What happened to Mustique on ‘Below Deck Med’ Season 9? Luxurious yacht faces unexpected setback
ATHENS, GREECE: Throughout the various seasons of 'Below Deck Mediterranean', we've witnessed the crew navigate their way out of numerous challenging and precarious situations during charters. In the most recent episode of 'Below Deck Mediterranean' Season 9 which aired on August 19, Captain Sandy Yawn and the crew aboard the Mustique encountered a significant obstacle that the captain was deeply concerned might pose a severe risk to the vessel. The opulent yacht revealed a substantial leak after being battered by a disastrous storm that struck Greece. "We have another leak in the forward cabin. This is not good," Sandy said from aboard the yacht during the catastrophic storm.
With approximately two-and-a-half hours remaining until the next charter, Sandy contacted bosun Iain Maclean to look into the matter. "How is it getting in the bosun's locker?" she inquired over the radio. "It's been closed all morning," Iain replied, then looked in the locker to see if he missed anything. Upon conducting a more thorough examination, Iain and Sandy noticed that although the locker door was shut, a significant amount of water was still leaking inside. "When you take on this much water, it could sink the boat. We can't go to sea if we're taking on water; that will end our season," Sandy shared in a private confessional. Fortunately, the captain, along with the crew, was able to manage the issue effectively before the charter commenced.
'Below Deck Med' Season 9: Sandy Yawn finds another leak on Mustique
At the conclusion of the episode, 'Below Deck Med' captain Sandy Yawn discovered yet another leak on the yacht Mustique. This new leak was attributed to the severe and hazardous conditions brought on by a hurricane.
"I think we're leaking again. Oh, this is bad," Sandy said in a private confessional. Then she asked Iain to check the starboard cabin.
Iain looked into the cabin and said, “Are you f**king kidding me?”
Sandy asked over the radio,"Iain is it getting wet in that cabin? Iain is it leaking?" to which he replied, "Yeah. It's still f***ing dripping."
'Below Deck Med' Season 9: Captain Sandy Yawn dishes on Mustique's anchor issues
The 'Below Deck Mediterranean' crew has encountered numerous challenges this season, with a leak on the Mustique being just one of the many issues they've had to deal with. During Season 9, Episode 6, which was broadcast on July 8, the crew members of the yacht faced a significantly costly issue on the final day of their charter.
While the guests were savoring a sumptuous breakfast prepared by the skilled chef Johnathan Shillingford, the deckhands, Nathan Gallagher and Joe Bradley, busied themselves with the task of hauling up the anchor in preparation for their return voyage to port. As they set about their work, they encountered an unexpected problem: the windlass, the mechanical apparatus responsible for raising and lowering the anchor, was out of order.
"A windlass is like a spool of thread. It has a clutch so you free it from the teeth that haul the anchor. This starboard windlass ... it isn't grabbing, so we're having a difficult time trying to haul the anchor," Sandy said.
Following the arrival of the second engineer, Luka, on the bridge to inform Sandy that the windlass was probably "disengaged from the shaft," the crew devised a strategy to address the issue. They planned to utilize the alternative windlass located on the port side of the vessel, employing a line to assist in raising the chain and anchor.
"To use a port windlass you have to release the clutch, pop the drum up, wrap the line around it, and then haul in a little bit at a time. Worst case scenario, if I can't get the anchor off the bottom, I have to leave the anchor," Sandy added.
'Below Deck Mediterranean' Season 9 drops new episodes every Monday at 9 pm ET on Bravo
