The Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 charter season got off to a quite literally bumpy start, as M/Y Akira One crashed into the dock during the season premiere.
“Starting the charter season when we’ve already crashed the boat, before we’ve even begun, could be perceived as a bad omen,” chief stew Aesha Scott commented to producers about the “practice docking” that went horribly wrong. “But I’m looking at it as though we’ve set the bar so low that we can only go up from here.”
It all started when Captain Sandy Yawn decided to take her returning bosun, Nathan Gallagher, and his deckhands, out for some extra experience ahead of the first charter guest arrival during the June 8 episode. But as they were heading back to their home base of Port Gruž in Dubrovnik, Croatia, they ran into an issue: blaring party boats.
“They are definitely breaking the noise ordinance,” Sandy commented on the radio of the loud and boisterous boats holding dozens of dancing guests docked at the marina. Nathan added, “Jesus, that’s so frustrating,” as new deckhand Cooper Dawson observed, “Wow, that’s crazy.”
As Cooper warned Nathan, “You’re going to have to yell at me,” Nathan complained, “This is insane.”
Captain Sandy also made it clear she was having a hard time communicating with the party music, and asked Nathan to speak louder. Returning deckhand Joe Bradley chimed in on the radio, “Nathan…we can’t really hear what’s going on.”
As the yacht approached the dock, Sandy again shared she couldn’t understand Nathan’s directions, asking, “Are you saying to kick ahead? Do you need me to kick ahead?” But it was too late, as the yacht shockingly slammed into the dock.
The Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 crew reacts to the yacht crash
Captain Sandy had only two words to say to producers after the crash: “Oh f—k.” Despite the panicked situation, Sandy held her cool in front of the crew in the moments after the collision. She directed Nathan, “Let’s get the boat secured. I don’t want to hit the dock again.”
Nathan had a similar reaction to his captain concerning the crash, as he muttered to himself, “F—king hell.” To producers, he revealed his fears for his girlfriend Gael Cameron, and their baby son, Kayden. “I’m gonna get fired. And I can’t provide for my family. And my family’s right here. Like, I feel my f—king heart just beating out of my chest,” he admitted.
Cooper tried to reassure Nathan in the aftermath, and told him, “I mean, you can’t hear s—t with the party going on.”
Sandy admitted she was in disbelief. “I cannot believe that just happened,” she confessed to producers, and pointed out the severity of the situation. “If there’s structural damage, our charter season’s over before it got started.”
RELATED: Meet the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 Crew (Official Bios and Photos)
To her crew, Sandy revealed, “This is my first time ever in my life I’ve ever hit anything,” causing Nathan to reply, “I hate that.” As Sandy inspected the boat for damage, she pointed out, “F—k, right there. We damaged it. I don’t believe it.”
Nathan apologized to his captain, expressing, “I’m so sorry. I honestly don’t even know what happened. F—k. I feel like crying.”
But Sandy urged Nathan to “just be calm” as they looked for structural damage on the inside. Luckily for the crew and upcoming guests, it was “fine,” according to Sandy, which meant the charter season could continue.
Why Joe Bradley and Nathan Gallagher clashed over the failed boat docking
Joe shared his thoughts about the disastrous boat docking, and criticized where Nathan placed him on the yacht. “I don’t want to sound like a knobhead, but if I was on the stern, the boat wouldn’t even be within two meters of hitting the dock,” Joe told producers during the June 8 premiere.
Joe also pointed out what he would have done differently than Nathan. “As a bosun, you’ve gotta understand that there’s a loud environment. You’ve gotta pre-plan this,” he added.” If [Sandy]’s on port side wing station, set up two people on port side, to say, ‘Two meters, two meters, two meters,’ like a channel of communication. But that’s just me.”
Joe’s criticism comes after he and Nathan had a falling out over what Nathan perceived as Joe’s treatment of women following Below Deck Med Season 10, and never fully addressed their strained relationship ahead of Season 11.
As far as what’s to come for the former BFFs in Season 11, the official announcement for the season shares, “A growing rift with Joe comes to a shocking conclusion, as Nathan struggles to maintain his composure under pressure, and the two deckies’ competition threatens to tear apart the entire Med team.”
Learn more about where the Below Deck Med Season 11 cast calls home.
