‘Below Deck’ Captain Jason Took Bosun Jamie Under His Wing – ‘He’s Like an Older Brother’ [Exclusive]
Captain Jason Chambers gave bosun Jamie Sayed and his deck team a stern warning on Below Deck Down Under when the deckhands slacked during the last charter. But despite Chamber’s frustration with the deck team, he thought Sayed did a good job as bosun.
Sayed also admitted to Showbiz Cheat Sheet he had quite a learning curve as a first time bosun. But said Chambers was an incredible leader, who is someone he views as a big brother.
Jamie Sayed faced a few challenges on ‘Below Deck Down Under’
“This was my first time as bosun,” Sayed remarked. “I felt like I was fine for the role [on Below Deck] because I had those leadership qualities and things that I’ve had in my past jobs. So leading a small team on deck and even working on bigger boats as well on deck, seeing how the bosuns work on those boats and seeing how the first officers work.”
But Sayed had to get used to the role and calling distances wasn’t something he did as a deckhand. “I hadn’t called distances being a deckhand,” he asserted. Being new to calling distances but also navigating a tricky marina made for a huge challenge for the bosun and captain.
“In this case, in North Queensland, tides run in and out very quickly, much quicker than where other tides are around the world,” Sayed explained. “On top of that, this was a big-sized boat. And we’re in a small marina in Australia that caters to these [smaller] kinds of boats, especially with the tides running out.”
Below Deck’s Captain Jason revealed one of Jamie’s biggest strengths
Chambers told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that tides and a tight marina definitely created a few challenges. But tide changes aren’t unique to the Whitsunday Islands, which where Below Deck Down Under was filmed.
“North America has the same thing as well,” Chambers said in terms of honing in on the tide changes. But added, “We [in Australia] have massive tides and there’s not that many marinas in Australia that dock superyachts. So not only is it a tide issue, there’s not much room to move around.”
Chambers said his new bosun rose to the challenge. “Communication was one of [Jamie’s] fortes,” Chambers said. “He was great. It’s just about him getting to know what I want. And what I wanted him to do. And anyone who works [in that position] needs to find that and it’s going to take a bit of time.”
Jamie views Captain Jason from ‘Below Deck’ as a big brother
Sayed learned a lot from Chambers this season. He also drew from his past experience on deck. “I just sort of listened and watched,” he said, reflecting on experience from past jobs. “Sort of took it all in. So when the time came for me being bosun I literally just went back and took notes of what I experienced in my past.”
“When I met Jason, he said I’m basically going to take you under my wing,” he recalled. “I’ll help you get started as bosun. That really helped me start out as well. Working alongside Jason, he’s like an older brother. I have a couple of brothers his age so he’s like a brother to me as well.”
But like most brother relationships, there can be a little tension. “I think with Jason, taking the reins a bit, over the course of the show, I think he needs to let me be a bosun,” Sayed said. “He wanting to do everything. I know he means well, 100%. But it’s like take a step back and I’m going to take over now.”
“He was a good captain,” he emphasized about the newest Below Deck captain. “He was calm. And there were times I’d be stressed, he’d be like ‘It’s OK, let’s just breathe through it.’ And even when you could tell he was stressed too, like with docking. But with me just being calm on the radio just giving those distance calls. He was also to be able to breathe as well.”
Episodes of Below Deck Down Under are currently streaming on Peacock.
