Captain Sandy Yawn stepped in for Captain Lee Rosbach on Monday night’s episode of “Below Deck” after he was forced to temporarily leave amid health concerns.
“As you know, I’ve been struggling with my mobility, so I made a decision to leave the boat,” the 73-year-old told his crew in an emotional departure.
“My mind’s there, my heart’s there, my body just won’t cooperate. I’ve never quit, [but] this time I have to.”
Rosbach previously explained that he was struggling with nerve issues and couldn’t “feel anything” on the “left side” of his body.
However, he made sure that his crew knew he fully intended to get treatment so that he could return to the boat before the end of the season.
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“I’ll be on the first plane back here and tell whoever’s on board to get the f–k off my boat,” Rosbach joked.
The beloved captain then continued walking on crutches and asked his deckhands to help him with his luggage as he brought Yawn, 57, onboard.
“Captain Sandy really did me a solid by stepping in,” Rosbach added in a confessional interview. “She inherits somebody else’s crew, and it’s not easy.”
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Yawn explained that, as a fellow longtime captain, she felt “terrible” that Rosbach had to temporarily leave due to medical concerns.
“Who wants to leave because you can’t physically do it?” the “Below Deck Mediterranean” star asked in a confessional interview.
“My hope is that Captain Lee feels supported. I’m here to take care of his boat and his crew until he comes back.”
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Rosbach then gave a final goodbye to his crew, who were crying when he left.
“I can’t tell you how hard this is,” the “Stud of the Sea” concluded.
“It’s just like an emptiness that I’ve never known. I will put in the work. I will deal with the pain. I am going to come back and finish what I started.”
Yawn taking over marks the first time a captain has replaced another on any of the “Below Deck” franchises.
Rosbach has been on the hit show since its premiere in 2013, while Yawn joined “Below Deck Mediterranean” during Season 2 in 2017.