TV show- "Below Deck"

Did I hear they're having an all-female crew? That should lead to a whole different type of drama.

There are male crew members. Female Cap, Bosun and Chief Stew (first season with a female Bosun).

BOTH

Ever Further Below the Decks With ‘Below Deck’
Bravo’s hit reality franchise offers a window into the world of yachts and yachties, as “Below Deck Mediterranean” grows in popularity.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/style/below-deck-bravo.html

Interesting that the crew makes about what a normal crew makes. Must be looking for their 15 minutes of fame or a TV career, because i can't see it helping their careers in the yachting industry. Would anybody here hire them after seeing how they talk about their guests and fellow crew members? As for nobody remembering the names of the guests who embarrass themselves, I guess that may depend where you're from. I committed to memory the name of the drunken, apparently steroid fueled doctor and the spoiled little princess stew who lied on her CV (both from Long Island) and I can tell you that's one doctor who will never see me in his office and I assume any hospital he's associated with has a few questions. As for Capt. Sandy, I think she's in over her abilities with the new yacht, but it'll make interesting TV if she crashes it.

She is a friend, and she is not.

Hopefully so. She had mentioned that this is the biggest boat she's run, and doesn't appear comfortable docking it. I'm sure having a film crew over her shoulder and fresh crew doesn't help though.

She's likely having difficulty because the builder didn't allow for an actual wing station, rather she has to hang out a sliding window. I've driven boats with the "bus-driver" style wing in the bridge, and they don't offer much in the way of visibility. It's like trying to drive a car, pedals and all, from the passenger seat.

Know that situation all too well, and totally understand. I've run a few boats with zero visibility over the back 180*. Compounded I'm sure by having to depend on unproven crew for eyes. Hope you (and she) don't take offense by my comment. It's strictly from the point of a reality TV viewer, not as a fellow mariner. She's certainly way more qualified than myself.

This could easily be solved with a yacht control, or the wired remote control offered by ZF etc.

Maybe, but the thought of getting over 100' away from the helm, not seeing what's happening around the bow as she swings, and operating with a remote is pretty scary in itself. Hopefully she has aft and side cameras at the helm.

True, but you could always add additional normal stations too, if you were willing to spend the money.

Now you've left the realm of the captain and entered into the realm of owner and TV producer, aka the yacht looks pretty. Hence no wing station.

I used to run a converted 110' raised pilothouse crew boat without even an inside wing station. Add to that a band playing right behind me. The parties on the upper deck were great fun. Docking not so much .

For you med mooring experts, I've noticed that when they show views of the moored boats, there are lines coming off the front of the boats. When and how are they deployed? In a previous season it seems they dropped an anchor as they were backing towards the dock, I assumed they would pay out chain while backing and then take up the slack after getting the stern tied off. Just wondering.

They are called ground lines and are attached to a mooring chain in the harbor. There will be a smaller diameter line, which is attached to the pier, and is used to pull the larger diameter ground line off the bottom. It is then attached to the cleats/bollards on the bow. This avoids the hassle of crossing anchors with other vessels, and makes departure much easier.

I have no idea, but if I told an owner that here, they'd laugh and think I was joking. Perhaps it's because the wind direction and anchorages aren't good? IDK.

Yes- this is a pretty inefficient and expensive way to do it. Same in St. Barth's. Usually costs around $150/anchor for the diver to retrieve.

The issue with this setup is that you have to then maneuver between the buoys to get into your slip. And the marina has to have a small boat to (usually) pull the buoy out of the way, and then attach a line to it for you.

I was wondering the same thing. These BD charters are short term, so perhaps she didn't have a protected anchorage within range to get there and back before the end of the charter? Or perhaps it has something to do with the windage/maneuverability of the boat?