A female yacht captain, something you don't hear about every day from right here in South Florida, made her reality television debut Tuesday night.
The new season of 'Below Deck Mediterranean' premieres on Bravo, with Fort Lauderdale's Captain Sandy Yawn at the controls.
She's conquered pirates chasing her, fires on board and much more at sea. Now she's taking on reality television, which brings a new wave of challenges.
This season of 'Below Deck Mediterranean' follows Captain Sandy Yawn, her crew, and guests aboard a 154- foot mega yacht as they cruise around Croatia.
With more than 20 years experience, she's the first female yacht captain featured on the show.
"It's fun, it's incredible. I didn't know what to expect so when I arrived in Croatia and met everyone, I was welcomed warmly," she says.
She says being a woman in this position usually dominated by men, is not always easy.
"The industry embraced me, I did have some push back but I navigated through that," Yawn says.
But she has a strong reputation behind her. "You can't edit competence, to look incompetent. I'm competent. I know what I'm doing."
She hopes this reality run can inspire others, especially young women, to get involved in the world on the water.
"Helping others get into my industry, giving hope to a lot of kids who were once like me because I didn't think I could make it, I was a kid who was lost. There is actually a whole different life, a whole different world that you can join, the maritime industry has a lot to offer for everyone and it's not out of your reach," Yawn says.
With a television show comes cameras filming for six weeks, a crew she didn't pick herself, and new rough waters to navigate.
"The crew are not only green, there are some that think they are seasoned, you'll watch the show and decide for yourself," she says.
She holds the crew to the 'Sandy Standard' meaning everything must be prefect.
Captain Sandy says the show portrays the yacht industry exactly how it is, especially for the captains trying to juggle a lot of responsibility at once.
The show premiered May 2 on Bravo at 9 p.m.
