Captain Sandy Yawn
Superyacht Captain and Series Lead on “Below Deck Mediterranean”
Leadership Lessons from Captain Sandy of Bravo’s Below Deck: Navigating Troubled Waters in Changing Times
Captain Sandy captured our attention as the first female superyacht captain on Bravo’s Below Deck Mediterranean, and her fascinating stories hold leadership lessons for today’s live and virtual audiences. Through 30+ years of international maritime experience, Captain Sandy has broken glass ceilings, survived near-fatal accidents on land and pirates and fires at sea. Most business leaders will never have such life-or-death challenges in their daily work. But surviving stormy seas has taught Captain Sandy many invaluable lessons on such timeless leadership principles as inspiring your crew, that failure is ok, and empowering your team to accomplish their “win” together “in the same boat.” Enduring a voyage on a 154-foot vessel requires discerning when to be tough enough to stay the course or flexible enough to circumnavigate to calmer waters – decisions all leaders are faced with every day. Throughout her career, Captain Sandy has lived by the mantra, “Wake up, Show up, Kick Ass, Repeat!”
Bio
Captain Sandra Yawn (“Captain Sandy”) is a leader, hero and businesswoman whose exceptional leadership style has helped her to break through every obstacle in her path – from the glass ceilings and near-fatal accidents on land to pirates and fires at sea!
As a renowned superyacht captain with over 30 years of international maritime experience, Yawn’s integrity and courage have earned her an outstanding reputation as an elite class of captain. Her unflappable leadership in the face of danger earned her recognition from the International Superyacht Society, who honored her with the prestigious Distinguished Crew Award for the bravery she exhibited in the midst of a catastrophic fire and pirate threat that occurred in 2006 off the coast of Yemen.
Tapping into her signature affinity for adventure, Yawn charted a brand new course in 2015 when she became a series lead on Bravo’s hit series Below Deck Mediterranean. Now in her fifth season with the show, Yawn is a powerful female role model and leader and one of the network’s most universally beloved personalities.
With a story of overcoming her own personal struggles, including being a cancer survivor, Yawn shares with audiences how to be resilient and persevere in the face adversity, along with her exceptional leadership principles of believing in your people, not giving up and it being ok to fail—that help build a world class crew you can trust and believe in.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
The Revelry
11:00 a.m. – Networking
11:30 a.m. – Luncheon
$150 Members/$200 Guests
$2,000 Table Host (reserved table of 8)
Register Now