For eight seasons Below Deck, the Bravo Network’s docu-reality show, has chronicled the lives of yacht charter crews as they work and play aboard megayachts in exotic ports of call around the world.
Now the network is looking for new talent to sail and crew its luxurious dream voyages. It could be a dream job, but you’d have to do it all on camera with the world watching.
To some TV viewers, Below Deck is nothing more than Real Housewives-style drama on the high seas. But some “guilty pleasure” boaters also tune in (whether they admit it or not) to ogle the yachts themselves. Amid the galley mishaps and failed romantic entanglements are the fascinating day-to-day operations of a boat bigger than most of us can imagine sailing. Just how do you dock a 161-foot megayacht or 177-foot sailing vessel?
For those who haven’t caught an episode, Below Deck Sailing Yacht follows Parsifal III, a 460-gross-ton ketch with 31,269 square feet of sail area that is capable of 18 knots in “ideal conditions”, according to its custom builder Perini Navi. It has five cabins and sleeps 12 guests (not including the crew’s quarters). It’s available for charter at a starting price of $231,500 per week.
If that’s out of your price range, the Bravo show allows you to live vicariously. The scenery isn’t bad either, with the blue Mediterranean all around and Greek islands as ports of call.
The new casting call for Below Deck Sailing Yacht has elicited a variety of reactions on social media, including the biggest question about the show: is it real?
According to producer Frank Garrity, the crews are not actors and the show is not scripted. There are no do-overs – what you say on camera, stays. Applicants must also be physically fit, have a great personality and a good work ethic.
In its efforts to promote and recognize diversity in the sailing world, the show is also looking to cast a female megayacht captain with a 3000GT license. Garrity admits it may be the most challenging spot to fill. But the world of boating is big and wide. She’s out there somewhere.
If you think this is all sounding far-fetched, know that Below Deck Sailing Yacht has sought talent from the Chesapeake Bay before. Season I deckhand Parker McCown hails from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, having learned to sail at summer camp and getting crew experience on the 1901 skipjack Elsworth along the Chester River.
If you’re looking to live the yacht crew life, email the producer at [email protected].
Good luck—they might be looking for you!
–Niambi Davis
