‘Below Deck Med’: Captain Sandy Says the Worst Anchor Disaster on the Series Was Not Malia White’s Fault
Unfortunately for Malia White from Below Deck Mediterranean, she was the one raising the anchor when the worst anchor disaster of the series occurred.
The anchor resembled the worst chain labyrinth imaginable. The hideous chain-knot was revealed as the crew tried to raise the anchor. Guests were still on charter and had to be shuttled off the boat as Captain Sandy Yawn informed the crew that they had to start untangling it. While she could have cut and run, she explained that the yacht could not dock without an anchor and it would have ruined their entire season.
After spending an entire day working on the mega-knot the crew finally fixed the chain. Unfortunately for Yawn, that instance wasn’t the only time she faced off against Sirocco’s anchor.
Yawn insists the tangle was not White’s fault
Although she was raising the anchor, Yawn said White wasn’t responsible. “That just happens,” Yawn shrugs in a Bravo digital original. “Boats turn on anchor. I was not going to leave that anchor.”
Like every captain on the show, Yawn has one deckhand stay up overnight for anchor watch. Anchor watch is vital, because as Yawn mentioned in the video, boats can move even when anchored. While one reason to keep anchor watch is to ensure intruders don’t board your vessel. Another reason is that movement can result in disaster.
Rough seas, often seen on the show can be sudden and cause the anchor to drag. This could not only relocate the boat, but rough weather could lead the boat into rock formations or other vessels.
Yawn says the weather in the Med can turn on a dime
Yawn told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that the weather in the Mediterranean can get pretty wild out of nowhere. She described something called “medicanes.” Yawn recalls times in the Med when the winds can suddenly kick up to 70 to 100-knots. “It’s like the mountains burped,” she recalled of a specific instance. “It’s so weird. It was 100 knots of wind for 15 minutes. But then it calmed right now. But the Med is really unpredictable.”
She also shared a photo of Sirocco being pummeled by 70-knot winds shortly after season 4 wrapped. Certainly, Sirocco wasn’t experiencing hideous winds when the anchor chain was tangled, but even normal conditions can be a little rough.
Viewers likely recall third stew Kasey Cohen from season 3 becoming horribly seasick during the first part of the season. Cohen told Showbiz Cheat Sheet she worked as a stew in the past but never experienced anything like the Med. “Because I’m always fine,” she said. “I get into the Mediterranean and I think it was just the waters because it is so rough compared to the water back here.”
White isn’t the only deckhand to face an anchor mess. Deckhand Colin Macy-O’Toole had a few anchor-related disasters last season. Bad weather hit Sirocco one night and Macy-O’Toole was tasked with dropping the anchor. “This is my first time dropping anchor by myself in the middle of the night,” he said in a confessional. “And I’m feeling like a duck right now. Ducks on the water are like chilling. But their feet are like [hand gestures fast paddling].” He drops anchor, but apparently there is an issue with the anchor.
