'Below Deck Med' Superyacht 'Home' Shines the Light on Hybrids Captain Sandy Says Boat Builders

Commanding hybrid superyacht “Home” is a first for Captain Sandy Yawn on Below Deck Mediterranean.

She found out the hard way that navigating a hybrid was different from the standard superyacht when during the first charter, the boat lost stabilizers. The crew and guests experienced a few tense moments as the superyacht rocked back and forth, until eventually an engineer explained that the stabilizers were powered through the vessel’s air conditioning system.

Despite a learning curve with this new boat, Yawn said she loved being the captain of a hybrid and is a big advocate for reducing the carbon footprint in the superyacht industry. In fact, she’s currently working with a yacht builder to create her own vision of a hybrid yacht.

Boat builders are looking to be more environmentally friendly, Captain Sandy from ‘Below Deck Med’ says

“I think boat builders are being more mindful about the environment,” Yawn recently told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “I think a lot of companies are trying to find ways to be environmentally friendly.”

She told TV Insider that “Home” posed specific challenges. “Never having been on a boat that has been hybrid, I think it’s super-cool because they are caring about our environment,” she said. “We aren’t muddying the water. Owners are shifting and making boats that are better for our planet.”

Adding, “I had a huge learning curve on that vessel because if I press the wrong button, I don’t have steerage. If I press a different button, I can steer the vessel but don’t have maneuverability. It’s a very futuristic bridge with an incredible bow thruster. Then there was the art of managing the temperature for the stabilizers, which you see in the first episode brings trouble for us.”

Captain Sandy is working on a hybrid design with a yacht builder

Yawn told Showbiz Cheat Sheet she’s working with a company to create a smaller hybrid vessel. “I’m working with a company now to design a smaller vessel that I would want personally. To make it more environmentally friendly, hybrid-style. So I’m working with the company now and we’re designing one,” Yawn said.

Regarding “Home,” Yawn didn’t have the specifics on the superyacht’s impact on the environment. But according to yacht builder Heesen, the superyacht focused on fuel economy instead of being a hybrid driven by a battery charge.

“Our focus is on energy saving,” Erik van Mourik of Heesen’s Design & Development department told Superyacht Times. “This is what makes a yacht more sustainable – not an ability to run for an hour or two on battery power.”

Captain Sandy discusses another technology she loves

Yawn’s decades in the maritime industry have given her the opportunity to experience a wide array of new products and technology in addition to the new hybrid Below Deck Med boat. For instance, when it comes to eyewear, her brand of choice is Maui Jim. She explained why. “Excellent technology,” she said. “I think their lens technology is superior to other lenses. So you put on their polarized glasses and you compare them to another brand, they’re far superior.”

Yawn has had prescription Maui Jim glasses too. “You take a frame and fill the prescription lenses,” she said. “They can do anything with their lenses. But I just wear sunglasses because I did the lens replacement [surgery], so now I don’t need [prescripton glasses]. I just need readers.”

Yawn is seen wearing her Maui Jim sunglasses on Below Deck Med. “Maui Jim has come out with so many different styles,” she said. “The fact that they change their styles, I’m like oh my God. I’m only wearing Maui Jim.”

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