‘Below Deck’ Bosuns Who Worked for Captain Lee Rosbach

Which bosuns worked for Captain Lee Rosbach on 'Below Deck'? He had eight different bosuns throughout his 10 years of 'Below Deck.'

by Gina Ragusa

Published on March 27, 2023

3 min read

Captain Lee Rosbach worked with eight different bosuns during his Below Deck tenure. His first deck department head wasn’t a bosun, but instead a first officer.

But after Below Deck Season 1, the series got into a rhythm of featuring a bosun to lead the deck team, starting with Eddie Lucas.

Bosun Eddie Lucas was Captain Lee’s bosun for 4 seasons

As a new deckhand on Below Deck Season 1, Lucas quickly rose in the ranks and returned for Below Deck Season 2 as bosun.

Captain Lee Rosbach and bosun Kelley Johnson in the bridge on 'Below Deck' — Captain Lee Rosbach and Kelley Johnson | Virginia Sherwood/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Chief stew Kate Chastain once joked that she joined the season for season 2 because she thought Lucas resembled a Kennedy. Lucas worked hard on deck, took his job seriously, but left the series after a secret affair with stew Raquel Dakota was uncovered at the end of Below Deck Season 3.

After a few seasons away from the show, Lucas returned for Below Deck Season 8. But, he and the crew didn’t finish the season thanks to the pandemic. Lucas returned again for Below Deck Season 9 but has since settled into life off-camera. He and his girlfriend bought a house, got a dog and he’s currently a tugboat captain in Baltimore, Maryland.

Kelley Johnson was Captain Lee’s ‘Below Deck’ Season 4 bosun

Former deckhand Kelley Johnson worked under Lucas on Below Deck Season 2. He returned as bosun for season 4 and almost immediately dealt with a problem on deck – Trevor Walker. Walker’s ego got in the way of his work and relationship with the crew. Rosbach fired Walker by episode 4.

Johnson also worked with deckhand Nico Scholly, who later became the senior deckhand, Lauren Burchell, and Kyle Dixon, who replaced Walker.

And while Johnson and Rosbach are good friends today, it wasn’t always the case when he was Rosbach’s bosun. “I think at the beginning, it was a little teeter-totter, and I think as the season got on, we definitely had our lows, but by the end of it I think we were very, very close,” Johnson recalled to Bravo’s The Daily Dish.

Captain Lee had to call in a temporary bosun on ‘Below Deck’ Season 5

Below Deck Season 5 was a season of firsts because the series didn’t begin with a bosun in place. Instead, Scholly returned in his lead deckhand position and tried to lead the team. Rosbach gave Scholly a few charters to lead, but ultimately called in bosun EJ Jansen to provide more direction.

Almost immediately Scholly had an attitude with Jansen to the point where it looked doubtful that Scholly could rise to the occasion and be bosun that season. Eventually, he checked his attitude and after Jansen left for another job, Scholly was promoted to bosun during the final episode of that season.

The first bosun was fired on’Below Deck’ Season 6

Until season 6, no bosun was fired on Below Deck. Unfortunately, Chandler Brooks earned that dubious honor after he continuously seemed to be dropping the ball, and the guests.

After Brooks left, Rosbach appointed deckhand Ross Inia to bosun because Inia seemed to lead on deck. This was the same season that deckhand Ashton Pienaar went overboard and almost drowned. The instance rattled the crew and Rosbach, who had a serious talk with the crew about safety and how Pienaar could have been killed that season.

‘Below Deck’ Season 7 bosun was 1 person Captain Lee wouldn’t work with again

Pienaar was promoted to bosun for Below Deck Season 7. While he was celebrated on Below Deck Season 6, something changed when he became the season 7 bosun.

Along with his male deckhands and sometimes the chef, Pienaar displayed misogynistic tendencies toward some of the women on the boat. At one point, Chastain quit after an explosive fight with Pienaar. Pienaar’s attitude toward Chastain and deckhand Rhylee Gerber was so intense, Rosbach said he’d never work with him again after viewing the season.

Ross McHarg was Captain Lee’s ‘Below Deck’ Season 10 bosun

Rosbach worked with bosun Ross McHarg on Below Deck Season 10. McHarg dated deckhand Katie Glaser, which sometimes caused drama during the crew nights out, but hardly ever did they take their drama on deck.

Because of an injury, Rosbach only appeared for a portion of Below Deck Season 10. Captain Sandy Yawn from Below Deck Mediterranean stepped in for Rosbach for part of the season. But Rosbach finished the season with the crew.