A Crew Member Resigns on Below Deck Sailing Yacht

The Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew has said goodbye to one of its sailors.

After having a serious discussion with Captain Glenn Shephard and Paget Berry about his attitude this season, Parker McCown decided to step down as deckhand and exit the crew (clip above). "As far as my well-being goes, I think I need to resign," Parker told Captain Glenn during the April 20 episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht. "It's not because of you, it's not because of the crew, it's because of me."

Parker reflected on his resignation during an interview with The Daily Dish prior to the episode airing, sharing that he felt "great" after leaving the boat and still thinks he "absolutely" made the right decision. "I was true to myself when I left the boat," Parker said. "I’m proud. I was proud of the job [I did]."

Similar to what he said to Captain Glenn in the episode, Parker explained that he felt like he had made more money than he ever had in his life by that point in the charter season. "So, I’d rather quit and resign on good terms than possibly get fired and ruin my [reputation]," he said.

But even with all of that tip money in hand, it definitely wasn't easy for Parker to walk away from this charter season. "You don’t understand how difficult that decision was for me. I didn’t want to quit. I didn’t want to be a quitter. It was super hard. And I love that boat. I liked the crew. I had fun with everybody," he shared. "But like Glenn said, if I had stayed, I would have been on eggshells the whole time. And I think that was a bigger risk than I was willing to take. Everything happens for a reason, I think."

Parker recalled the events that led up to his resignation to The Daily Dish, sharing that he reached his "boiling point" after his tense moment with Paget and Jenna MacGillivray while setting up for the guests' beach picnic earlier in the day. That, coupled with Jenna's jokes about his mom still "breastfeeding" him, really set Parker off.

Parker McCown: "Do You Think It's Funny That I'm Still Breast Fed by My Mother?"

"I got pissed off because one day I lost my s--t, and I was getting reprimanded for, in my opinion, miniscule things. Because I’m getting reprimanded for something I said to the chief stew when the chief stew can make comments about my mother’s breasts, I think that’s rude and inconsiderate," Parker said. "If I wasn’t getting reprimanded for something I said, I wouldn’t have lost it."

Georgia Grobler, who spoke with The Daily Dish in the same interview with Parker, said that she was sad to see the deckhand and her friend go. "I was a bit upset. Throughout the course of the season, Parker, Madison [Stalker], and I try to be each other’s support system," she said. "I really did think being that this is Parker’s first season, I was really hoping that this was gonna be a definitive moment. Like, if he sticks it out and everyone can just support their own team members a bit more, then Parker could come to a very good learning experience and he could really know how to handle this and that, whatever."

Georgia is one of the members of the Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew that Parker has been in touch with the most since the season ended, as well as Madison. However, he also noted that he has been in touch with "a lot of people" from the crew. There's currently a group text where all of the yachties playfully poke fun at one another and talk about the latest episode.

Parker noted that he was still very much learning the ropes of working on a yacht this season. "It was my first permanent gig on a yacht, first big yacht I had gotten a full-time job on," he shared. "There’s a lot to learn. That was hard."

His biggest regret of the season was not soaking up more knowledge from Captain Glenn when he had the chance. "I loved learning from Glenn. I wish I had been able to learn more," he shared. "He’s a cool guy. He’s smart. He’s worldly. He’s well-versed, and that’s the kind of captain that I can receive instruction and knowledge from really well. I want to work with Glenn again 'cause he’s just such a good instructor for me, I think."

This experience hasn't soured Parker's feelings about working on a yacht again in the future. He told The Daily Dish that he would "totally" do it again. "I think I did a great job and I tried, [I] did try my hardest, and I had a blast," Parker said. "If I did it again, the only thing I would change is being more conscious of my attitude and my tone of voice at times."

Check out more from the latest episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, below.

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