Since its debut in 2013,Below Deckhas introduced audiences to the world of yachting through the eyes of the people who run it. With four spin-offs to its name, viewers have been taken all over the world while watching the drama that goes on. From hook-ups to firings with emotional breakdowns in between,each franchise has had the same formula, but with a different set of yachties to make them unique. One of the best and most under-appreciated of the spin-offs isBelow Deck Sailing Yacht. After a first season with some growing pains,Below Deck Sailing Yachthas raised the sails and has sailed into glory.
Sailing the stunning seas of the Mediterranean,Below Deck Sailing Yachtis special in theBelow Deckfamily. Following the trials and tribulations of a singular ship, the Parsifal III,Below Deck Sailing Yachttakes all the great things from the flagship franchise and adds the unique addition of literal sails.Below Deck Sailing Yachthas shown the dangers of working on a vessel of this type. Unlike the other series, sailing Parsifall III has a much higher level of risk. No other franchise has an additional mechanic for fans to witness! Following a malfunction, Parsifal III not only crashed into the dock once, buttwice! Thankfully,Parsifall III only suffered from some cosmetic injuries, but the pure terror it caused raised heart rates to the max for the crew and fans alike.
But Parsifall III is old faithful. Whether experiencing turbulence from the seas or the charter guests,Below Deck Sailing Yachthas an extra bit of comfort thanks to its extraordinary crew. With the brilliant CaptainGlenn Shephardat the helm,Below Deck Sailing Yachthas four seasons under its belt with a stable cast that has remained must-watch television.
Below Deck
Follows the crew of a multi million dollar charter boat in the Caribbean.
‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ Is a Tale of Two Crews
The show that premiered on Bravo on June 02, 2025, is not the show that followed during Seasons 2, 3, and 4. With the sole exception ofBelow Deck Adventure,everyBelow Deckspin-off debuted with afamiliar face from another franchise. For Season 1,Below Deck Sailing Yachtwas joined byBelow Deck Mediterraneanalum ChefAdam Glick. Following his two-season tenure under the overly micromanaging, watchful eye of CaptainSandy Yawn, Chef Adam returned to the Med to join Captain Glenn’s crew. For those familiar with his work on the franchise, Chef Adam did have some run-ins with certain members of the team, predominantly Chief StewardessHannah Ferrier. When he came to Parsifal III, his opinions on Chief Stews drastically changed as he became entangled in a rocky relationship with Chief StewJenna MacGillivray. Jenna was a fine Chief Stew but quickly became unbearable once she fell in love. It’s one thing to be messy onBelow Deck, but Jenna took it to a whole new level.
For Season 1, it was quite clear that the man in charge of the ship knew all the ins and outs. Captain Glenn Shephard has had a storied career with Parsifal III; with over a decade of service on the ship and two decades behind the wheel in general,Captain Glenn isone of the kindest captains in the franchise, leading his teams to great success.Unlike any of the other captains in the franchise, he has to bunk with the rest of the crew. As the sole cast member to remain on Parsifall III since Season 1, he doesn’t steal focus in hopes of being the star like a certain other captain in the Med does. Season 1 had some growing pains. And thus, when Parsifal III returned for Season 2, Captain Glenn cleaned ship and brought in an entirely new crew. And as they say, the rest is history.
‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s Primary Trio Is the Backbone of the Show
Since Season 2, the franchise has been led by the trio of Chief StewDaisy Kelliher, First OfficerGary King, and Chief EngineerColin MacRae. The trio has had a roller-coaster of a journey together, from friendships to a devastating love triangle, but their relationship has kept the spin-off special.Captain Glenn maintaining his main three has aided greatly to the longevity of the showand its storytelling.Below Deck Sailing Yachtis the only series in the franchise to maintain the heads of department season after season, even with Gary’s controversy that wasrevealed last summer inRolling Stone.
Below Deck Sailing Yachtis the only franchise to highlight the position of Chief Engineer. Because of the importance of this position on this type of vessel, Colin MacRae became an instant standout. Anything mechanical that goes on in the boat is under the watchful eye of Colin. That includes plumbing, so when the crew toilets get clogged, Colin is there to do the dirty work. The only person Colin can be compared to is his predecessor from Season 1,Byron Hissey. Colin is a workhorse, but he is a level-headed person who’s down for fun, as long as his morals aren’t interrupted. As one of the hardest working individuals on Parsifal III, Colin goes above and beyond. He evensaved the charter season during Season 4 when the engine didn’t workby fixing it on the fly.
When it comes to Chief Stews, Daisy Kelliher had a standard to uphold.With Kate and Hannah as the gold standard in theBelow DeckCinematic Universe, she was a breath of fresh air following the departure of Jenna.Daisy has always provided professionalism towards the charter guests, even if the guests tested her every last nerve. She has a fun side during the crew nights out, but when it comes to work, she’s all business — and she treats her team with an immense amount of respect. Throughout her tenure on Parsifall III, she has only lost a single stewardess, which was atGabriela Barragán’s own volition. Daisy has had a solid relationship with each of her chefs, only getting stronger as the seasons went on.
And then there’s Gary King. Serving as the First Officer, he was the head of exterior with a strong work ethic and leadership. Similar to Colin, the First Officer is a rarely seen position in any of the franchises. Gary would be above in rank to the bosuns of the other shows. OnlyEddie LucasfromBelow DeckandBryan Kattenburgfrom Season 1 ofBelow Deck Medhave been promoted to this position. While it is a familiar position on a yacht, showcasing Gary in this slot displays the importance of the role on this specific vessel — the First Officer is literally second in command behind Captain Glenn, and some fans may be scratching their heads as to why this guy has this much control.
Gary yields a bit more powercompared to the bosuns, and thus, it’s displayed a tale of two Garys. “Work Gary” displays the difficulty of working on a sailing yacht. He is devoted to his work and does not take any nonsense as a manager. “Play Gary’s” only goal was to be the lady’s man on board and get drunk to the point he couldn’t take accountability for his actions. For fans of theBelow Deckshows, this is nothing out of the ordinary. While some fans don’t quite understand the appeal of him, the ladies on board can never get enough of Gary King.
Parcifal III Maintaining the Same Crew From Start to Finish Allows More Stories To Be Told
Each season,the colorful crew of supplementary yachties helps to bring the drama, especially when Gary engages in love triangles with the stewardesses during Seasons 2 and 3. To be fair, even when he was pursuing Daisy in Season 4 because he couldn’t have her, he still found love with the interior. By far, the biggest non-Gary scandal to rock the boat was the aftermath of the romance between Season 2’s 2nd StewDani Soaresand DeckhandJean-Luc Cerza Lanaux. Despite a minor age gap, the duo were romantically intertwined. It was a really cute boatmance, but when it was revealed thatDani was pregnant and Jean-Luc was the father, all hell broke loose, which made for an unforgettable reunion.
Speaking of drama,a love triangle brewed between Daisy, Gary, and Colin that seeped off the show.During the first two seasons together, their relationship was quite platonic. Gary and Daisy did flirt when the liquor was flowing, but whatBelow Deck Sailing Yachttracked was the evolution of three individuals. No otherBelow Deckseries has taken as much time to watch a genuine friendship blossom since ChefBen RobinsonandKate Chastain. The trio all entered the program at the same time, but once they were all single and ready to mingle, everything changed. Daisy, who had maintained a strong bond with both men, began to catch feelings for a now single Colin all while Gary was pursuing Junior StewMads Herrera.
Of course, Gary always desires to be the center of attention, so he got wrapped up in the middle and helped to jeopardize all of their friendships. Daisy wasn’t quite in the clear as it was leaked that she and Gary hooked up off-season. The drama overflowed into the reunion and even caused tension at BravoCon 2023, whereGary was uninvited to due to his alleged sexual misconduct.Where the trio stands is a bit up in the air;fans have rooted for them to work on their relationship, so they can come back stronger for a fifth season. No otherBelow Deckspin-off has maintained a core cast, which is better because fans can follow along the journey and growth. There is an inherent investment in a singular group of friends that no otherBelow Deckseries displays.
Aside from a great crew, memorable moments, and nonstop drama,Below Deck Sailing Yachtis unique in the fact that, aside from the motor yacht experience, viewers and guests alike get to literally set sail.While sailing can be quite difficult to stomach, the beauty of seeing the sails up in their glory makes these charters a dream to watch.Below Deck Sailing Yachtis truly a beautiful and unique show. With all its success thus far, Season 5 will surely continue to prove thatBelow Deck Sailing Yachtis the best spin-off in theBelow Deckuniverse.
All seasons ofBelow Deck Sailing Yachtare available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.
