Captain Sandy Yawn is best known for leading crews on Bravo’s “Below Deck Mediterranean,” but her maritime career began with a visit to The Bahamas.
Yawn, who has traveled the world as a superyacht captain, initially started out by answering an ad in the newspaper for a job washing boats in 1990.
“I washed the boat so well the owner offered me a full-time job,” she told USA TODAY. Her first trip on the vessel took her to the Caribbean island country.
As she crossed The Bahamas Banks, she could see the ocean floor through crystal clear water. “It was beautiful and I thought, Oh my gosh, I’m getting paid for this,” she said. “What a great job.”
Yawn, who also recently became an ambassador for marine marketplace Boatmart, spoke to USA TODAY about her first visit to the Mediterranean, her perfect day on vacation and why boating can be good therapy. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Is there a travel experience that’s most memorable or stands out to you when you look back?
My first time to the Mediterranean was to Spain, and when I went to Spain for the first time, it was in Palma, Mallorca (in 2000). I had never been and I was like, “Oh my gosh.” Little did I know that an island would have such large mountains. … And it was history, oh my goodness: The age of the buildings, the landscape, the architects, the artists. And then from there, we went to Barcelona, which was epic. And I remember we arrived at 6 a.m., and the nightclubs were still going. I thought, “This is a cool city.” … And I went to the (Dalí Theatre-Museum) in Figueres, Spain, which was incredible. We (went to Gaudí’s Park Güell). So, for me, walking through the history of Spain and the artists was epic.
And from there, I was based in Barcelona (working on a motor yacht), and then we would drive to Andorra … And we would ski in the Pyrenees. So, we adventured. And I would always drive the crew three hours, three-and-a-half hours. If it was raining in Barcelona, I’m like, “Let’s go ski,” because we spent winters there.
What is your preferred way to travel on your own time?
Boats. I don’t like flying. The older I get, the less I like to fly, especially everything that you’re reading lately. … Boat is my transport of choice, because you can always find a place to anchor if the weather is bad, and you can’t do that in the sky. You start hitting turbulence, where are you going? … A boat, you could go around the corner and just drop your hook. Train – I wish we had a train system in the U.S. like they do in Europe, because my first train ride in Europe was – wow. I was like, “This is cool.” We were in Civitavecchia, which is a marina outside of Rome. We were going to go see a concert, and we all booked the first-class seats, and we just had the best time riding the train. I even called my sister one day; I went, “Let’s buy a train car to hook on the back of Amtrak.” … If you Google train cars for sale, you’ll find one. … So I thought, “Oh, let’s do that.” And she goes, “You know there are more train crashes than there are planes?” And I go, “Great, you just ruined that for me.”
When you do have to fly, do you prefer an aisle or window seat?
I’m an aisle seat. Now, on the long-haul flights, I like to try to get that one solo seat if you have it, because I’m always on my own. But no matter what, I want to be on an aisle because if there is an emergency, I don’t want to be tripping over someone to get to the door.
When you’re on vacation, is there anything that you splurge on?
I love boating, so I like to charter a boat when I go on vacation. And I also love to do the spas. I love going out boating for the cocktail cruising hour. I don’t want to do it in the sun, you know? I’m past that age. So, spa, boating, cocktail cruise, sundown, home, great dinner with your friends – and that’s a perfect day for me.
Are there any travel must-haves for you?
I love games. So when we travel, if it’s just (my wife) Leah and I we play cards. I love to gamble. I don’t have a gambling problem, but we play games. From the time we’re on the plane, we’re playing something. (I bring) a book to read, and that’s it.
When I go somewhere, the destination for me is the entertainment. Getting to the destination is what I want to occupy me if I’m not sleeping. So, playing a game, reading a book or watching a great series.
Do you have any travel pet peeves?
Security, right? So, getting to the plane, TSA – sometimes those people need to chill out. I get it: Look at everything, check the luggage, but don’t be rude. The pet peeve for me is when they speak to people rudely.
For someone who is curious about going on a boating holiday, where would you recommend they start?
You can charter small boats. There are boat clubs. You can buy a boat off of Boatmart.com. They sell personal watercraft, they sell kayaks, they sell big boats, whatever fits your budget.
Go boating, because when you touch the water, it is incredible. When you’re floating on top of it, it changes everything. You could have the most angry people in the world; you get them on a boat, they just transform. … Water transforms people and their personalities, and I think boating is good therapy.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
