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How Captain Sandy Yawn Is Doing After that Season 8 Wrist Injury

The Below Deck Med captain was injured during the Season 8 charter and we have an update on how she's feeling today.

By Jamontae Hickman

Will Captain Sandy Yawn’s charter season come to an end earlier than expected on Below Deck Mediterranean?

How to Watch

Watch Below Deck Mediterranean on Peacock and the Bravo app

On Season 8, Episode 7 of the yachting show, which aired on November 6, Captain Sandy found herself in some troubled waters while lending a helping hand to Bosun Luka Brunton aboard motor yacht Mustique.

Find out what went down, including an update on how Captain Sandy is doing today, by reading below!

What happened to Captain Sandy Yawn on Below Deck Mediterranean?

While doing her morning rounds, Captain Sandy noticed Luka was at the top level of the yacht, prepping to get the water toys out for the guests. Naturally, Captain Sandy's instincts prompted her to help, and in the process, she suggested a faster way to put out the aquatic objects, telling Luka to "chuck them overboard."

Of course, before sending a kayak over the balcony, Captain Sandy and Luka checked to see if anyone was in the water. “Runaway kayak,” Captain Sandy jokingly yelled out.

As the Below Deck Med boss and her bosun attempted to get the last raft out on the Italian Riviera, Captain Sandy soon found herself tripping over what seemed to be a plexiglass platform from behind.

“Oh sh-t, you OK?” Luka asked Captain Sandy after seeing her fall back and reducing the impact with her wrist. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” Captain Sandy reassured.

Captain Sandy Yawn on a yacht while filming Below Deck Mediterranean falls while working and hurts her wrist.

Did Captain Sandy Yawn injure her wrist?

Following her accident, Captain Sandy hurried off to her private quarters. “F-ck me, this thing hurts,” she mumbled while walking away.

In an interview on the episode, Sandy contemplated that she might’ve seriously hurt herself, saying, “I think I broke my wrist.” She continued, “All I’m thinking is get to my cabin, assess my wrist, move it around, and make sure I’m OK.”

At this point, Captain Sandy calls Chief Officer Nikola for assistance in wrapping her wrist with bandages, where she revealed that her joint “hurts.”

Concerned about a possible injury, Captain Sandy temporarily left the yacht to see a doctor. However, she made sure that her crew was in good hands by putting Nikola in charge of them until she returned.

 

Captain Sandy returns to Below Deck Med

On Episode 8, Captain Sandy returned to the floating vessel after consulting with a doctor. Of course, the Mustique crew happily welcomed their boss back on the boat as they asked for an update on her wrist. “It’s a fracture,” Captain Sandy told them.

In an interview during the episode, Captain Sandy opened up more about her injury. “I have a high tolerance of pain,” she said. “I kinda had a feeling that I had broke my wrist. I know what that feels like [because] I broke this one snowboarding.”

Luckily, Captain Sandy didn’t hurt herself severely, as that would’ve prevented her from operating the yacht. “If it was worse and I couldn’t drive the boat, then I would have to be replaced as captain,” she mentioned before saying, “The good news is it’s not that bad, and I can still drive the vessel.”

How is Captain Sandy Yawn doing today?

Captain Sandy is doing better than ever! In fact, she recently got engaged to her longtime lover, Leah Shafer.

On September 18, the Be the Calm or Be the Storm author confirmed to E! News that she had proposed to Leah after five years of dating.

“I have been thinking about marrying Leah for years,” Captain Sandy told the news outlet. “I knew from the minute I met her, but the timing had to be right. I wanted to make sure we could truly do life together first.”

Captain Sandy Yawn discusses engagement at BravoCon 2023

Leah Shafer, wearing a red jacket, smiling and posing with Captain Sandy Yawn who is wearing a purple blouse.

Nearly two months after getting engaged, Captain Sandy opened up more about her and Leah's next step in their relationship at BravoCon 2023

"I think when you do that... you become closer," she said during her chat on the live stage. "It's like, wow. And the comfortability that you have and you know if something happens your person is going to be there." 

Is Captain Sandy married?

Not yet, but Captain Sandy continued to explain how "happy" she is for her and Leah to have their "commitment" to each other. 

See more of Captain Sandy by tuning into new episodes of Below Deck Mediterranean on Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo. Stream episodes the next day on Peacock.

Originally published Nov 6, 2023.

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