Charter guests on Below Deck pay to hit the open sea and catch beautiful sunsets, gorgeous coastlines and sparkling blue waters— often with a drink in hand. So when St. David was unexpectedly kept at bay during the sixth charter of Season 12, the guests were more than a little upset.
“We have some mechanical issues with the boat,” Captain Kerry Titheradge informed the guests in Episode 12. “I cannot take control of the boat from the stations. So we’re going to be stuck here tonight.”
The captain tried to make the best of the situation, adding the guests would still be able to use the water sports equipment like jet skis, and the tender.
“I’m sorry the situation we’re [in]. We’ll do the best we can to accomodate all your needs,” he told the guests.
But as soon as Kerry stepped away, the guests made their feelings on the matter clear to one another, with one asking, “Are you kidding me?” and another declaring: “We got screwed.”
“I totally feel for these guys,” Kerry confessed. “And boats get a reputation. It takes years to build a good one, and just one day to ruin a good one. It’s up to the charter company to give them a discount on the trip. But that’s out of my control. All I can do is provide them an epic experience on the boat. Have the crew put extra effort in. We gotta make lemonade out of lemons. Somehow.”
What happened to St. David on Below Deck Season 12, Episode 12?
It was while the St. David was docked at the Yacht Club Isle de Sol in Sint Maarten that Captain Kerry first realized there was a problem.
“Before you leave, you always test the steering on each station, each engine, and the bow thruster. If I don’t see wash, it’s not working,” Kerry said in the August 18 episode.
Kerry and his first officer worked to try and reset the thrusters and engines, but were unsuccessful.
“Losing a wing station is a massive problem,” Kerry explained. “I can’t leave the dock. Each of the stations go to a central brain. So we either have a problem with the brain, or we have a problem with one of the controllers of the boat. I’m not leaving with anything not at 100 percent.”
The first officer was forced to shut the engines down and check the fuses.
“The yacht is now stuck. I don’t know when we can leave. But I know it’s not today,” Kerry informed chief stew Fraser Olender and bosun Hugo Ortega, but then shared that the problem could get worse: “This could kill our season.”
As the deck crew moved the yacht out a bit from the dock to get water toys and the tender out, Kerry received a diagnosis to the problem.
“Wing station controller is bad,” the chief officer texted Kerry, who then asked when a new one could arrive, and was told “by sometime tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, the guests had their first lunch on board of octopus, Spanish rice with saffron and zucchini.
“I give him five stars. Especially from a vegan,” one guest praised Chef Anthony Iracane, while another commented, “That rice is phenomenal.”
Despite the outstanding food, the guests were still worried about their situation.
“I’m thinking we’re going to be parked here for a couple of days,” the primary guest, Ron, said.
Fraser Olender reacts to St. David‘s mechanical issues
Being stuck at the dock added a lot of stress to Fraser and the interior crew.
“This is so, so unfair,” Fraser said in his confessional interview. “And they’re only here three days. These guests are not getting the experience they paid for. And now, as stews, we have to be really entertaining. It’s a lot of pressure.”
As Fraser sensed the guests’ frustration and boredom, he went to Hugo for help.
“They are saying, ‘Please, let’s do something.’ And they’ve been asking me for three hours. Can we do a sunset cruise?” he asked, and Hugo agreed.
RELATED: Fraser Olender Slams Chef Anthony for Massive Mistake with Charter Guest: “We Look Stupid”
Meanwhile, Kerry received another text update from yacht services: “The part you need won’t ship until tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.”
Kerry was forced to break the bad news to the guests.
“The part did not come in today. It’s just the logistics of getting it from Miami to here,” he told them.
Primary guest Ron was unhappy, and replied, “Oh my gosh, that sucks.”
RELATED: Captain Kerry Titheradge Panics During “Engine Failure”: “I No Longer Have Control”
Kerry joined the guests for a dinner to celebrate the primary’s 10th wedding anniversary, and was treated to pasta carbonara with black truffle and a triple layer cake with chocolate ganache and gold. When a guest asked Kerry if the St. David was one of his favorite boats, he jokingly replied: “Not today it’s not! It’s my most unfavorite boat!”
The charter didn’t end the way the crew or the guests hoped, as the yacht remained idle at the dock for the entire trip. Read how the charter guests “punished” the crew with a low tip.
