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Captain Glenn Shephard from Below Deck Sailing Yacht was pretty impressed to hear that the Below Deck Season 10 crew scored a $40,000 tip last season. And while the Parsifal III crew has yet to receive a tip anywhere close to $40,000, Shephard said his crew feels well compensated.

“Tips are normally based on how much people pay for the charter and then, of course, how much they enjoy themselves on board,” he explained to Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “I guess the boat size could play a role, but I’m not really sure if the motor yachts are a bit bigger or if it costs a bit more per year per charter. That could be a reason. But I would say we’re pretty happy with it.”

How does a motor yacht compare to a sailing yacht in terms of cost (and tips)?

Shephard has a good point about boat size and cost. Outside of any discount offered to Below Deck and Below Deck Sailing Yacht guests, renting Parsifal III is at least $100,000 a week less expensive than St. David superyacht, featured on Below Deck Season 10.

The 'Below Deck Sailing Yacht' crew hold Pride flags
‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ crew |Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

Currently, Parsifal III’s weekly charter rate is $261,000 in the summer and $216,500 in the winter. St. David rents for $345,000 to $325,000 per week. St. David is also considerably larger than Parsifal III, requiring an additional crew member who floated as a deck/stew.

However, both Parsifal III and St. David can accommodate the same number of guests, but St. David needs about 14 crew members, whereas Parsifal III only needs nine.

How do the ‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ tips compare season over season?

Shephard said his crew does quite well when it comes to tips. “I’ve got no complaints,” he said. “I think we’ve had really good tips every year, so I’ve got nothing to complain about. If somebody else is making a little bit more, that’s fine. Yeah, we’re doing very well.”

Below Deck Season 10 set the all-time record tip high, generating $222,300 for the season, approximately $17,000 per crew member. “That’s a pretty remarkable tip,” Shephard said about the $40,000 tip. “I haven’t seen a tip that high on the show. But, the tips that we have received, whether on the show or not, have generally been very good. Yeah, no complaints,” he added.

The Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 1 crew ended with a respectable $143,000, which was $16,000 per crew member. But tip totals dropped for season 2. The Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew only received a total of $106,450. But this was the first season of coronavirus (Covid-19) and the crew experienced shortened charters. Some charter guests didn’t show up due to Covid.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 3 was the highest in total tips, rebounding to $147,000. This total was in spite of the infamous $6,500 tip from Charles Sanders and Erica Rose.

‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ season 4 tips are off to a good start

Chief stew Daisy Kelliher told Showbiz Cheat Sheet she would have preferred a thank you to the insulting $6,500 tip.

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‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’: Captain Glenn Is ‘Glad’ He Doesn’t See Daisy Kelliher Complain About Sailing [Exclusive]

“Honestly, a thank you means more to me than a tip, but it was definitely their way of being like ‘eff you,’” Kelliher said. “It was strange, and I just wanted to get them off the boat at this stage. I was like, ‘Take your money. I just don’t even care.’ The minute we were told that they missed their flight right up until the tip, it just never stopped being bizarre.”

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 4 appears to be off to a lucrative start. Despite not leaving the dock and some guests complained, the first charter guests tipped the crew a little more than $19,000.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 4 is on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.

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