Wildfires Threaten Below Deck Mediterranean’s Entire Charter Season: “We Gotta F-cking Go”

While a good crew can control almost every detail of a guest's experience on a mega yacht, they can't control the weather. And sometimes, that sets the course for an entire charter.

During Season 9, Episode 7 of Below Deck Mediterranean, viewers got a glimpse of the wildfires that tore through Greece in summer 2023. While docked in Athens, Captain Sandy Yawn and crew were pressured to get on the road (er, sea) because of the blazing fires nearby.

"If we don't get off the dock, we're spending the day in the bulk of the smoke," the captain explained before the next batch of guests arrived. Once they did make it onto the boat, she called bosun Iain Maclean up to the bridge to chat. While the waves were looking better (which meant they could depart without major seasickness!), another super yacht had docked right in front of them.

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"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. "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."

After dismissing Iain, she let deck crew know their escape window had arrived and they needed to head out. While it was pretty tight to navigate, the pressure was on.

"We've gotta f-cking go," someone exclaimed over the radio.

Captain Sandy and Iain talking during Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Episode 6. Photo: Bravo

Captain Sandy Yawn reacts to weather challenges on charter 

Earlier in the episode, Sandy foreshadowed the issues while discussing the weather.

“We may be delayed a little bit. It’s a little rough,” she told Aesha Scott about 30 minutes before guests were supposed to arrive. All over the boat, the crew was watching the wind pick up.

“I can’t have a lot of wind when I’m trying to maneuver out of the slip,” the captain added in a confessional. “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.”

Captain Sandy explains the anchor issue on Mustique

Before the wildfire conundrum,Sandy had trouble even getting to the marina. At the end of Episode 6 and beginning of Episode 7, the crew was dealing with a "scary" and "f-cking expensive" anchor issue that made their guests miss their flights.

"The anchor shaft isn't working, so we're going to have to leave the anchor," Sandy explained in the episode. "We put the buoy on it and get the divers, and then we get it transported back to the marina. And then we install it there, because we need our anchor."

Luckily, a team was able to retrieve the (important) piece of equipment. But while that issue is solved, we still don't know what will come of the current problem. Find out if Mustique makes it out to sea without incident by tuning into Below Deck Mediterranean Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo. You can also stream the next day on Peacock.