Captain Sandra Yawn (“Captain Sandy”) is a leader, hero, worldwide speaker, and businesswoman whose extraordinary leadership style has enabled her to overcome every challenge she has faced. Yawn forged a new route in 2015 when she became a star on Bravo’s popular series Below Deck Mediterranean, channeling her trademark conviction and love of adventure.

The Florida native has spent the last three decades climbing the ranks of a male-dominated business, fighting drug and alcohol addiction, stage-two cancer, and real pirates in the Red Sea along the way. When she was approached by Bravo, the entertainment business looked down on her. Yawn had never seen the show before, but she believes in God and is grateful for her fortune. She claimed that someone had invested in her when she was directionless and “unemployable” after dropping out of high school and bouncing between “jails and institutions” for eight years. She viewed Below Deck as a means to reach out to viewers, educating them about the maritime business, emphasizing the value of investing in people, and maybe inspiring them by being her badass, in-charge self along the way.

Yawn’s integrity and courage have earned her an outstanding reputation as an elite class of captain, as well as recognition from the International Superyacht Society, which bestowed the prestigious Distinguished Crew Award upon Yawn for her bravery in the midst of a catastrophic fire and pirate threat. In 2022, she will embark on the ‘Lead-Her-Ship’ tour of the United States, sharing yachting stories and accompanied by musical guests.