Spy can reveal the Below Deck Mediterranean star Captain Sandy Yawn is coming to New Zealand next month.
To celebrate the show’s new season, Hayu is bringing Yawn, 59, over here for a publicity tour in Auckland this June.
The Florida native is a renowned superyacht captain with over 30 years of international maritime experience, and the Below Deck Mediterranean captain is excited about visiting to promote the ninth season of the reality juggernaut show.
“This will be my first time visiting Auckland, so I am thrilled to be travelling to New Zealand with Hayu,” Yawn tells Spy.
Below Deck fans be ready, word on the street is that there will be a glam bash (most probably near the city’s flashiest super yachts) to welcome Yawn ashore.
Yawn, who has starred on Below Deck Mediterranean since season two has worked with three Kiwi crew members on past seasons: Aesha Scott on season four, Katie Flood on season six and Luka Brunton on season eight.
Scott, who is a Below Deck franchise favourite, is returning to where she started her sailing career in the Mediterranean and on this season of Below Deck Mediterranean, she will be returning as chief steward, a job in which she is excited to prove herself.
The reality show about life on luxury superyachts is popular with Kiwis. Last December, Scott accepted the award for the publicly voted Personality of the Year at the New Zealand Television Awards.
Scott, 32, who has been home in New Zealand, recently bought a house with her longtime boyfriend, fellow Kiwi Scott Dobson, in her hometown of Tauranga.
Hayu is hoping Scott may be able to welcome Yawn and accompany her during a promotional visit down under, but Scott’s travel schedules are yet to be confirmed.
Yawn tells Spy that this season she, Scott and the BDM crew sees them navigate the azure waters and ancient ruins of Athens, Greece, setting and facing new challenges along the way.
“It’s jam-packed with drama and definitely one you won’t want to miss!” says Yawn.
The crew is back on board the 180-foot M/Y Mustique. A series of initial hurdles including delayed provisions, managing a complicated interior department and a medical emergency, threaten to disrupt the 5-star guest service, with Scott striving to ensure the eccentric guests’ expectations are met, some of whom have an abundance of late-night demands.
The series is famous for on-board romances and this season promises the “boatmances” will stir up waves of tension as two crewmates find themselves with their sights set on a mutual love interest, causing disruptions among departments.
To round out the season, Yawn orchestrates the surprise of a lifetime for her partner, Leah Shafer, that leaves everyone in tears.
The pair are officially engaged in real life and this week Yawn told her over 700,000 Instagram followers that the pair were getting their marriage licence and to stay tuned for more news!
As well as Below Deck and her sailing career, Yawn is described as a leader, international speaker and businesswoman, whose exceptional leadership style has helped her to break through every obstacle in her path – from the glass ceilings and near-fatal accidents on land, to pirates and fires at sea.
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 will launch first on Hayu, the same day as the US on June 4, and available to air on Bravo NZ from June 20.
