of us. I have to figure out how to get out. There's six inches between the ground line, the dock, and the other boats. I'm boxed in, and if I make one wrong maneuver, the season is over."

Captain Sandy during Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Episode 8. Photo: Bravo

Before the blocked yacht and the wildfires, Sandy could tell the wind would make the charter difficult.

“We may be delayed a little bit. It’s a little rough,” she told Aesha Scott in Episode 7 before guests arrived onboard. In a confessional, she added that she couldn't have a lot of wind when trying to maneuver out of the slip.

“I have to wait for a weather window. We have to get off the dock before the fires get closer and the smoke starts coming into the marina. So we have to be ready when it’s time," she explained.

And ready she was.

Watch Sandy and the crew share more details on the departure in the After Show video above.