Below Deck's Captain Sandy Yawn on Going from Rock Bottom to Captaining Million Dollar Yachts

Summary

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Podcast Summary

More Life with Carl Radke

Episode: “Below Deck's Captain Sandy Yawn on Going from Rock Bottom to Captaining Million Dollar Yachts”

Release Date: June 30, 2026
Host: Carl Radke
Guest: Captain Sandy Yawn (Below Deck Mediterranean, 36 years sober, yacht captain, mentor, advocate)
Location: Recorded live at Soft Bar, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

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Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Captain Sandy Yawn, known for her leadership on Bravo’s “Below Deck Mediterranean” and her 36 years of sobriety. Carl and Sandy engage in an honest, vibrant conversation about addiction, recovery, resilience, and redefining what’s possible after hitting rock bottom. The discussion is heartfelt, with both sharing personal anecdotes from their sobriety journeys, the challenges they’ve faced, and their approach to leadership and mentorship—both at sea and in life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sobriety Journeys and Rock Bottom

• Carl Radke shares his own struggles with substance abuse, talking candidly about his time on Bravo where drinking, cocaine, and Adderall became problematic (04:03).
• Captain Sandy Yawn recounts her tumultuous youth in Florida, getting introduced to drugs in middle school, multiple arrests, and the cycle of rehab and halfway houses.
  • Quote: “I was in and out of drug and alcohol treatment centers until I was 25...I’ve been arrested like, 14 times.” (05:27)
• Turning Point: After being told by a halfway house manager she “wasn’t worth the paperwork,” Sandy kept returning for meals and eventually accepted a strict recovery regimen, getting only $5 a week from her paychecks (07:35).
  • Quote: “She said, here’s the deal: your paycheck comes to me, you get $5 a week to live on. And I stayed clean.” (08:12)

2. The Role of AA, Spiritual Awakening, and Daily Routines

• Importance of AA: Both discuss the transformative power of the 12 steps, sponsors, daily meetings, and the honesty that comes with “step work” (11:40).
• Spirituality: Sandy describes her relationship with God as conversational and practical, helping her stay grounded—especially during long periods alone at sea (12:12).
  • Quote: “I have a great connection with God. You know, we have conversations. I’m like, dude, you know, I need a little help here.” (12:22)
• Daily Practices: Sandy credits morning prayer, meditation, and spiritual reading—plus virtual AA support—to her ongoing recovery (13:26, 41:48).

3. Making Amends and Emotional Growth

• Making Amends: Sandy emphasizes the liberating power of honesty and confronting past behavior (13:53).
  • Quote: “True freedom is sharing it with another person. Who gives a shit if they judge you? People judge you all the time... Just accept yourself first.” (14:06)
• Emotional Regulation: Even now, both Sandy and Carl admit to the occasional meltdown, stressing the importance of making prompt amends (15:10; 41:08).

4. Leadership Style: Bringing Sobriety to the Bridge

• Listening & Empathy: Sobriety transformed Sandy’s leadership style by fostering patience and deeper listening with her crew (18:05).
  • Quote: “I listen and I hear them...My approach: make it soft. You want people to be able to talk to you.” (18:10)
• Earned Respect: She views respect as a two-way street: “I trust you; it’s my job to earn your trust and respect. But you have to respect the position.” (18:36)
• No Task Too Small: Sandy often reminds her crew she started washing boats and is not above cleaning shoes—highlighting humility as key to leadership (19:20).

5. Women in Yachting, TV, & Breaking Barriers

• Sandy discusses being the first female captain on “Below Deck,” her years of experience in Europe, and challenges faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
  • Quote: “When TV runs out...I still have a career. My license is in the maritime industry.” (25:19)
• She describes rarely facing misogyny, instead letting her work and results speak for themselves (26:25).

6. TV Reality: The Realities of Filming Below Deck

• Filming is unfiltered and unscripted; the surveillance cameras capture everything (27:54).
• Production support for mental health and sobriety has increased over the years, including on-call psychologists and stricter controls around alcohol for safety (40:08).

7. Navigating Drinking Culture & Supporting Others in Recovery

• Sandy candidly details handling crew substance abuse, balancing tough love with human kindness (35:50).
  • Notable Moment: “You have two options. I can fire you, or you can go to a meeting with me. She chose to go to a meeting. She’s still sober today.” (36:40)
• Carl discusses the dilemmas of supporting friends struggling with addiction (38:07).
  • Sandy’s advice: keep communicating, each message “pauses the moment where they think about it...which gets them closer to that moment of change.” (38:48)
• Analogy: “You can lead a horse to water…but you can kick them in the ass and they go in head first and they might get some in their mouth.” (39:45)

8. Advocacy: Non-Alcoholic Options & Career Alternatives

• Sandy is launching her own line of mocktails for yacht and party settings (“Art and Rev, Captain Sandy’s Mocktail,” out in October) to provide sober-friendly, stylish options (46:10).
  • Quote: “I want a sexy, cool glass...Because we don’t want to be punished because we don’t drink. We want to have fancy.” (46:33)
• She advocates for yacht industry careers instead of college and runs a charity integrating maritime trades into school curricula (31:22, 47:22).

9. Personal Fulfillment, Relationships, and Living with Purpose

• What’s giving you more life right now? Sandy answers: “My life with Leah, to be honest,” reflecting on the joy of finding love and companionship after years of struggle (48:56).
• She closes on the importance of giving back, keeping yourself “right-sized,” and balancing selfless service with self-care.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On daily values:
  • “Do the next right thing...If it feels right, it is right. If it feels wrong, it is wrong.” – Captain Sandy (03:27)
• On honesty and recovery:
  • “True freedom is sharing it with another person. Who gives a shit if they judge you?... Just accept yourself first.” – Captain Sandy (14:06)
• On workplace humility:
  • “Nothing’s above or below me...sometimes I say, ‘get me the boat brush, I want to wash the boat.’” – Captain Sandy (19:00)
• On helping others:
  • “Everyone saw me as a mess. Why not help someone?...When we help others, we get so much in return.” – Captain Sandy (37:38)
• On women in her field:
  • “I didn’t have that feeling of, ‘oh, I got to impress them.’ It was like, I’m just doing my job. And they would say, that’s a good captain.” – Captain Sandy (26:43)
• On the future:
  • “My career is maritime. I’m on TV. My license is in the maritime industry.” – Captain Sandy (25:19)

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Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• Sobriety origin stories: 04:48–08:15
• Spirituality & daily routines: 11:08–13:37; 41:37–42:40
• On leadership & building trust: 18:05–19:06
• Making amends & emotional growth: 13:53–15:43
• Women in yachting, career reflections: 24:48–26:53
• Crew substance abuse & tough love: 35:50–37:38
• Sober socializing, mocktails: 46:10–47:07
• Career advocacy/charity: 47:22–48:44
• Personal fulfillment, Leah: 48:56–49:32

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Practical Takeaways

• Addiction is not a straight road. Both guests stress the ups, downs, and the need for ongoing support, daily practices, and honest connections.
• Helping others is key to staying grounded in sobriety and as a leader—selflessness builds a stronger sense of purpose.
• Leadership is about humility, listening, and empathy, not dominance or ego.
• Alternatives to conventional education (like trades in the maritime industry) are valuable and often overlooked.

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Warm, honest, candid
• Respectful, vulnerable, sprinkled with humor
• Uplifting, motivational, and deeply human

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In Closing

This episode of “More Life” is a masterclass in vulnerability, resilience, and the unexpected places a second chance can lead. Captain Sandy’s journey from chaos and despair to global leadership and inspiration serves as proof that growth is a lifelong, daily pursuit. The episode overflows with actionable wisdom for anyone navigating recovery, reinvention, or simply seeking “more life.”

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Transcript

[Carl Radke]

Lamine Yamal steps into McDonald's, looks left, sees Pulisic, looks right, sees Jimenez, gives a nod to Ronaldinho in the corner with a FIFA World cup meal. Ronaldinho sees son in the booth. Son finds Beckham going for extra Big Mac sauce. He's got Davies at the table just behind him. Davies going for his collectible cup. A steal by Henry, who pulls his own collectible cup. Collect one of nine legendary cups with a FIFA World cup meal at participating McDonald's for a limited time while supplies last.

[Commercial Announcer]

All rights reserved.

[Carl Radke]

20:26 McDonald's at FIFA World Cup 20:26

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[Carl Radke]

store or [e-mail] hey guys, I'm Carl Radke. Welcome to More Life. Today's episode, we've got Captain Sandy Yawn. You might know her from Below deck Mediterranean. She's 36 years sober. Love her for that. She's a powerful presence. So excited to dive in here today at Soft bar. Coming live from Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Captain Sandy welcome to More Life.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Thank you for so excited. We've been trying to do this now for what, a few months?

[Carl Radke]

Few months now. And you've always been on my Mount Rushmore and the Bravo world, especially your sobriety story. But also just I've always admired you sharing your story. But also just Below Deck's the show I always highly respect because not only are you filming, but you're working and filming. And a lot of our counterparts on Bravo aren't always working and filming. I mean, you're working, I get it, but you're like really working. So thank you for coming in today. It's great to have you in Brooklyn. I've had a few Bravo friends come through, so you are definitely someone I've been hoping to talk to. But I want to give Captain Sandy her colors. She's wearing the coolest boots I've ever seen. Moment for the boots. I have a quick question off the bat. Who are you hoping to have as a guest on your yacht from the Bravo world?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know, I Used to say Lisa. But, you know, honestly, I would love Andy Cohen.

[Carl Radke]

Andy would be a great one. Who would be someone you don't want on board?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I don't really have a. Don't want. You know, everyone's welcome until they break some rules, you know. Hey, I mean, you're there to break a few rules, aren't you? That's why you charter. But there's lines you don't cross. That's with the crew and obviously really illegal stuff. But other than that, they can break the rules. I don't care. Yeah, well, Andy, that's why people charter yachts. There was actually an article I just read. It's called the Lawless Sea. You know, people charter boats because they want to be lawless, you know, of course.

[Carl Radke]

Well, I feel like when. As soon as you get out on the water, that's when someone like myself who's not in, you know, the marine world is like, you feel like you can just do whatever you want now. Yeah, Drinking and boating, go nude.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

It's fine.

[Carl Radke]

Play music, speed on the boat, do whatever you want.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

We, you know, we want them to be careful and not get hurt.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, but that's why you're there, to keep us, hold us on track.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Some people get hurt. You might see that happen this season. Somebody might get hurt, maybe a hospital and tow.

[Carl Radke]

I have a saying. So the name of my podcast is More Life. But this saying that I said kind of has stuck with me. And now I've repurposed it as my podcast as a mantra. But I've always wondered from Captain Sandy, is there a mantra that you live by or say out loud to your

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

people, do the next right thing.

[Carl Radke]

Love that.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Just do the next right thing. We all know what it is, right? So because we have a moral compass, of course, we all know, just choose to do the next right thing. If it feels good, it is good.

[Carl Radke]

I love that.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

If it feels wrong, it is wrong.

[Carl Radke]

So profound. We're just getting started. I mean, I want to jump into some of what you shared and some of you and I have connected on. And I'll never forget when I. We talked about it before we started, but when I first talked about getting sober on Bravo, you know, I'd had about four seasons of being on Bravo where I was drinking, using cocaine, Adderall. Behavior was pretty eye opening on the show, but more importantly, it was off camera. I was like, really deteriorating. I was sat down by some executives and recommended I get some help. I then started to, like, open up on the show about. I'M moderating, I'm taking breaks. Bronwyn reached out to me very early on. And shout out to Bronwyn. She was like another sober bravo girl here. Want to be supportive, be a friend. And she's like, had you met Captain Sandy? And I knew who you were, but maybe just in passing at BravoCon, she's like, you gotta meet Captain Sandy. She's like a north star in the recovery world and sobriety. So I guess from, like, meeting you initially, I didn't know fully about some of your story, but I've seen some moments on Below Deck Med where you've talked a little bit about it, but to kind of give our audience a little bit of a background, alcoholism is running your family. You've been obviously, how many years now sober?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

36.

[Carl Radke]

I mean, holy cow.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, it's incredible. 36 going into 37.

[Carl Radke]

It's unbelievable.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Bring us back to maybe in your teens or whenever you started drinking, did you see your addiction coming because of family that was struggling, or did you not? Because I'll give you an example. I didn't see mine coming because everybody else in my family, I was like, oh, it's just them, not me.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, No, I did not like you. I did not. In fact, my mom, my grandfather, alcoholic mom, alcoholic uncle, alcoholic family disease. Right. Of course, I was a good kid. I rode in the front of the bus. My neighbor gave me a Quaalude, a 714. That was my first high, like, and I was in middle school.

[Carl Radke]

And where did you grow up, your youth?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Florida.

[Carl Radke]

Florida.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

So, yeah, my neighbor, she peer pressure, what we call influencers today.

[Carl Radke]

Well said.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know what I mean? So anyway, I take the drug, changed my life. Next thing you know, I'm smoking pot, drinking, and then, you know, I get kicked out of 11th grade. I've been arrested like, 14 times in and out of drug and alcohol treatment centers until I was 25. Like, imagine that. Like, court ordered. All the time I was in front of the judge. I knew the judicial system because I learned it from being in it, you know, Like, I could have been a great lawyer. So anyway, I finally got sober, and it changed my life.

[Carl Radke]

So was drinking other substances really? Or was. What was your drug of choice?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Anything that would get me high. Alcohol was my main source because it's easy to get, of course, and it's

[Carl Radke]

more like normalized, let's say.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I mean, I did coke. I didn't, you know, I wasn't like, I tried crystal meth once. I'll never forget. I was Walking around the football field. And I said to my friend, it was a football game, right? We all went to football games at high school. And I go, this hill's getting really hard to walk up. She goes, sandy, there's no hill. I'm like, the freaking hill is like that high. And then it started raining. It was like, really weird. I had the worst experience. I never did that again. So basically, my addiction was cocaine, alcohol and pot.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, alcohol and cocaine were my minority. I loved.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Loved.

[Carl Radke]

You said you got arrested. Were you a fighter?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No, I ran from the police all the time. I had motorcycle. Like, we grew up with motorcycles. I would outrun them on a motorcycle. I'd hide in the bushes. You'd see the police with their lights.

[Carl Radke]

Oh, my gosh.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Cars, they have radios. I get pulled over. My dad, my stepdad was a cop. They'd say, that's the Lang's daughter. Take her home. But then came the time when they said, take her to jail. So. And I would spend the night, and they'd take your pillow away. Like at 3 in the morning. You're like, the blanket and the pillow. I mean, why? It's like punishment. It was weird. I never spent time. Only overnight, sure. But I always got out. The judge was always like, you know, treatment. I went through 28 day programs. I lived in halfway houses.

[Carl Radke]

Would you have a moment that you describe as your bottom?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Every time, because I got arrested, it was my bottom. Like, it was the same. It was the same. I will tell you this. The last time I did use, I had a job which was unique. I still had employment. I got kicked out of the halfway house I was in. She said I wasn't worth the paperwork. I'm just gonna go out and drink again. I was like, no one's ever said that to me. And then I just kept showing up at that halfway house every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because they never kicked me out. And she called me in her office and she said, here's the deal. Your paycheck comes to me, you get $5 a week. I got $5 a week to live on. And I stayed clean.

[Carl Radke]

And what age were you at this point?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

25.

[Christy from Lululemon]

Wow.

[Carl Radke]

I think it's important for people to know that because, like, the journey of getting sober isn't linear. It's not a direct line. And I think it's important to people to see that up and down. A lot of people doing the work on themselves hit a wall that they can't explain. They're sober, they're in therapy, they're putting in the effort, but there's still a thought that won't quit. What if I'm fundamentally broken and no amount of work will fix me? What if I can't trust my own mind? And no matter what you do to try to feel better, it just keeps coming back. For millions of people, that loop isn't a sign they aren't trying hard enough. It can actually be OCD and most people never realize it. Not the organizing stereotype Real OCD is persistent. It's unwanted, intrusive thoughts that feel totally out of character, along with mental or physical behaviors you feel driven to do to get relief. These thoughts can feel very real, which is what makes them so upsetting. But it doesn't have to be that way because OCD is highly treatable with the right kind of specialized therapy. OCD needs erp, or Exposure and Response Prevention, which has proven to be the most effective treatment, and that's where NOCD comes in. NOCD is the world's leading provider of OCD treatment and it's covered by insurance for over 138 million Americans. All their licensed therapists specialize in ERP therapy and will help you learn to take the power away from intrusive thoughts in live, face to face virtual sessions. They also provide support between sessions when you need it the most, so you're never facing OCD alone. If any of this sounds familiar, visit nocd.com to book a free 15 minute call. That's nocd.com Eczema is unpredictable, but you

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[Carl Radke]

Like that last time you were in that facility, the Mustard Seed. Were you just done?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I was in Stepping Stones in Fort Lauderdale.

[Carl Radke]

Okay.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I was done every time.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know, I used to go to meetings, and they'd say, I wish these meetings were for people who need it, but it's for people who want it. I needed it. Right. Because I couldn't navigate life in addiction. So finally I got sober. And one day at a time, it started to grow on me. And I just. One day at a time, I didn't desire to drink. Sometimes I did. I'd talk about it. I went to meetings. I had a sponsor. I worked the steps. Those steps changed my life. And I went to a meeting every day, sometimes twice a day.

[Carl Radke]

And I think that's, like, for me, and that's what's worked best for you is, you know, the program of AA and.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Had you tried other things prior to AA that.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I kept going back, though. I mean, because I knew that's where the answer was. I just. Every time I get money in my pocket, I feel better and I go use. And that's why when I went to Stepping Stones, she goes, no more money for you. That was my downfall. I just needed to not have enough money to go buy it.

[Carl Radke]

Got it. You know, like, take that step out.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. And they did. And it. It changed my life. And I'll never forget. In the Steps.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. Like, would you say that it was like a spiritual awakening?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Totally spiritual awakening, and I was forced to go to church. I'll never forget it. I was a kid. I'd skip and go play in the ditch. And it was Baptist. I was going to hell for everything. And I was like, well, if I'm going, I might as well have fun on the way, you know, so. But now it's like, I have a great connection with God. You know, we have conversations. I'm like, dude, you know, I need a little help here to turning things over. Turning things over. Listen, I've been sober for a long time. I've had a lot of practice. The meetings help, the steps help, the sponsor helps. But in life, when you don't have all that around you at sea for years, I was at sea, and I did AA loaners. We didn't have, like, zoom.

[Carl Radke]

You just rocked my world thinking about. You've been sober 36 years. I mean, the last five to six, things have gotten a lot more normalized and the more access to resources. But you were doing this at a time where no one talked about it, and it was, like, taboo almost totally.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

And you didn't have access, especially at sea. And so I would just go in my cabin. We didn't have the phones that we have today where I could call internationally. I went online and to these chat groups. Right, so we weren't live.

[Carl Radke]

No.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You're just, like, writing about it.

[Carl Radke]

It's like a message board almost.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, Message board, absolutely. So it's. It was the commitment, the materials that I read the books. Right. So the big book, this. 12 Steps and Hitting my knees every morning and every night.

[Carl Radke]

So as you're working your steps with your sponsor, you know, you mentioned some of the important components of those steps and, like, making amends and actually delivering some of those. Did you have any of those conversations that you remember that went maybe better than you thought, or making amends to someone that you had harmed in the past?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

It's so interesting because you think, you know, I'm sure you said, I'm taking this to the grave with me. You're never gonna tell anyone, you know? Right. But then you go, wow, true freedom is sharing it with another person. Who gives a shit if they judge you? People judge you all the time.

[Carl Radke]

Yes.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know what I mean? Like, you're gonna be judged. It's okay. Just don't judge yourself. Accept yourself first. Right. So absolutely. Listen, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain because I had Pink sings about it. I've already seen the bottom. I have nothing to fear. I've been on the bottom. I've been homeless. Like, I didn't have a place to go stay. I remember spending the entire night in a Denny's, going, where the fuck am I going to go? Sorry for swearing.

[Carl Radke]

No. Anyway, especially something like that. And I appreciate your, like, no place to go.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

My family were done. My friends were done. Where was I? I had a motorcycle. You know, I couldn't sleep in my motorcycle. I'm like, why didn't I get a car? Why did I get a bike? So, yeah, in those moments, I just didn't. It didn't matter. And then when I had to make amends to people, remember, they. They go, you could be on the 10th or 12th floor. And everybody accepts it except for maybe the third person and kind of wrecks your whole. The rest of them. So my experience, I didn't have that, but I was prepared for someone to reject my amends.

[Carl Radke]

Got it. Because I. And then have you had to make amends further down the line? I mean, you're always constantly in sobriety.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yes, of course. And I learned to promptly do it. And I'll give you an example. I was on the bridge of the boat, had a phone call. Actually, I was in my cabin with the owner. He ringed me a new one about the budget. I walk out, see my first officer, bite his head off. I saw his face, like, totally change and what I did to him. And I saw his little spirit just go sad. And I looked at him, I go, rob, you didn't deserve that. I'm really sorry. I go, I just had a phone call. I go, it's no excuse. Please forgive me. I'm sorry. And so those moments really matter, especially in a relationship.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, Well, I mean, you still have to deal with your emotions in life and have to face that sober and then reactivity and you know how you kind of bring that with you, I think especially being a leader and a captain and. Which I want to get into. Kind of like becoming captain. Sandy, we didn't talk about anything relating to a boat. Yet you spent your 20s, early 20s, really going through it. Were you thinking about boats?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No.

[Carl Radke]

Motorcycles mostly. And drinking?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. Just. I was going to live in Key west with flip flops, a tank top and shorts, and smoke pot the rest of my life. That was my goal. After I got sober, that changed.

[Carl Radke]

Sure. So how quickly along in your sobriety were you then thinking about what's happening?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I was in a halfway house. That halfway house. And then they sent me to school, so. Vocational rehabilitation. I said, can I go to diving school? Because I knew I was not meant for inside a building. I'm a Pisces. I'm meant to be outside.

[Carl Radke]

You're meant to be in the water.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I'm meant to be in the water. So they sent me to diving school, first time ever. So I became a dive master.

[Carl Radke]

And so this is like your mid-20s. You're sober now?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

26.

[Carl Radke]

Wow. And you're diving and.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Did you start to feel like a connection to, like, that kind of world?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, totally. And then I needed to make real money to pay my rent, so they didn't really pay well. And I answered an ad in the paper. Washing boats. I had washed boats earlier in my career. I grew up in Florida. I was Always around boats.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. The boating community is pretty.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. My whole life we always had a boat. Not a yacht, but we water skied all the time.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

So I started washing boats.

[Carl Radke]

Do you remember what they paid you hourly?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I got paid per boat.

[Carl Radke]

Per boat. Wow.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

But I was like, oh my God, what a cool job. I get a suntan, I get a workout and I get paid.

[Carl Radke]

I. I mean, I love.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I get to play in the water.

[Carl Radke]

No, it's amazing. And so, okay, you're washing boats and then how do. What's.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I got a job on a boat called Soldier of Fortune. Two years.

[Carl Radke]

So great name.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Then I was like, this isn't for me because they did a lot of drugs on board. I couldn't be around it. So I left.

[Carl Radke]

So I think that that's important for people to discuss, like the people, places and things. You know, as someone who summer house, a lot of drinking. I got sober and went right back to the house. People are like, how are you? And I'm curious just like, yeah, you have to make those decisions about those environments you're putting yourself in. And if a workplace, drinking, drug use. How did you navigate kind of that early?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Well, I left.

[Carl Radke]

It was non negotiable.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I had a sponsor.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

She's like, nah, there's another boat.

[Carl Radke]

I love this. So, okay. How does sobriety make you a better captain and a better leader?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I listen more, remember?

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. They say, I tried even in doing this podcast.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

They say, go to a meeting, shut up, sit on your hands and listen. You know, so I listen and I hear them and I think about maybe their background and where, what they've been through. I don't know. So why would I attack? Why wouldn't I listen? And my approach make it soft.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Because you want people to be able to talk to you because if they don't feel like they can come to you, then there's no.

[Carl Radke]

You don't have that trust.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No. Like I said, when I hire the crew, I say I trust you, I respect you. It's my job to earn your trust and respect. But you have to respect the position.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yep.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

The problem is, is if you lose my trust and respect, it's really hard to get it back.

[Carl Radke]

Totally. And I think, like, I'm curious because some like bosses that I've always admired, like your boat washing story, do you tell that to some of these guys? Like, I used to wash boats.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Oh yeah. They know.

[Carl Radke]

They know.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Oh yeah. So that almost sometimes I say, get me the boat brush. I want to wash the boat. See they do. They just don't show it on tv.

[Carl Radke]

I love that we have a saying here. Even with my business soft bar, like, I'll plunge the toilets here, you know, nothing's above or below me. And I think the people that you're working with or below you, for them to see that can actually bring another level of respect and kind of like they're in their position, but they can still get down and dirty.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I got a shoe story for you. So I'm in Monaco Grand Prix, promoted my bosun to first officer. He has his three stripes on. He's on passerelle watch. That's where they stand at the passerelle. And all the girls are passing. He's like, feeling good.

[Carl Radke]

And by the way, Monaco is. That's a buck.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Sounds amazing. So my client, he's about 5 foot 6, walks in, goes, hey, mate, will you clean my shoes? I saw. I was actually on the passerelle and I saw Rob's face and I went, no problem, sir. I grabbed the shoes, I motioned him to come down and watch me clean the shoes. And I'm like, do you clean your shoes? He's like, yeah. He goes, no, we're not less of a person if we clean the shoes. We're just making them happy.

[Carl Radke]

Exactly.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Let's just clean the shoes.

[Carl Radke]

I love that attitude.

[Commercial Announcer]

You know what I mean?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

So.

[Carl Radke]

And that's an attitude I feel like sobriety gives you. Yeah, but you also said something like listening as a leader. And I think at least my perception of boat captains or yacht captains, I mean, you're dealing with million dollar vessels here. You're dealing with the crew, you're dealing with customers or clients on the boat. Safety, maritime law, all the things. But I feel like leaders on a boat are loud and, like, overbearing. But I would imagine, like, you're not that way. And I think that's a really good approach. But maybe sobriety helped inform some of that.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I think in the yacht world, you find captains that are less like that. So because most captains have worked their way up to the bridge, right?

[Christy from Lululemon]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

They know what it's like to do the other jobs. And every captain that I know personally, they're chill, they're great captains, especially charter captains. You can't be this person that beats your chest and says, I am the captain. I heard a story the other day about a captain that actually sat all the crew down in the crew mess and says, this is how we fold the cereal. Like, actually showed them how to fold it to make sure it doesn't go stale.

[Carl Radke]

I'm like really serial.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. I mean, some are like that, but I just, in my world, I haven't seen captains like that.

[Carl Radke]

Sure. I mean, I feel like you also, from some of the episodes I've seen, I've always been interested in this is like you handling conflict with the crew, also guests, you know, And I think how do you know when to step in is kind of my question.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I grew up with siblings. I think if you could work it out with your siblings, you can certainly work it out with your teammates.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know, because with your siblings it's even worse. Right. Because I think you start throwing things at each other.

[Carl Radke]

Of course.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Carl Radke]

Is there such thing as like healthy conflict on a charter?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I don't think conflict is healthy at all.

[Medical or Product Information Announcer]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I think to me it's like if you come to a place where you're disagreeing, don't make it a conflict. Make it like. Okay, an impasse. All right, so we just. We're in an impasse.

[Carl Radke]

Agree to disagree.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Exactly.

[Carl Radke]

To some degree.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

And I always say that it isn't about you being right or me being right. We just have differences of opinions. And as long as our goal is to continue service and to make it wonderful, whoever the boss is, we do what they say.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

There's no. It's not a democratic.

[Carl Radke]

Totally.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yes. Of course. You want people to have their opinions, but the ultimate decision is the person in charge.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, that's where the ego gets in the way sometimes.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

And I think when you have great crew and I'm just gonna name a few. Natasha, she was an excellent chief. Stew. Katie Flood, excellent chief Stew.

[Carl Radke]

Shout out to Katie.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I know Katie great chief Stew. They're professional chief stews. Right. They came from big boats. I can tell the difference. Asha great chiefs, too. She learned on Below Deck.

[Carl Radke]

Shout out to Asia, too. I know her.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

She's. Yes. Natasha and Katie Lear through yachting. You know, they were up there on big boats, so you see that passion and care that they have. Asha left, continued her career, learned, went, took classes, and now she's excellent at what she does. And when you see people that put the time in, you don't really have conflict because they have the knowledge.

[Carl Radke]

Well, I would imagine you being in the position you are, you're almost kind of bringing Asha up into the world you're in and almost like, maybe mentoring some of these women, especially on, you know, in your crew.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Well, Asha has a good, strong. I think Asha's kindness, she was born with, I think her family. Obviously, you have to be kind. Natasha was kind. Katie was kind. Like, you have to have a kind heart.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I really believe that.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. I mean, I feel like I'm a sports guy. So the reference I think of is, like, you're like the coaching tree. It's like you've got these amazing crew chief Stu, all these people that you've kind of worked with, but then their careers now have blossomed because of some of the work you've done. I mean, do you think Aisha will be a captain someday or that's not in.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I think Aisha wants a baby.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Just like Malia has a baby.

[Carl Radke]

Well, I think. I mean, seeing you on Below Deck, I mean, your career has been now 10 years. It's amazing. You were the first woman captain on a yacht. Talk to me about some of that. Maybe the pressure or.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I never thought of it because I arrived in TV as a yacht captain, so I wasn't becoming a yacht captain on tv.

[Carl Radke]

Sure. You were already there.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

So it was established. Listen, I spent years in Europe. I was a Mediterranean captain. So it was my jam. I know everybody in all those ports. No matter where we go, I have friends.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Because I had a career before tv. And I always say this. My career is maritime. I'm on tv. My career is not television. My career, my license is in the maritime industry. When TV runs out, which I hope it doesn't, because I love doing it, I still have a career.

[Commercial Announcer]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Because when you look at people on television, it seems very rollercoaster. Like we're the only industry. I can't think of another industry where budgets go up, they all get cut Our budgets go up, fuel goes up, dockage goes up. You can't ask for less and expect more.

[Carl Radke]

Totally.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Like in so many other places that happens. You actually have to pay more. And so when you. It's a very small number of people, billionaires. You have to have 30 million a year to blow to own a yacht, a super yacht.

[Carl Radke]

30 million, no big deal.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

That's it. That's the sweet number.

[Carl Radke]

Is there a moment? I mean, just kind of back to being, like a woman in yachting and woman captaining a boat. Is there anything you remember early on in your career where misogyny or any of that toxic.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No, I never did, honestly. One time I didn't get hired by a guy. Cause he said I was a woman, which was a blessing in disguise. Cause then I went to work for a billionaire who founded a bank. Best guy I ever worked for. But I never really had that. Yes. I'd have the eyeballs, here comes the woman. I would laugh and smile and wink.

[Carl Radke]

But you were already, like, so comfortable with yourself.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I just. It didn't matter because I'm sober. Like, I didn't have that feeling of, oh, I got to impress them. It was like, I'm just doing my job. And they would say, that's a good captain.

[Carl Radke]

I love it. I love it. Now, do you think none of this would be possible without your sobriety?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

None of it. Cause it was because I got sober. I went to school and got my license.

[Carl Radke]

Do you think you feel like, the passion you have for this world and the people you work with and the teams you've led, you're so passionate. Do you feel like you actually are working?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, there it is.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I love it.

[Carl Radke]

I knew you were gonna say it.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No, it's fun.

[Carl Radke]

It's fun.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

People go, do you like doing the show? I go, oh, my God, I love it. I can't wait. I love the dynamics, the logistics between production and us. And we're all there for the same reason, to make a great TV show. Nothing's scripted. Nothing on our show is scripted because we're actually doing a job. But they don't tell us what to say. We're not actors.

[Carl Radke]

No.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know what I mean?

[Carl Radke]

Definitely not actors. Well, I want to say, too, one thing I've always admired, too, about what you do is below deck, the way it's shown and produced, with the cameras in the galley, in the kitchen, and all throughout the boat. Summer House is also, I think, one of the only few shows left filmed in that capacity were the surveillance cameras. Talk to me about that surveillance element. You can't hide. You can't script.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No, you can't hide. You can't script. And that's so funny, because I'll never forget Wes and Malia kissed on the bridge. And they were like. Someone said something, and that's when the cameras went in. The bridge. The cameras were not in the bridge before. Or maybe it was, and they got out of the angle of the camera and then they put a GoPro. They hid a GoPro and caught him kissing.

[Carl Radke]

I can relate to being I had a spot in the house at one point. Season three, it was the pantry, and there was no camera in the pantry.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

They hid the GoPro.

[Carl Radke]

They put a camera in the cereal box later on in the summer in the pantry to catch me and Paige making out at the time. There's that script that we just can't hide from them. We thought we could hide.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No, they see it all now.

[Carl Radke]

Is that something? You know? I guess. Walk me through that call you got from Bravo. Hey, Captain Sandy, what are you doing this summer?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Nadine Rajabi knew a comedian, Monica, and she goes, you need a woman. And Nadine goes, oh, yeah. And you know one? She goes, yeah, I do. It's Captain Sandy. And she's the tits. That's exactly what she said. I agree to Nadine. So anyway, she goes, she's real. So Nadine goes, oh, yeah, whatever. So she Googles me and sees that I was a real captain. She reached out to me, connected me to the network, and they said, well,

[Carl Radke]

did you have any perception of what Bravo was prior to that?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Well, I had seen a few episodes of Captain Lee, and I was like, okay, get an idea what this is. I didn't really watch the show. And then I worked all the time. We're not watching tv.

[Carl Radke]

You don't have TV on the boat.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. So I did it. My friends are like, it's gonna ruin your career. And I'm like, you know what? It landed in my lap. If the door of opportunity opens, I say walk through it. Cause you can always walk back out.

[Carl Radke]

Love that. Actually, I did.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

It's the best thing in my life. Changed my life.

[Carl Radke]

So the friends that were saying, don't do it. Did you have any, like, people in sobriety? Oh, no.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

After I did my first season, I went right to the editors of the yachting magazines, and I said, you need to change the narrative. It is not what you write about. So I talked to the people that own the magazines, and then they started changing the narrative. In fact, I Was just at the Fort Lauderdale boat show last year at the end of the year. And I just talked about. I'm like, for those of you who don't agree with the show, it actually reaches.

[Carl Radke]

Help us understand more about that.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

They think it highlights the worst of the worst of the crew and they don't like it. Right. So they just want to sleep and rest because they want to do a good job. They like counting their cash.

[Carl Radke]

But I think it's interesting. I didn't realize some of the. It's almost like us in the Hamptons. Some of the local Hamptons at first was like, are these guys going to be like Jersey Shore? Are they going to bring all this negative? Are they going to fight at the bar? Are they going to be degenerate people? But also I think I forget. The boating community probably holds themselves to a pretty high standard.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Oh yeah. They're dealing with billionaires and their families.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. Pretty high net worth folks who are very needy.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

And I get requests all the time from captains. I'm like, I've been with them six weeks. So far, so good. Please don't take what you see on TV as they're, you know, give them a chance.

[Carl Radke]

You're like a character witness.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. Just give them a chance. That's what I say.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. I mean I feel like you're paving or breaking down that wall at least

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

a little bit of like the industry has shifted because. Because of the industry. It highlights our jobs. And I have a charity talk a little bit about that. Yeah. In school curriculum to teach kids that there is alternatives to college. That this is an actual career. Our jobs pay a lot more than they do on land. So carpenters, plumbers, electricians, welders in shipyards make about 40% more.

[Carl Radke]

Wow.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Hourly.

[Carl Radke]

Wow.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

They have the best benefits. If you go to sea. Obviously. You see the cash. We count.

[Carl Radke]

Of course.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know, and you're not really spending it because you're working all the time

[Carl Radke]

and there's nowhere to spend it unless you have like a cash register on display.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

So many great opportunities and you immerse in different cultures, different languages, different. It's just incredible. I just. You're surrounded by. It's like a many United Nations.

[Medical or Product Information Announcer]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Was it an adjustment having to be mic'd up like that and maybe censoring yourself at all? Were you worried about things you missed?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I didn't really think about censoring. They did. Had to come to me and say because on a real boat and you're chartering and you got green crew, you're training. We train all the time, so you don't really see the training. We train constantly. We train man overboard drills, fire drills, taking on water drills, launching the tender drills. Like, this isn't just. Here, take this. Launch this. Yeah. You guys are very expensive equipment, very expensive tenders. You don't want. You.

[Carl Radke]

Bravo needs to have a training episode for Captain Sandy.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

We do train now.

[Carl Radke]

And I also have another suggestion. Summerhouse comes on your boat for a trip. I'm manifesting the below deck.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Summerhouse Carver.

[Carl Radke]

Do you watch episodes back or no?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, of course.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. I've met some broad celebrities who say they don't watch, and I think we have to.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

How do you comment on your show if you don't watch it?

[Carl Radke]

Thank you. Yeah, I agree. I also enjoy. Do you White. Love your show, Right?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Oh, my God. I look at what they're up to and I'm like, oh, my God. That explains everything. Cause, you know, if they've had a squabble, I'm just gonna take this one time. Luka was hooked up with one of the stewardesses on board, and I was on the bridge. I didn't know they were hooked up. I was on the bridge. He was texting with Katie Flood. And I look over and I'm like, who's that? Because he got all giggly, and I'm like, oh, you like her? Who is. He goes, katie. I was like, oh, you like Katie? And it was like, fun, right? We were having fun. And then I go down and the crew mess, all the crew are sitting around the table, and he gets a text, and his smile goes really big. I go, is that your girlfriend Katie? And he was sitting next to the girl that he was sleeping with. And I didn't know that, so I outed him. So there are those moments.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

And he texted me. He goes, you totally outed me.

[Carl Radke]

Oh, man. I'm like, I'm sorry, Captain Sandy. I mean, that's funny because you'll watch back. And the thing that I've always appreciated is you might be in your office and then the crew is doing something downstairs or in the galley or whatever. You're not there for that. And then rewatching that however many months after it comes out. Have you ever texted one of the crew members and be like, hey, I'm sorry. Have you ever had, in the moment, watching an episode and then reaching out to cast?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Well, I reach out to them because I don't, you know, sorry that that happened. Of course.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Because some things are very hard to watch. Definitely Especially when it comes to the relationships. Girls fall hard and I think some people just aren't aware of their behavior.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Without saying names.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. I mean, the relationship component to Below Deck and the romance and the hookups and. Yeah, I think that's a really unique layer of what you have to deal with as a captain. Obviously you are managing a very large vessel, but you're also like kind of playing therapist, you know, And I would

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

like to say, like, if you come on a show and you're there for six weeks, you're gonna meet someone. It's gonna feel like forever, but remember, you have the rest of your life.

[Carl Radke]

That's kind of how summer house gets. When you get into the house, things just accelerate. It's super fast paced. Next two weekends and you're meeting the parents and it's like, whoa, pump the brakes here.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

It is accelerating.

[Carl Radke]

It is accelerating, which. It gets exciting. It's almost like that a drug in a way.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

I want to get into like the drinking on the boats. I try to clean up my side of the street. I try not to be judgmental. When I first got sober, I acted like a martyr. I was like, I got it all figured out. I'd be at a party, be like, oh, they're just, they're alcoholic. I just had a lot to say and I needed to still do the work on my end. And something I was talking to Andy, my producer, about was like, you handle, I feel like that crossing of line incredibly well. I mean, I'm sure it's because you've got 36 years, but crew members who maybe you notice are drinking a little bit too much or there's conflict because of alcohol. How do you navigate that where it's like not crossing the line in an uncomfortable, disrespectful way, but being there. And I saw a really amazing conversation from a few seasons ago where you talk about some of your story where you were chatting with one of the crew members who had alcohol in his breath. And it was interesting how he talks because I'm hearing him speak and he's like, I drink more than everybody else. And I'm like, that's what people say who are. But the way you handle it, I really admired and I'm curious how you handle that.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Just, I'm just honest, to be honest. Like, you know, when I see that it's interfering with their work. We have to save lives.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. Safety is probably the most important.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Like if we can't save a life because we're impaired, that's a problem, and then I'm the one that's in trouble. But I didn't do it because I'm the one responsible. I did it because he's suffering. Or she.

[Christy from Lululemon]

Yeah.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I had a crew member years ago. I was like, I go, where is Catherine? Where is Catherine? She was almost unlimited master, bigger license than me. She was my first officer, and no one could tell me. We called the hospitals, the jails. She come walking up to the boat, had a blackout, didn't know where she was. And I said, you have two options. I can fire you, or you can go to a meeting with me.

[Christy from Lululemon]

Wow.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

She chose to go to a meeting. She's still sober today.

[Carl Radke]

Incredible.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

And that's like, I guess the love and support and that's such a beautiful thing I've had now in my five and a half years of being sober. Do I have some friends that I'm maybe worried about a little bit?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Some are on tv, some are not. But I've always found a little bit of uncomfortable because I'm not full. I'm not perfect. I'm not a doctor. I know what works for me. I know my story. I want to be there for my friends or be there for someone who needs it. And that gesture you made to that person, that tough love saved their life. And look at them now. I also worked for my best friend Kyle, who has sat me down at one point, was like. He actually was more about the cocaine. He's like, you got to stop that. You're going to die. But it was almost because he was my boss at the time that gave that tough love that I kind of needed. But I'm curious, the tough love of it all, like, how do you navigate being a boss but also showing care and respect for these.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I think just being a human being. Yeah, I know the boss hat isn't on.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

It's just being a human being, a good human being.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. You can feel that in some of those conversations.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. Just having that conversation because it's only going to help. I have nothing to lose. And I, you know, like I said before, everyone saw me as a mess. Why not help someone? So. And as you know, when we help others, we get so much in return.

[Carl Radke]

I feel selfish. It's like I'm getting so much out of this experience of supporting others or service of others.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

It's so selfless, but also feels selfish. But it's not. It's just. That's the circle of life.

[Carl Radke]

Totally. I have a. As an example, there's been a friend of Mine, who I have been worried about a little bit, and the confrontation of it or approaching him with this kind of conversation. He's not on any show that I'm on, but he's someone personally that I've been worried about with his drinking. I'll send him articles, I send him some information, and then he'll text me that he had a. He blacked out and had a crazy bender weekend. And then how would you recommend that I navigate. He needs to get sober. He needs to go to a meeting. Whoa. I thought about writing a letter.

[Christy from Lululemon]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Because my texts and calls thus far have been very. Just friendly and supportive, but not like, hey. Because everything he's saying was the shit I used to say back in the day. That was just the insanity.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know, the saying, when the student's ready. You know what I mean? Like, just like me. You know how many people had conversations with me, and I'm sure, just like you, I wasn't ready. But every conversation and every letter and every text pauses the moment where they think about it, which gets them closer to that moment of change. Right. You can't. They have to.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. And that's the part is you can

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

only have somebody just continue having the conversation.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. And the best example I get is a lot of, you know, the oxygen mask on an airplane. You know, you got to do that first, take care of yourself so you can show up to this and, you know, try and support.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Years ago, I had a revolving door at this place called Glen Oaks, Glen Ridge before they changed the name. And it was a detox for five days. And every time I get arrested, I'd say, I'm an alcoholic. Take me to detox. Glen Ridge. They did. Every time. And the guy, Bill Stiles, he goes, we're just reserving a bed once a month for you, Sandy.

[Carl Radke]

Captain Sandy. And then he goes, you know, he

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

said, you know, you can lead a horse to water. And they say you can't make them drink. He goes, but you can kick them in the ass. And they go in the water head first, and they didn't get some in their mouth. You know what I mean? So he goes, and that's what we're doing with you. Every time I come back, I love it.

[Carl Radke]

I wanted to talk about something on the charter, too, like, have you had to step in when you're noticing the drinking is turning dangerous? I mean, I know you have, but

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

was the one time. I got to tell you, production's really good at. You know, they don't buy the alcohol first. And Foremost, if production sees there's an issue. You know, we have psychologists on there. Like, these crew have so much support from the production side.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Lot has changed since we started filming. The show's evolved. We've all evolved together. The production really looks out for the team, and they look out for their team and they look out for the crew.

[Carl Radke]

Yep.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

So when they see something, they are on it.

[Carl Radke]

And that's kind of how Summerhouse has been. And I've. You've applauded Bravo for their support and how they. And same for me. I mean, they've given me so much latitude and support, but also the friends that I'm with, I mean, I would imagine your crew also, they know in the back of their head, captain, Sandy doesn't drink. Let's make sure we show up for her too. You know, I think that's a beautiful thing, is it's. It is a community effort to stay sober and to kind of carry that. But in Summer House, I got into a pretty large screaming fight with my best friend Kyle, totally sober. But I mean, I lost my shit. Have you had any moments where you've looked back?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Oh, my God.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You just lose your. Hey, listen, it's still there.

[Carl Radke]

Thank you.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yes, of course.

[Carl Radke]

You said it. You can have your meltdowns too.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yes. We're human beings. We're not perfect. Like, we're going to have meltdowns and then you realize, oh, man, I owe an amends.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yep.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

And that's really the important part is where you. But you got to give the person space in order to calm down after you've just attacked like a lion and you're like, I'm sorry. But they're like not taking your sorry. So you got to sit with your feeling.

[Carl Radke]

What's like. I'm curious just from like, like the morning routine of it all. When you're on the boat, is there a non negotiable things you do that when you first wake up and get started with your day?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Be on my knees, ask for help, have that time for myself in the morning when they knock on my door. Is everybody okay? Yeah. Okay. I'll be out in 20 minutes. You know, when I get a knock, as long as everybody's okay, it'll be okay.

[Carl Radke]

It'll be okay.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, I need this time.

[Carl Radke]

Sure. So, I mean, people ask me, like, how do you stay sober in the summer house? And I wake up in the morning, I turn on my medicine meditation app. I will pray or say a few words. I say the serenity prayer. We'll look at some of the daily reflection or affirmations, text some sober friends, maybe go for a run or walk movement or some sort of motion. And then I can face the summer house. But I've had mornings where maybe you sleep a little bit longer. Maybe you don't have the greatest morning. I notice it and I've realized I've got to have this non negotiable start to the day.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

How do you protect your mental health? I mean, what's your sponsor?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You know, you have relationships in recovery, right, Who've known you for your whole recovery. They call you on your crap. That's why when I did this show, my friends in sobriety goes, oh, no, back down on the ground. They smack me down so hard. And people go. I'm not the typical Bravo. I go. Because my friends go, boom. And you know, they're like, okay, Sandy.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

So, you know, keep yourself right sized. Yeah, well, because I. Yeah, I mean, I'm wondering with your sober friends or your community, do they watch?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, they watch.

[Carl Radke]

Do they ever give you.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, I know they're very proud. You know what I mean? Like, and they'll. They have feedback.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, that's what I'm getting at. Because like my fight, I have. I get the dry drunk messages, you know, why didn't you call your sponsor right after that? And I'm like, good point.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Cause I'm a human.

[Carl Radke]

I'm a human. I did text the next morning, but I was so flooded and in it. But me and Kyle did resolve the fight not too long right after. But to your point, there was like a pause, cooling off. Oh my. I was crying in my room. I felt horrible.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Cause I'm also like, this is gonna be on TV now. Eight months later. I look like a complete flaming a hole. But yeah, I would imagine, like I've had.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Everything has consequences. Every behavior, we have a consequence, either a positive one or not so positive. It's up to us. It's in our behavior. And we have to sit through those consequences. And that's really the learning of not wanting to do that again. Because if we don't have that, we're gonna continue doing that behavior.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, you need to.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

You gotta have the bad feeling in order to change, to have the good feeling 100%. Or are you gonna keep.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, you'll keep doing that shit over and over again. You mentioned something at the beginning of this conversation which I wanna just touch on one more time. You're out in the wild, open sea early, you know, 20, 15 years ago and you are having to stay sober. You were logging on a website with a forum and writing what you were going through and sharing your story and then connecting with others. That was one of your tools.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

That was my tool. And the big book and the 24 hour day book. I don't even know if Daily Reflections was printed yet.

[Carl Radke]

But the strength and resilience that you had, I just. That's so amazing because the tools and resources we are now afforded.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Because you get hungry for it, Right? The hunger is there.

[Carl Radke]

I can't get enough of it.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

I mean, some of these books I have here, I mean, Sober Shift was one of the ones this Lori Gottlieb and then Tani Laura, dry humping, sober dating, you know, all these different. I was like, I was devouring anything I could, but there's a lot more access now.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

So back then you were off to your own devices.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

That was true commitment.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah. You really had to be dedicated. And I'm just. I applaud you for that. And I think it's important for people to realize how much has changed and what you've had to, you know, endure and come through. Yeah, it's just really powerful.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Well, it's even more to navigate now. So for me it was probably easier. Less to navigate. I think the more distractions you have, the further that you go in, it's very difficult.

[Medical or Product Information Announcer]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

The less distractions. It's much easier.

[Carl Radke]

How are you feeling about the new season?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Amazing. Because it's Croatia and it's Dubrovnik and I don't. I mean, beautiful part of the world. For me, it's the location I'm always gonna have. Crew dynamics. It comes with the territory.

[Carl Radke]

Sure.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

It's the location.

[Carl Radke]

Well, let me ask.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

And the beautiful scene that you're going to get to see.

[Carl Radke]

I have a friend of mine, they were just in Croatia and he was struggling with the lack of options. Non alcoholic options. How do you navigate? Like you're being plopped into Croatia. Dubrovnik, beautiful place. Obviously. But do you ever have any, like, in the back of your head, like, wait, am I gonna feel comfortable here or.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I don't think like that.

[Carl Radke]

You don't think like that?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

No, but I got a non. I got a mocktail coming out.

[Carl Radke]

You do?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. Art and Rev, Captain Sandy's mocktail. It's coming out.

[Carl Radke]

Can we serve it here?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, you can serve it here.

[Carl Radke]

We'd love to.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

So we're starting with four different ones because I think it's so important because I used to say when I would go out and they pour the, you know, cranberry and soda in a glass that doesn't look sexy. I'm like, I want a sexy glass.

[Medical or Product Information Announcer]

Yes.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I want a sexy, cool glass.

[Carl Radke]

You nailed it, Captain Sandy.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. Even a champagne. You know, every time I toast with the champagne, it's either Red Bull or peach tea or something. And they're like, that looks like champagne.

[Carl Radke]

It looks like champagne. That's what I do.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

The Red Bull, sugar free. Or we have a sparkling tea that's just nice and bubbly, but tastes good. I love that.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

That's so important to have like an option or just something in your hand.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Because we don't want to be punished because we don't drink. We want to have fancy.

[Carl Radke]

Like, I want to get dressed up.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

I mean, look at that drink right now.

[Carl Radke]

Beautiful.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, it's beautiful.

[Carl Radke]

I want to get dressed up. I want to wear a cool outfit. I want to drink a nice, sexy, fun drink and a cool glass.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

So that's what we do here at Selma. Yeah. When can we expect your mocktail to come out?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

October.

[Carl Radke]

Sweet. So you got season 11 of Below Deck Medium. You've got a mocktail coming out. Anything else for our audience to know where they can find you. And you're obviously public speaking.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah. You know, I have a charity. Like, honestly, the charity, we're through K through 12. We're in all the. Most of the schools in Florida love it. It doesn't even have my name on it. I just want kids to learn about the options because I wasn't the perfect student. I didn't go to college. I got kicked out of 11th grade. I never got a GED. You know, my background was street survival.

[Carl Radke]

You know, I think it's important for people to know, like, especially the state of colleges and university now there are

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

people who are college bound. Attorneys, doctors, I get it. We need that. But at the same time, some parents can't afford college, some kids can't get the college grants, you know, and it's for those kids who can't. There are so many different options.

[Carl Radke]

Yeah, I guess that's what I'm getting at is like, you think in your head you go to college because that's what you're supposed to do. Even if you're like gonna be an electrician, you're like, I think I still need to go to college, though. Cause that's like what you're supposed to do. But having programs at a younger age that showcase.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Like, my brother wasn't a college he wasn't ready for college. He went to college and partied and then got kicked out after a year. He should have gone to a vocational for bricklaying. Construction.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Some people need to work with their hands and sometimes they're not surgeon material. Right. And it's okay. Like we need. If we don't have these electricians, plumbers and carpenters and welders, we wouldn't have buildings.

[Christy from Lululemon]

Totally.

[Carl Radke]

And the way now we need real or boats.

[Christy from Lululemon]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

We need people with their hands and we need actual in person.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yes. Craftsmen.

[Carl Radke]

You're making me want to get on

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

a boat right now. Boats are fun.

[Carl Radke]

Well, we're coming up to our end here, but I asked you at the beginning of this kind of what's the more life concept? What's giving you more life right now?

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

My life with Leah, to be honest.

[Carl Radke]

You guys are two years married now.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah, two years, seven years together. Like, I just like right now, it's like going home. Like, I get so excited when I see her. I love her so much. And we just living life. Right? Changing lives. Like, however we can do that. Like, we're not takers, we're givers.

[Carl Radke]

Love that.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

But you gotta take a little bit for yourself that time for yourself and for each other. So I think it's just that rotation of, you know, it's a give, give world. You know what I mean? And Leah and I are just. We're complete opposites in so many ways that we're perfect for each other.

[Carl Radke]

Love that. It balances out totally. I love that. Well, shout out to Leah too.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

Beautiful to hear. Thank you for coming in, Captain Sam.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Thanks for having me. I love your space.

[Carl Radke]

Thank you. I very blessed to have you here. You've been a big inspiration to me, especially in the Bravo world and in a lot of men and women look up to you and have been inspired. So I'm really grateful for you.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

It's my favorite interview. There's one other one I had in the uk. You're my American favorite interview.

[Carl Radke]

Oh, I love that. Thank you. Honored for you to be here and you're helping so many people out, including me. And I think the more we share out loud, the more authentically we share. It's just beautiful what can happen and the growth you've had and 36 years of sobriety is. Keep going, Captain Sandy.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Five years.

[Carl Radke]

Five years.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Yeah.

[Carl Radke]

So. But people like you are the reminder I need. And I put you up on my rush more for a reason. Because I want to. I want what you have. I want to be like what you have.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Thank you.

[Carl Radke]

And it's been really powerful. So thank you for coming in.

[Captain Sandy Yawn]

Thanks for having me.

[Carl Radke]

Appreciate you. Thank you guys for being here today on More Life. We're here with Captain Sandy. This has been incredible. I love you guys. Check us out again here at More Life here in Soft Bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Have a great day. Thank you guys for joining us on More Life. Watch or listen on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And please like Review subscribe it really helps us out. More Life is produced by Annie Siegel, an executive produced by Adam Reynolds of Denim Pictures. This episode was directed by Annie Siegel, edited by Mikey Ortiz and recorded at Soft Bar Studios in Brooklyn, New York. More Life is a production of Sony Music Entertainment from Sony. Our executive producers are Chris Skinner and Joanna Clay. Original music by Function Atoms, sound mixing by Ian Sorrentino, set design by Michael Ignacio, publicity by Caitlin Healy, additional support from Abby Sharp and a special thanks to Allyson Shano and Joanna Orland. New episodes drop every Tuesday. We'll see you next time.

[Christy from Lululemon]

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