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Below Deck Down Under is taken over by most outrageous guests EVER as group of strippers and rock stars run wild and shock the crew: 'It's like trying to herd really horny cats!'

By J. Peterson For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 22:59 EDT, 24 March 2022 | Updated: 00:56 EDT, 26 March 2022

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Below Deck Down Under has featured one of the wildest groups of charter guests in the history of the popular franchise.

The crew were shocked in a recent episode when they found out that the second group of guests for the season would contain rock stars, award-winning strippers, and adult entertainers. 

The outrageous troupe was led by infamous Australian rocker Randall Waller, who has toured with the likes of Keith Urban and Elton John .

Outrageous! An uninhibited group of strippers and rock stars caused chaos during a recent episode of Below Deck Down Under

Along with his wife Suzie, Waller was joined by Australia's top exotic dancers Dana and Darren, who were crowned Australia's male and female stripper of the year in 2020.

They brought along their close friend Jen Robberts, who is the director of an Aussie adult entertainment agency.

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The outrageous guests ran wild the moment they hit the deck, reaching for the champagne and twerking all over the boat. 

'Get your t**s out!' Jen shrieked, before screaming: 'The party's here!'

No limits: The outrageous guests ran wild the moment they hit the deck, reaching for the champagne and twerking all over the boat. (Pictured Tamara 'Dana' Rose)

Uninhibited: 'Get your t**s out!' Jen Robberts (pictured) shrieked, before screaming: 'The party's here!' 

Dana, who strips under the name Tamara Rose, then asked if she could sunbathe topless on board. 

Darren then jumped on a daybed and lifted his shirt up, before stuffing a sock down his pants and grabbing his crotch.

As they toured the boat, Suzie joked that they were all going to end up in the master bedroom together, before Darren and Jen jumped on the bed to 'test it out'.

'They just all over the place,' commented chief stewardess Aesha Scott.

'It's like trying to herd really horny cats,' she added, as Darren started gyrating and thrusting in the shower.

Quite the handful! Darren, who won male stripper of the year, jumped on a daybed and lifted his shirt up, before stuffing a sock down his pants and grabbing his crotch

Out of control! Darren later made his way into a shower cubical where he gyrated while a friend filmed it for social media

After a few drinks, Dana started showing off some of her famous stripper moves.

At one point, she bent over and put her head between her own legs before announcing: 'I can literally bend over and look at my own a**hole!'

'Let's go back to back,' Jen added, before hiking her short skirt up and pressing her derriere against Dana's.

Jen then turned her attention towards the deck crew, who were busy inflating some water toys.

'What are you blowing down there?' she said suggestively while waving a cigarette around.

'You blow it real good,' she added with a seductive smirk.

Double trouble: Stripper Dana and her pal Jen, who is the director of an adult company, couldn't keep their hands off each other after a few drinks

'I can literally bend over and look at my own a**hole!' Dana and Jen bent over and pressed their behinds together 

She then compared her private parts to one of the flesh-coloured water toys, screeching: 'That's what my vagina looks like because it's a Gucci coochie!'  

Set against the stunning backdrop of the tropical Whitsunday Islands and world-famous Great Barrier Reef, Below Deck Down Under explores the explosive dynamics of the crew and a rotating group of demanding charter guests on M/Y Thalassa. 

Enjoying yourself? At one point, Jen made orgasmic noises as she slipped into the hot tub

'You blow it real good!' Jen turned her attention towards the deck crew, who were busy inflating some water toys

The season boasts the youngest, and arguably the hottest captain in Below Deck history, Captain Jason Chambers.

Though the dynamics on board are initially smooth sailing, a boatload of problems bubble up when the chef immediately falls out of sync with Aesha.

The deck team also hits rocky waters when the bosun’s firm management style is called into question by free-spirited deckhand Ben Crawley.

Between charters, the yachties blow off steam by taking full advantage of Australia’s world-renowned nightlife, where drama, surprising flirtations, and wild adventures heat up their well-deserved nights off.

The season has already seen some dramatic clashes between Aesha and outspoken chef Ryan McKeown.

Below Deck Down Under is currently streaming exclusively on hayu. 

Hard times: Dana and Darren, who are both professional strippers, weren't shy about putting on PDAs in front of the cameras

Share or comment on this article: Below Deck Down Under: Strippers and rock stars run wild on board

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• Mar 10, 2020

'The New Yacht Rock'- Reviving the Soundtrack to Your Summer

By: Scott Way

People never forget the song that played during their first dance, or the anthem to their high school years, or the songs that defined epic road trips with friends or family. Everyone has a soundtrack to their life. If you’re a boater, and depending on your age, you’ve probably got a playlist that’s been pretty consistent over the years, and it’s probably got some ‘yacht rock’ on it. For anyone uninitiated, yacht rock is the term for the quintessential soft rock jams that invaded every marina from ‘76-'84 (ish). Think Hawaiian shirts, white slacks, sunsets, daiquiris, and dock shoes. Think gentle rock grooves with a touch of R&B, smooth jazz, sun-soaked melodies, and lyrics overloaded with romantic escapism. The genre was all about good vibes. The term ‘yacht rock’ is actually relatively new, coined in 2005 for a YouTube web series of the same name. The show satirically portrayed the 80’s as the apex of bad style and ultra-lameness, but it spent an equal amount of time worshiping the soundtrack with genuine reverence. Boaters are comically guilty of this same worship- somewhere in the mid 80’s yacht rock became the definitive soundtrack to the boating lifestyle.

Yacht rockers include the legendary Jimmy Buffett, as well as second-level smoothies Michael McDonald, Hall & Oates, and The Doobie Brothers, among others. The Godfathers of Yacht Rock, for the artist who laid the groundwork for the genre’s respectful party vibes, likely goes to the Beach Boys, who taught everyone that although Kokomo was a fictitious place off the Florida Keys it was probably an ideal location for one of Buffett’s ‘Margaritaville’ restaurants. During yacht rock’s heyday, dock parties came with a Captain & Tennille guarantee from the DJ and record players spun tirelessly to Toto, Steely Dan, and Christopher Cross. While it’s impossible to capture all of yacht rock’s gentle jams and satisfy every boater’s taste, here’s a solid introduction to kickstart your summer playlist:

Christopher Cross- Sailing (1979)

Toto- Rosanna (1982)

Kenny Loggins- This Is It (1979)

Captain & Tennille- Love Will Keep Us Together (1975)

Hall & Oates- I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) (1981)

Doobie Brothers- What A Fool Believes (1978)

Steely Dan- Hey Nineteen (1980)

Robert Holmes- Escape (The Pina Colada Song) (1979)

Player- Baby Come Back (1977)

Pablo Cruise- Love Will Find A Way (1978)

As a loosely defined genre, yacht rock also had a fringe collection of unofficial members. The cousins to yacht rock royalty include Bob Marley ( Jammin ’), Billy Ocean ( Caribbean Queen ), and a few other artists who flirted with the yachties including The Eagles, Boz Scaggs, and Fleetwood Mac. In the end, yacht rock was undone by its insatiable appetite for the saccharine, the breaking point arguably being Peter Cetera’s 1984 melodramatic synth-schmaltz ‘ The Glory of Love ’ from the Karate Kid soundtrack. After that, no number of roundhouse kicks in white slacks on the aft deck could bring the coolness back. The dream was dead. And so despite its sensual rhythms and sunset smiles, yacht rock faded into obscurity while New Wave commandeered the synthesizer. That being said, if you’d like to relive the magic 'yacht rock' is a searchable term on both Pandora and Spotify, so not all hope is lost.

Which brings us to now: the glory days are gone and sit sadly on the precipice of ‘dad rock’ territory. But like the return of 80's high-waisted jeans, a slow burning revival of yacht rock style has emerged from the ashes; a millenial revitalization that blends equal parts 70’s slow groove with contemporary pop and country. Research into terms like ‘boating music’ or ‘best boating songs’ will bring up the original jams, but The New Yacht Rock movement has taken the framework and added some zest (no sign of white slacks yet, though). The most obvious, and the strangest, new trait is that country music and boating have apparently coalesced. Where once country stood firm in its crooning about beloved pickup trucks and broken hearts through a crackly FM radio on a Tennessee backroad, it now twinkles with ballads about sandy beaches and nautical adventures. In fact, you could make an argument that a good chunk of country music has traded in its pickup truck for a pontoon boat. Simply put, you can’t search ‘boating songs’ from 2010-present without seeing country music sitting at the helm. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; clearly they discovered that pickup trucks and powerboats offer comparable thrills. This new cooperative became formalized when The Zac Brown Band yanked Jimmy Buffett out of retirement for their 2010 dock party anthem ‘Knee Deep.’ It’s no big ruse either, they were looking to re-imagine Margaritaville in muddin’ country. Case in point: Buffett proclaims ‘(s)trummin’ my six string on my front porch swing’ while Brown counters with ‘is the tide gonna reach my chair.’ The cowboy boots have been traded in for sandals.

So with a new decade upon us and a catalogue of classics to draw from, the yacht rock revival has boaters poised for a new soundtrack to their dock party. Contemporary artists like Vampire Weekend, Thundercat, Foxygen, and Carly Rae Jepson (yes, of ‘Call Me Maybe’ infamy) have all infused some California calmness into their contemporary pop. Thundercat even pulled the ‘out of retirement’ trick, enticing Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald to appear on their 2017 slow jam ‘Show You The Way.’ There’s more ambient pop flair and slide guitar to the new stuff, but the heart and soul of the Reagan years is alive and well.

As the intermixing of young artists with old pioneers continues to usher in the new era, doing away with the original 'yacht rock' moniker seems necessary at this point. Today musical genres are more flexible than ever, and locking boaters into a small segment of musical preference isn’t fair (or as much fun). If you're looking at pop music from 2010-present to fill your boating playlist, you’ll find a consistent parade of songs from multiple genres carrying yacht rock’s torch of idealism. So let’s just call it ‘boat rock’ for now, until someone at Rolling Stone coins something more iconic.

Now, here’s the obvious disclaimer: suggesting music is an invitation to criticism. You cannot appease all genres, styles, and opinions. Therefore, in the name of inclusiveness, the new boat rock movement will cover as many genres as possible, consider mainstream popularity, and will give favour to tracks dubbed ‘summer songs’ by the popular press within the last 15 years (or so, let’s be flexible here. This is for fun). There are also considerations for any artist bearing yacht rock’s original influences including R&B, blues, jazz, reggae, and soft rock, and with lyrical content that promotes a good time. Here's a prototype playlist:

Thundercat ft. Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald- Show You The Way

Kid Rock- All Summer Long

Chris Janson- Buy Me A Boat

Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly- Cruise

Zac Brown Band ft. Jimmy Buffett- Knee Deep

Little Big Town- Pontoon

Sugar Ray- Highest Tree (from the Little Yachty homage to yacht rock album)

Zac Brown Band- Where The Boat Leaves From

Bedouin Soundclash- When The Night Feels My Song

Pharrell Williams- Happy

Nickelback- This Afternoon

As you can clearly see, country music has discovered its fondness for docktails and sandals. Honourable mentions go to Sublime, Weezer, Bob Marley’s entire catalogue, and everything Sugar Ray has released since their 1997 hit ‘Fly’ (which should be considered boat rock’s version of Margaritaville). The list could be endless with songs pulled from pop, reggae, indie, R&B, rock, and country. But as a starting point, the above track list should generate smiles while the kids are leaping off the swim platform and the smell of BBQ is wafting across the deck.

Going forward, the question to ask when deciding whether a song should enter the new boat rock pantheon is this: if I were enjoying a sunset over the water, would this song improve my vibe? If the answer is yes, it’s boat rock. The next time you're tied up at your local marina, or you’re anchored in a quiet bay watching the sun slip beneath the waves, try using the above playlist and let the good times roll. Whether it’s from the old era or the new, the key to any great adventure is a smoooooth soundtrack.

Honourable Mentions (Yacht Rock Era)

- Christopher Cross- Sailing

- Michael McDonald- I Keep Forgetting

- Ambrosia- Biggest Part of Me

- The Alan Parsons Project- Eye In The Sky

- Kenny Loggins- Heart To Heart

- Jackson Browne- Somebody’s Baby

- Toto- Hold The Line

- Hall & Oates- Rich Girl

- Steely Dan- Reelin’ In The Years

- Billy Ocean- Caribbean Queen

- Boz Scaggs- Lido

- Fleetwood Mac- Dreams

- Eddie Money- Two Tickets To Paradise

- The Eagles- Hotel California

- Peter Cetera (Chicago)- Glory Of Love

Honourable Mentions (Boat Rock Era)

- Sublime- Santeria

- Weezer- Island In The Sun

- Black Eyed Peas- I Gotta Feeling

- Sheryl Crow- Soak Up The Sun

- Kenny Chesney- No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem

- Garth Brooks- Friends In Low Places

- Zac Brown Band- Toes

- Daft Punk ft. Pharrell- Get Lucky

- Florida Georgia Line ft. Luke Bryan- This Is How We Roll

- Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell & TI- Blurred Lines

- Bruno Mars- That’s What I Like

- The Black Keys- Gold On The Ceiling

- The Weeknd- I Feel It Coming

- Magic!- Rude

#culture #news #music #yachtrock

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Yacht Rock: Album Guide

By David Browne

David Browne

Summer’s here and time is right for dancing … on the deck of a large nautical vessel. During the late Seventies and early Eighties, the radio was dominated by silver-tongued white-dude crooners with names like Rupert and Gerry, emoting over balmy R&B beats, swaying saxes, and dishwasher-clean arrangements. Though it didn’t have a name, the genre — soft rock you could dance to — was dismissed by serious rock fans as fluffy and lame. But thanks to a web series in the mid-2000s, the style — belatedly named “ yacht rock ” — has since spawned a satellite-radio channel, tribute bands, and a Weezer cover of Toto’s “Africa.” Is the modern love of the music ironic or sincere? Hard to say, yet there’s no denying yacht rock is a legit sound with a vibe all its own that produced a surprising amount of enduring music perfectly at home in summer. (John Mayer even tips his own sailor’s hat to the genre on his new “Last Train Home” single, and even the aqua-blue cover of his upcoming Sob Rock album.) The resumption of the Doobie Brothers’ 50th anniversary tour, postponed last year due to COVID-19 but scheduled to restart in August, is the cherry atop the Pina colada.

Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees (1976)

Before yacht rock was an identifiable genre, Scaggs (no fan of the term, as he told Rolling Stone in 2018) set the standard for what was to come: sharp-dressed white soul, burnished ballads that evoked wine with a quiet dinner, and splashes of Me Decade decadence (the narrator of the pumped “Lido Shuffle” is setting up one more score before leaving the country). Add in the Philly Soul homage “What Can I Say,” the burbling life-on-the-streets homage “Lowdown,” and the lush sway of “Georgia,” and Silk Degrees , internationally or not, set a new high bar for Seventies smoothness.

Steely Dan, Aja (1977)

The sophisticated high-water mark of yacht, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s masterpiece is the midway point between jazz and pop, with tricky tempo shifts, interlocking horn and keyboard parts, and pristine solos. Not settling for easygoing period clichés, these love songs, so to speak, are populated by a sleazy movie director (the gorgeous rush of “Peg”), a loser who still hopes to be a jazzman even if the odds are against him (the heart-tugging “Deacon Blues”), and a guy whose nodding-out girlfriend is probably a junkie (“Black Cow”). The most subversive cruise you’ll ever take.

The Doobie Brothers, Minute by Minute (1978)

The Doobies got their start as a biker-y boogie band, but they smoothed things out for Minute by Minute . Highlighted by “What a Fool Believes,” the unstoppable Michael McDonald-Kenny Loggins co-write, the LP piles on romantic turmoil, falsetto harmonies, and plenty of spongy electric piano. But it also proves how much personality and muscle the Doobies could bring to what could be a generic sound. McDonald’s husky, sensitive-guy delivery shrouds the unexpectedly bitter title song (“You will stay just to watch me, darlin’/Wilt away on lies from you”)  and honoring their biker roots, “Don’t Stop to Watch the Wheels” is about taking a lady friend for a ride on your hog.

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Further Listening

Seals & crofts, get closer (1976).

The Dylan-goes-electric moment of yacht, “Get Closer” validated the idea that folkie singer-songwriters could put aside their guitars (and mandolin), tap into their R&B side and cross over in ways they never imagined. In addition to the surprising seductiveness of the title hit, Get Closer has plenty of yacht-rock pleasures. In “Goodbye Old Buddies,” the narrator informs his pals that he can’t hang out anymore now that he’s met “a certain young lady,” but in the next song, “Baby Blue,” another woman is told, “There’s an old friend in me/Tellin’ me I gotta be free.” A good captain follows the tide where it takes him.

Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross  (1979)

Cross’ debut swept the 1981 Grammys for a reason: It’s that rare yacht-rock album that’s graceful, earnest, and utterly lacking in smarm. Songs like the politely seductive “Say You’ll Be Mine” and the forlorn “Never Be the Same” have an elegant pop classicism, and the yacht anthem “Sailing” could be called a powered-down ballad. Fueled by a McDonald cameo expertly parodied on SCTV , the propulsive “Ride Like the Wind” sneaks raw outlaw lyrics (“Lived nine lives/Gunned down ten”) into its breezy groove, perfecting the short-lived gangster-yacht subgenre.

Rupert Holmes, Partners in Crime (1979)

The album that made Holmes a soft-rock star is known for “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” which sports a made-for-karaoke chorus and a plot twist worthy of a wide-collar O. Henry. But what distinguishes the album is the Steely Dan-level musicianship and Holmes’ ambitious story songs, each sung with Manilow-esque exuberance. The title track equates a hooker and her john to co-workers at a department store, “Lunch Hour” ventures into afternoon-delight territory, and “Answering Machine” finds a conflicted couple trading messages but continually being cut off by those old-school devices.

Steely Dan, Gaucho (1980)

The Dan’s last studio album before a lengthy hiatus doesn’t have the consistency of Aja, but Gaucho cleverly matches their most vacuum-sealed music with their most sordid and pathetic cast of characters. A seedy older guy tries to pick up younger women in “Hey Nineteen,” another loser goes in search of a ménage à trois in “Babylon Sisters,” a coke dealer delivers to a basketball star in “Glamour Profession,” and the narrator of “Time Out of Mind” just wants another heroin high. It’s the dark side of the yacht.

Going Deeper

Michael mcdonald, if that’s what it takes  (1982).

Imagine a Doobie Brothers album entirely comprised of McDonald songs and shorn of pesky guitar solos or Patrick Simmons rockers, and you have a sense of McDonald’s first and best post-Doobs album. If That’s What it Takes builds on the approach he nailed on “What a Fool Believes” but amps up the sullen-R&B side of Mac’s music. His brooding remake of Lieber and Stoller’s “I Keep Forgettin’” is peak McDonald and the title track approaches the propulsion of Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind.” With his sad-sack intensity, McDonald sounds like guy at a seaside resort chewing over his mistakes and regrets – with, naturally, the aid of an electric piano.

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Kenny Loggins, Keep the Fire (1979)

Loggins’ journey from granola folk rocker to pleasure-boat captain embodies the way rock grew more polished as the Seventies wore on. Anchored by the percolating-coffeemaker rhythms and modestly aggro delivery of “This Is It,” another McDonald collaboration, Keep the Fire sets Loggins’ feathery voice to smooth-jazz saxes and R&B beats, and Michael Jackson harmonies beef up the soul quotient in “Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong.” The secret highlight is “Will It Last,” one of the sneakiest yacht tracks ever, fading to a finish after four minutes, then revving back up with some sweet George Harrison-style slide guitar.

Dr. Hook, Sometimes You Win  (1979)

Earlier in the Seventies, these jokesters established themselves with novelty hits like “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone,’’ but they soon paddled over to unabashed disco-yacht. Sometimes You Win features three of their oiliest ear worms: “Sexy Eyes,” “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman” and “Better Love Next Time,” all oozing suburban pickup bars and the somewhat desperate dudes who hang out there. The album, alas, does not include “Sharing the Night Together,” recently reborn by way of its sardonic use in last year’s Breaking Bad spinoff El Camino .

Carly Simon, Boys in the Trees  (1978)

As a trailblazing female singer-songwriter, Simon was already a star by the time yacht launched. Boys in the Trees features her beguiling contribution to the genre, “You Belong to Me,” a collaboration with the ubiquitous Michael McDonald. The Doobies cut it first, but Simon’s version adds an air of yearning and hushed desperation that makes it definitive. The album also packs in a yacht-soul cover of James Taylor’s “One Man Woman” and a “lullaby for a wide-eyed guy” called “Tranquillo (Melt My Heart),” all proving that men didn’t have a stranglehold on this style.

Anchors Aweigh

More smooth hits for your next high-seas adventure.

“BREEZIN’”

George Benson, 1976

The guitarist and Jehovah’s Witness made the leap from midlevel jazz act to crossover pop star with a windswept instrumental that conveys the yacht spirit as much as any vocal performance.

“WHATCHA GONNA DO?”

Pablo Cruise, 1976

Carefree bounce from a San Francisco band with the best name ever for a soft-rock act — named, fittingly, after a chill Colorado buddy.

“BAKER STREET”

Gerry Rafferty, 1978

Rafferty brought a deep sense of lonely-walk-by-the-bay melancholy to this epic retelling of a night on the town, in which Raphael Ravenscroft’s immortal sax awakens Rafferty from his morning-after hangover.

“REMINISCING”

Little River Band, 1978

The Aussie soft rockers delivered a slurpy valentine sung in the voice of an old man looking back on his “lifetime plan” with his wife. Innovative twist: flugelhorn solo instead of sax.

“WHENEVER I CALL YOU ‘FRIEND’ ”

Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks, 1978

After its ethereal intro, this rare genre duet grows friskier with each verse, with both Loggins and Nicks getting more audibly caught up in the groove — and the idea of “sweet love showing us a heavenly light.”

“LOTTA LOVE”

Nicolette Larson, 1978

Neil Young’s sad-boy shuffle is transformed into a luscious slice of lounge pop by the late Larson. Adding an extra layer of poignancy, she was in a relationship with Young around that time.

“STEAL AWAY”

Robbie Dupree, 1980

Is it real, or is it McDonald? Actually, it’s the best Doobies knockoff — a rinky-dink (but ingratiating) distant cousin to “What a Fool Believes” that almost inspired McDonald to take legal action.

“TAKE IT EASY”

Archie James Cavanaugh, 1980

Cult rarity by the late Alaskan singer-songwriter that crams in everything you’d want in a yacht song: disco-leaning bass, smooth-jazz guitar, sax, and a lyric that lives up to its title even more than the same-titled Eagles song.

“BIGGEST PART OF ME”

Ambrosia, 1980

Ditching the prog-classical leanings of earlier albums, this trio headed straight for the middle of the waterway with this Doobies-lite smash. Bonus points for lyrics that reference a “lazy river.”

“I CAN’T GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO)”

Daryl Hall and John Oates, 1981

The once unstoppable blue-eyed soul duo were never pure yacht, but the easy-rolling beats and shiny sax in this Number One hit got close. Hall adds sexual tension by never specifying exactly what he can’t go for.

“COOL NIGHT”

Paul Davis, 1981

The Mississippi crooner-songwriter gives a master class on how to heat up a stalled romance: Pick a brisk evening, invite a female acquaintance over, and suggest . . . lighting a fire.

“KEY LARGO”

Bertie Higgins, 1981

Yacht’s very own novelty hit is corny but deserves props for quoting from not one but two Humphrey Bogart films ( Key Largo and Casablanca ).

“AFRICA”

The same year that members of Toto did session work on Michael Jackson’s Thriller, they released the Mount Kilimanjaro of late-yacht hits.

“SOUTHERN CROSS”

Crosby, Stills, and Nash, 1982

The combustible trio’s gusty contribution to the genre has choppy-water rhythms and enough nautical terminology for a sailing manual.

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Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs

Yacht rock was one of the most commercially successful genres to emerge from the '70s and yet has managed to evade concise definition since its inception. For many listeners, it boils down to a feeling or mood that cannot be found in other kinds of music: Simply put, you know it when you hear it.

Some agreed-upon elements are crucial to yacht rock. One is its fluidity, with more emphasis on a catchy, easy-feeling melody than on beat or rhythm. Another is a generally lighthearted attitude in the lyrics. Think Seals & Crofts ' "Summer Breeze," Christopher Cross ' "Ride Like the Wind" or Bill Withers ' "Just the Two of Us." Yes, as its label suggests, music that would fit perfectly being played from the deck of a luxurious boat on the high seas.

But even these roughly outlined "rules" can be flouted and still considered yacht rock. Plenty of bands that are typically deemed "nyacht" rock have made their attempts at the genre: Crosby, Stills & Nash got a bit nautical with "Southern Cross," leading with their famed tightly knit harmonies, and Fleetwood Mac also entered yacht rock territory with "Dreams" – which, although lyrically dour, offers a sense of melody in line with yacht rock.

Given its undefined parameters, the genre has become one of music's most expansive corners. From No. 1 hits to deeper-cut gems, we've compiled a list of 50 Top Yacht Rock Songs to set sail to below.

50. "Thunder Island," Jay Ferguson (1978)

Younger generations might be more apt to recognize Jay Ferguson from his score for NBC's The Office , where he also portrayed the guitarist in Kevin Malone's band Scrantonicity. But Ferguson's musical roots go back to the '60s band Spirit; he was also in a group with one of the future members of Firefall, signaling a '70s-era shift toward yacht rock and "Thunder Island." The once-ubiquitous single began its steady ascent in October 1977 before reaching the Top 10 in April of the following year. Producer Bill Szymczyk helped it get there by bringing in his buddy Joe Walsh for a soaring turn on the slide. The best showing Ferguson had after this, however, was the quickly forgotten 1979 Top 40 hit "Shakedown Cruise." (Nick DeRiso)

49. "Southern Cross," Crosby, Stills & Nash (1982)

CSN's "Southern Cross" was an example of a more literal interpretation of yacht rock, one in which leftover material was revitalized by Stephen Stills . He sped up the tempo of a song titled " Seven League Boots " originally penned by brothers Rick and Michael Curtis, then laid in new lyrics about, yes, an actual boat ride. "I rewrote a new set of words and added a different chorus, a story about a long boat trip I took after my divorce," Stills said in the liner notes  to 1991's CSN box. "It's about using the power of the universe to heal your wounds." The music video for the song, which went into heavy rotation on MTV, also prominently displayed the band members aboard a large vessel. (Allison Rapp)

48. "Jackie Blue," the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1974)

Drummer Larry Lee only had a rough idea of what he wanted to do with "Jackie Blue," originally naming it after a bartending dope pusher. For a long time, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' best-known single remained an instrumental with the place-keeper lyric, " Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh Jackie Blue. He was dada, and dada doo. He did this, he did that ... ." Producer Glyn Johns, who loved the track, made a key suggestion – and everything finally snapped into place: "No, no, no, mate," Johns told them. "Jackie Blue has to be a girl." They "knocked some new lyrics out in about 30 minutes," Lee said in It Shined: The Saga of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils . "[From] some drugged-out guy, we changed Jackie into a reclusive girl." She'd go all the way to No. 3. (DeRiso)

47. "Sailing," Christopher Cross (1979)

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more quintessential yacht rock song than “Sailing.” The second single (and first chart-topper) off Christopher Cross’ 1979 self-titled debut offers an intoxicating combination of dreamy strings, singsong vocals and shimmering, open-tuned guitar arpeggios that pay deference to Cross’ songwriting idol, Joni Mitchell . “These tunings, like Joni used to say, they get you in this sort of trance,” Cross told Songfacts in 2013. “The chorus just sort of came out. … So I got up and wandered around the apartment just thinking, ‘Wow, that's pretty fuckin' great.’” Grammy voters agreed: “Sailing” won Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Arrangement at the 1981 awards. (Bryan Rolli)

46. "Just the Two of Us," Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. (1980)

A collaboration between singer Bill Withers and saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. resulted in the sleek "Just the Two of Us." When first approached with the song, Withers insisted on reworking the lyrics. "I'm a little snobbish about words," he said in 2004 . "I said, 'Yeah, if you'll let me go in and try to dress these words up a little bit.' Everybody that knows me is kind of used to me that way. I probably threw in the stuff like the crystal raindrops. The 'Just the Two of Us' thing was already written. It was trying to put a tuxedo on it." The track was completed with some peppy backing vocals and a subtle slap bass part. (Rapp)

45. "Sara Smile," Daryl Hall & John Oates (1975)

It doesn't get much smoother than "Sara Smile," Daryl Hall & John Oates ' first Top 10 hit in the U.S. The song was written for Sara Allen, Hall's longtime girlfriend, whom he had met when she was working as a flight attendant. His lead vocal, which was recorded live, is clear as a bell on top of a velvety bass line and polished backing vocals that nodded to the group's R&B influences. “It was a song that came completely out of my heart," Hall said in 2018 . "It was a postcard. It’s short and sweet and to the point." Hall and Allen stayed together for almost 30 years before breaking up in 2001. (Rapp)

44. "Rosanna," Toto (1982)

One of the most identifiable hits of 1982 was written by Toto co-founder David Paich – but wasn't about Rosanna Arquette, as some people have claimed, even though keyboardist Steve Porcaro was dating the actress at the time. The backbeat laid down by drummer Jeff Porcaro – a "half-time shuffle" similar to what John Bonham played on " Fool in the Rain " – propels the track, while vocal harmonies and emphatic brass sections add further layers. The result is an infectious and uplifting groove – yacht rock at its finest. (Corey Irwin)

43. "Diamond Girl," Seals & Crofts (1973)

Seals & Crofts were soft-rock stylists with imagination, dolling up their saccharine melodies with enough musical intrigue to survive beyond the seemingly obvious shelf life. Granted, the lyrics to “Diamond Girl,” one of the duo’s three No. 6 hits, are as sterile as a surgery-operating room, built on pseudo-romantic nothing-isms ( “Now that I’ve found you, it’s around you that I am” — what a perfectly natural phrase!). But boy, oh boy does that groove sound luxurious beaming out of a hi-fi system, with every nuance — those stacked backing vocals, that snapping piano — presented in full analog glory. (Ryan Reed)

42. "What You Won't Do for Love," Bobby Caldwell (1978)

Smooth. From the opening horn riffs and the soulful keyboard to the funk bass and the velvety vocals of Bobby Caldwell, everything about “What You Won’t Do for Love” is smooth. Released in September 1978, the track peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to become the biggest hit of Caldwell’s career. It was later given a second life after being sampled for rapper 2Pac's posthumously released 1998 hit single “Do for Love.” (Irwin)

41. "We Just Disagree," Dave Mason (1977)

Dave Mason's ace in the hole on the No. 12 smash "We Just Disagree" was Jim Krueger, who composed the track, shared the harmony vocal and played that lovely guitar figure. "It was a song that when he sang it to me, it was like, 'Yeah, that's the song,'" Mason told Greg Prato in 2014. "Just him and a guitar, which is usually how I judge whether I'm going to do something. If it holds up like that, I'll put the rest of the icing on it." Unfortunately, the multitalented Krueger died of pancreatic cancer at age 43. By then, Mason had disappeared from the top of the charts, never getting higher than No. 39 again. (DeRiso)

40. "Crazy Love," Poco (1978)

Rusty Young was paneling a wall when inspiration struck. He'd long toiled in the shadow of Stephen Stills , Richie Furay and Neil Young , serving in an instrumentalist role with Buffalo Springfield and then Poco . "Crazy Love" was his breakout moment, and he knew it. Rusty Young presented the song before he'd even finished the lyric, but his Poco bandmates loved the way the stopgap words harmonized. "I told the others, 'Don't worry about the ' ooh, ooh, ahhhh haaa ' part. I can find words for that," Young told the St. Louis Dispatch in 2013. "And they said, 'Don't do that. That's the way it's supposed to be.'" It was: Young's first big vocal became his group's only Top 20 hit. (DeRiso)

39. "Suspicions," Eddie Rabbitt (1979)

Eddie Rabbitt 's move from country to crossover stardom was hurtled along by "Suspicions," as a song about a cuckold's worry rose to the Top 20 on both the pop and adult-contemporary charts. Behind the scenes, there was an even clearer connection to yacht rock: Co-writer Even Stevens said Toto's David Hungate played bass on the date. As important as it was for his career, Rabbitt later admitted that he scratched out "Suspicions" in a matter of minutes, while on a lunch break in the studio on the last day of recording his fifth album at Wally Heider's Los Angeles studio. "Sometimes," Rabbitt told the Associated Press in 1985, "the words just fall out of my mouth." (DeRiso)

38. "Moonlight Feels Right," Starbuck (1976)

No sound in rock history is more yacht friendly than Bruce Blackman’s laugh: hilarious, arbitrary, smug, speckled with vocal fry, arriving just before each chorus of Starbuck’s signature tune. Why is this human being laughing? Shrug. Guess the glow of night will do that to you. Then again, this is one of the more strange hits of the '70s — soft-pop hooks frolicking among waves of marimba and synthesizers that could have been plucked from a classic prog epic. “ The eastern moon looks ready for a wet kiss ,” Blackman croons, “ to make the tide rise again .” It’s a lunar make-out session, baby. (Reed)

37. "Same Old Lang Syne," Dan Fogelberg (1981)

“Same Old Lang Syne” is a masterclass in economic storytelling, and its tragedy is in the things both protagonists leave unsaid. Dan Fogelberg weaves a devastating tale of two former lovers who run into each other at a grocery store on Christmas Eve and spend the rest of the night catching up and reminiscing. Their circumstances have changed — he’s a disillusioned professional musician, she’s stuck in an unhappy marriage — but their love for each other is still palpable if only they could overcome their fears and say it out loud. They don’t, of course, and when Fogelberg bids his high-school flame adieu, he’s left with only his bittersweet memories and gnawing sense of unfulfillment to keep him warm on that snowy (and later rainy) December night. (Rolli)

36. "Eye in the Sky," the Alan Parsons Project (1982)

Few songs strike a chord with both prog nerds and soft-rock enthusiasts, but the Alan Parsons Project's “Eye in the Sky” belongs to that exclusive club. The arrangement is all smooth contours and pillowy textures: By the time Eric Woolfson reaches the chorus, shyly emoting about romantic deception over a bed of Wurlitzer keys and palm-muted riffs, the effect is like falling slow motion down a waterfall onto a memory foam mattress. But there’s artfulness here, too, from Ian Bairnson’s seductive guitar solo to the titular phrase conjuring some kind of god-like omniscience. (Reed)

35. "Somebody's Baby," Jackson Browne (1982)

Jackson Browne 's highest-charting single, and his last Top 10 hit, was originally tucked away on the soundtrack for the 1982 teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High . That placed Browne, one of the most earnest of singer-songwriters, firmly out of his element. "It was not typical of what Jackson writes at all, that song," co-composer Danny Kortchmar told Songfacts in 2013. "But because it was for this movie, he changed his general approach and came up with this fantastic song." Still unsure of how it would fit in, Browne refused to place "Somebody's Baby" on his next proper album – something he'd later come to regret . Lawyers in Love broke a string of consecutive multiplatinum releases dating back to 1976. (DeRiso)

34. "Still the One," Orleans (1976)

Part of yacht rock’s charm is being many things but only to a small degree. Songs can be jazzy, but not experimental. Brass sections are great but don’t get too funky. And the songs should rock, but not rock . In that mold comes Orleans’ 1976 hit “Still the One.” On top of a chugging groove, frontman John Hall sings about a romance that continues to stand the test of time. This love isn’t the white-hot flame that leaves passionate lovers burned – more like a soft, medium-level heat that keeps things comfortably warm. The tune is inoffensive, catchy and fun, aka yacht-rock gold. (Irwin)

33. "New Frontier," Donald Fagen (1982)

In which an awkward young man attempts to spark a Cold War-era fling — then, hopefully, a longer, post-apocalyptic relationship — via bomb shelter bunker, chatting up a “big blond” with starlet looks and a soft spot for Dave Brubeck. Few songwriters could pull off a lyrical concept so specific, and almost no one but Donald Fagen could render it catchy. “New Frontier,” a signature solo cut from the Steely Dan maestro, builds the sleek jazz-funk of Gaucho into a more digital-sounding landscape, with Fagen stacking precise vocal harmonies over synth buzz and bent-note guitar leads. (Reed)

32. "Sail On, Sailor," the Beach Boys (1973)

The Beach Boys were reworking a new album when Van Dyke Parks handed them this updated version of an unfinished Brian Wilson song. All that was left was to hand the mic over to Blondie Chaplin for his greatest-ever Beach Boys moment. They released "Sail On, Sailor" twice, however, and this yearning groover somehow barely cracked the Top 50. Chaplin was soon out of the band, too. It's a shame. "Sail On, Sailor" remains the best example of how the Beach Boys' elemental style might have kept growing. Instead, Chaplin went on to collaborate with the Band , Gene Clark of the  Byrds  and the Rolling Stones – while the Beach Boys settled into a lengthy tenure as a jukebox band. (DeRiso)

31. "Time Passages," Al Stewart (1978)

Al Stewart followed up the first hit single of his decade-long career – 1976's "Year of the Cat" – with a more streamlined take two years later. "Time Passages" bears a similar structure to the earlier track, including a Phil Kenzie sax solo and production by Alan Parsons. While both songs' respective album and single versions coincidentally run the same time, the 1978 hit's narrative wasn't as convoluted and fit more squarely into pop radio playlists. "Time Passages" became Stewart's highest-charting single, reaching No. 7 – while "Year of the Cat" had stalled at No. 8. (Michael Gallucci)

30. "I Go Crazy," Paul Davis (1977)

Paul Davis looked like he belonged in the Allman Brothers Band , but his soft, soulful voice took him in a different direction. The slow-burning nature of his breakthrough single "I Go Crazy" was reflected in its chart performance: For years the song held the record for the most weeks spent on the chart, peaking at No. 7 during its 40-week run. Davis, who died in 2008, took five more songs into the Top 40 after 1977, but "I Go Crazy" is his masterpiece – a wistful and melancholic look back at lost love backed by spare, brokenhearted verses. (Gallucci)

29. "Biggest Part of Me," Ambrosia (1980)

Songwriter David Pack taped the original demo of this song on a reel-to-reel when everyone else was running late, finishing just in time: "I was waiting for my family to get in the car so I could go to a Fourth of July celebration in Malibu," he told the Tennessean in 2014. "I turned off my machine [and] heard the car horn honking for me." Still, Pack was worried that the hastily written first verse – which rhymed " arisin ,'" " horizon " and " realizin '" – might come off a little corny. So he followed the time-honored yacht-rock tradition of calling in Michael McDonald to sing heartfelt background vocals. Result: a Top 5 hit on both the pop and adult-contemporary charts. (DeRiso)

28. "Africa," Toto (1982)

Remove the cover versions, the nostalgia sheen and its overuse in TV and films, and you’re left with what makes “Africa” great: one of the best earworm choruses in music history. Never mind that the band is made up of white guys from Los Angeles who'd never visited the titular continent. Verses about Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti paint a picture so vivid that listeners are swept away. From the soaring vocals to the stirring synth line, every element of the song works perfectly. There’s a reason generations of music fans continue to proudly bless the rains. (Irwin)

27. "Hello It's Me," Todd Rundgren (1972)

“Hello It’s Me” is the first song Todd Rundgren ever wrote, recorded by his band Nazz and released in 1968. He quickened the tempo, spruced up the instrumentation and delivered a more urgent vocal for this 1972 solo rendition (which became a Top 5 U.S. hit), but the bones of the tune remain the same. “Hello It’s Me” is a wistful, bittersweet song about the dissolution of a relationship between two people who still very much love and respect each other a clear-eyed breakup ballad lacking the guile, cynicism and zaniness of Rundgren’s later work. “The reason those [early] songs succeeded was because of their derivative nature,” Rundgren told Guitar World in 2021. “They plugged so easily into audience expectations. They’re easily absorbed.” That may be so, but there’s still no denying the airtight hooks and melancholy beauty of “Hello It’s Me.” (Rolli)

26. "Smoke From a Distant Fire," the Sanford/Townsend Band (1977)

There are other artists who better define yacht rock - Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross - but few songs rival the Sanford/Townsend Band's "Smoke From a Distant Fire" as a more representative genre track. (It was a Top 10 hit in the summer of 1977. The duo never had another charting single.) From the vaguely swinging rhythm and roaring saxophone riff to the light percussion rolls and risk-free vocals (that nod heavily to Daryl Hall and John Oates' blue-eyed soul), "Smoke" may be the most definitive yacht rock song ever recorded. We may even go as far as to say it's ground zero. (Gallucci)

25. "Dream Weaver," Gary Wright (1975)

Unlike many other songs on our list, “Dream Weaver” lacks lush instrumentation. Aside from Gary Wright’s vocals and keyboard parts, the only added layer is the drumming of Jim Keltner. But while the track may not have guitars, bass or horns, it certainly has plenty of vibes. Inspired by the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda – which Wright was turned on to by George Harrison – “Dream Weaver” boasts a celestial aura that helped the song peak at No. 2 in 1976. (Irwin)

24. "Reminiscing," Little River Band (1978)

The third time was the charm with Little River Band 's highest-charting single in the U.S. Guitarist Graeham Goble wrote "Reminiscing" for singer Glenn Shorrock with a certain keyboardist in mind. Unfortunately, they weren't able to schedule a session with Peter Jones, who'd played an important role in Little River Band's first-ever charting U.S. single, 1976's "It's a Long Way There ." They tried it anyway but didn't care for the track. They tried again, with the same results. "The band was losing interest in the song," Goble later told Chuck Miller . "Just before the album was finished, Peter Jones came back into town, [and] the band and I had an argument because I wanted to give 'Reminiscing' a third chance." This time they nailed it. (DeRiso)

23. "Heart Hotels," Dan Fogelberg (1979)

Ironically enough, this song about debilitating loneliness arrived on an album in which Dan Fogelberg played almost all of the instruments himself. A key concession to the outside world became the most distinctive musical element on "Heart Hotels," as well-known saxophonist Tom Scott took a turn on the Lyricon – a pre-MIDI electronic wind instrument invented just a few years earlier. As for the meaning of sad songs like these, the late Fogelberg once said : "I feel experiences deeply, and I have an outlet, a place where I can translate those feelings. A lot of people go to psychoanalysts. I write songs." (DeRiso)

22. "Year of the Cat," Al Stewart (1976)

Just about every instrument imaginable can be heard in Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat." What begins with an elegant piano intro winds its way through a string section and a sultry sax solo, then to a passionate few moments with a Spanish acoustic guitar. The sax solo, often a hallmark of yacht-rock songs, was not Stewart's idea. Producer Alan Parsons suggested it at the last minute, and Stewart thought it was the "worst idea I'd ever heard. I said, 'Alan, there aren’t any saxophones in folk-rock. Folk-rock is about guitars. Sax is a jazz instrument,'" Stewart said in 2021 . Multiple lengthy instrumental segments bring the song to nearly seven minutes, yet each seems to blend into the next like a carefully arranged orchestra. (Rapp)

21. "How Long," Ace (1974)

How long does it take to top the charts? For the Paul Carrack-fronted Ace: 45 years . "I wrote the lyric on the bus going to my future mother-in-law's," he later told Gary James . "I wrote it on the back of that bus ticket. That's my excuse for there only being one verse." Ace released "How Long" in 1975, reaching No. 3, then Carrack moved on to stints with Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics . Finally, in 2020, "How Long" rose two spots higher, hitting No. 1 on Billboard's rock digital song sales chart after being featured in an Amazon Prime advertisement titled "Binge Cheat." (DeRiso)

20. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Looking Glass (1972)

Like "Summer Breeze" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs), Looking Glass' tale of an alluring barmaid in a busy harbor town pre-dates the classic yacht-rock era. Consider acts like Seals & Crofts and these one-hit wonders pioneers of the genre. Ironically, the effortless-sounding "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" was quite difficult to complete. "We recorded 'Brandy' two or three different times with various producers before we got it right," Looking Glass' principal songwriter Elliot Lurie told the Tennessean in 2016. The chart-topping results became so popular so fast, however, that Barry Manilow had to change the title of a new song he was working on to " Mandy ." (DeRiso)

19. "I Can't Tell You Why," Eagles (1979)

Timothy B. Schmit joined just in time to watch the  Eagles disintegrate. But things couldn't have started in a better place for the former Poco member. He arrived with the makings of his first showcase moment with the group, an unfinished scrap that would become the No. 8 hit "I Can't Tell You Why." For a moment, often-contentious band members rallied around the outsider. Don Henley and Glenn Frey both made key contributions, as Eagles completed the initial song on what would become 1979's The Long Run . Schmit felt like he had a reason to be optimistic. Instead, Eagles released the LP and then promptly split up. (DeRiso)

18. "Sentimental Lady," Bob Welch (1977)

Bob Welch  first recorded "Sentimental Lady" in 1972 as a member of Fleetwood Mac . Five years later, after separating from a band that had gone on to way bigger things , Welch revisited one of his best songs and got two former bandmates who appeared on the original version – Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie – to help out (new Mac member Lindsey Buckingham also makes an appearance). This is the better version, warmer and more inviting, and it reached the Top 10. (Gallucci)

17. "So Into You," Atlanta Rhythm Section (1976)

Atlanta Rhythm Section is often wrongly categorized as a Southern rock band, simply because of their roots in Doraville, Ga. Songs like the seductively layered "So Into You" illustrate how little they had in common with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd . As renowned Muscle Shoals sessions ace David Hood once said, they're more like the " Steely Dan of the South ." Unfortunately, time hasn't been kind to the group. Two of this best-charting single's writers have since died , while keyboardist Dean Daughtry retired in 2019 as Atlanta Rhythm Section's last constant member. (DeRiso)

16. "Dreams," Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Stevie Nicks was trying to channel the heartbreak she endured after separating from Lindsey Buckingham into a song, but couldn't concentrate among the bustle of Fleetwood Mac's sessions for Rumours . "I was kind of wandering around the studio," she later told Yahoo! , "looking for somewhere I could curl up with my Fender Rhodes and my lyrics and a little cassette tape recorder." That's when she ran into a studio assistant who led her to a quieter, previously unseen area at Sausalito's Record Plant. The circular space was surrounded by keyboards and recording equipment, with a half-moon bed in black-and-red velvet to one side. She settled in, completing "Dreams" in less than half an hour, but not before asking the helpful aide one pressing question: "I said, 'What is this?' And he said, 'This is Sly Stone 's studio.'" (DeRiso)

15. "Minute by Minute," the Doobie Brothers (1978)

Michael McDonald was so unsure of this album that he nervously previewed it for a friend. "I mean, all the tunes have merit, but I don't know if they hang together as a record," McDonald later told UCR. "He looked at me and he said, 'This is a piece of shit.'" Record buyers disagreed, making Minute by Minute the Doobie Brothers' first chart-topping multiplatinum release. Such was the mania surrounding this satiny-smooth LP that the No. 14 hit title track lost out on song-of-the-year honors at the Grammys to "What a Fool Believes" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs) by the Doobie Brothers. (DeRiso)

14. "Lonely Boy," Andrew Gold (1976)

Andrew Gold’s only Top 10 U.S. hit is a story of parental neglect and simmering resentment, but those pitch-black details are easy to miss when couched inside such a deliciously upbeat melody. Gold chronicles the childhood of the titular lonely boy over a propulsive, syncopated piano figure, detailing the betrayal he felt when his parents presented him with a sister two years his junior. When he turns 18, the lonely boy ships off to college and leaves his family behind, while his sister gets married and has a son of her own — oblivious to the fact that she’s repeating the mistakes of her parents. Gold insisted “Lonely Boy” wasn’t autobiographical, despite the details in the song matching up with his own life. In any case, you can’t help but wonder what kind of imagination produces such dark, compelling fiction. (Rolli)

13. "Baby Come Back," Player (1977)

Liverpool native Peter Beckett moved to the States, originally to join a forgotten act called Skyband. By the time he regrouped to found Player with American J.C. Crowley, Beckett's wife had returned to England. Turns out Crowley was going through a breakup, too, and the Beckett-sung "Baby Come Back" was born. "So it was a genuine song, a genuine lyric – and I think that comes across in the song," Beckett said in The Yacht Rock Book . "That's why it was so popular." The demo earned Player a hastily signed record deal, meaning Beckett and Crowley had to assemble a band even as "Baby Come Back" rose to No. 1. Their debut album was released before Player had ever appeared in concert. (DeRiso)

12. "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight," England Dan & John Ford Coley (1976)

There aren't too many songs with choruses as big as the one England Dan & John Ford Coley pump into the key lines of their first Top 40 single. Getting there is half the fun: The conversational verses – " Hello, yeah, it's been a while / Not much, how 'bout you? / I'm not sure why I called / I guess I really just wanted to talk to you " – build into the superpowered come-on line " I'm not talking 'bout moving in ...  ." Their yacht-rock pedigree is strong: Dan Seals' older brother is Seals & Croft's Jim Seals. (Gallucci)

11. "Hey Nineteen," Steely Dan (1980)

At least on the surface, “Hey Nineteen” is one of Steely Dan’s least ambiguous songs: An over-the-hill guy makes one of history’s most cringe-worthy, creepiest pick-up attempts, reminiscing about his glory days in a fraternity and lamenting that his would-be companion doesn’t know who Aretha Franklin is. (The bridge is a bit tougher to crack. Is anyone sharing that “fine Colombian”?) But the words didn’t propel this Gaucho classic into Billboard's Top 10. Instead, that credit goes to the groove, anchored by Walter Becker ’s gently gliding bass guitar, Donald Fagen’s velvety electric piano and a chorus smoother than top-shelf Cuervo Gold. (Reed)

10. "Rich Girl," Daryl Hall & John Oates (1976)

It’s one of the most economical pop songs ever written: two A sections, two B sections (the second one extended), a fade-out vocal vamp. In and out. Wham, bam, boom. Perhaps that's why it’s easy to savor “Rich Girl” 12 times in a row during your morning commute, why hearing it just once on the radio is almost maddening. This blue-eyed-soul single, the duo’s first No. 1 hit, lashes out at a supposedly entitled heir to a fast-food chain. (The original lyric was the less-catchy “rich guy ”; that one change may have earned them millions.) But there’s nothing bitter about that groove, built on Hall’s electric piano stabs and staccato vocal hook. (Reed)

9. "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," Elvin Bishop (1975)

Elvin Bishop made his biggest pop-chart splash with "Fooled Around and Fell In Love," permanently changing the first line of his bio from a  former member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to a solo star in his own right. There was only one problem: "The natural assumption was that it was Elvin Bishop who was singing,” singer  Mickey Thomas told the Tahoe Daily Tribune in 2007. Thomas later found even greater chart success with Starship alongside Donny Baldwin, who also played drums on Bishop's breakthrough single. "A lot of peers found out about me through that, and ultimately I did get credit for it," Thomas added. "It opened a lot of doors for me." (DeRiso)

8. "Baker Street," Gerry Rafferty (1978)

Gerry Rafferty already had a taste of success when his band Stealers Wheel hit the Top 10 with the Dylanesque "Stuck in the Middle With You" in 1973. His first solo album after the group's split, City to City , made it to No. 1 in 1978, thanks in great part to its hit single "Baker Street" (which spent six frustrating weeks at No. 2). The iconic saxophone riff by Raphael Ravenscroft gets much of the attention, but this single triumphs on many other levels. For six, mood-setting minutes Rafferty winds his way down "Baker Street" with a hopefulness rooted in eternal restlessness. (Gallucci)

7. "Dirty Work," Steely Dan (1972)

In just about three minutes, Steely Dan tells a soap-opera tale of an affair between a married woman and a man who is well aware he's being played but is too hopelessly hooked to end things. " When you need a bit of lovin' 'cause your man is out of town / That's the time you get me runnin' and you know I'll be around ," singer David Palmer sings in a surprisingly delicate tenor. A saxophone and flugelhorn part weeps underneath his lines. By the time the song is over, we can't help but feel sorry for the narrator who is, ostensibly, just as much part of the problem as he could be the solution. Not all yacht rock songs have happy endings. (Rapp)

6. "Ride Like the Wind," Christopher Cross (1979)

“Ride Like the Wind” is ostensibly a song about a tough-as-nails outlaw racing for the border of Mexico under cover of night, but there’s nothing remotely dangerous about Christopher Cross’ lithe tenor or the peppy piano riffs and horns propelling the tune. Those contradictions aren’t a detriment. This is cinematic, high-gloss pop-rock at its finest, bursting at the seams with hooks and elevated by Michael McDonald’s silky backing vocals. Cross nods to his Texas roots with a fiery guitar solo, blending hard rock and pop in a way that countless artists would replicate in the next decade. (Rolli)

5. "Summer Breeze," Seals & Crofts (1972)

Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were childhood friends in Texas, but the mellow grandeur of "Summer Breeze" makes it clear that they always belonged in '70s-era Southern California. "We operate on a different level," Seals once said , sounding like nothing if not a Laurel Canyon native. "We try to create images, impressions and trains of thought in the minds of our listeners." This song's fluttering curtains, welcoming domesticity and sweet jasmine certainly meet that standard. For some reason, however, they released this gem in August 1972 – as the season faded into fall. Perhaps that's why "Summer Breeze" somehow never got past No. 6 on the pop chart. (DeRiso)

4. "Lowdown," Boz Scaggs (1976)

As you throw on your shades and rev the motor, the only thing hotter than the afternoon sun is David Hungate’s sweet slap-bass blasting from the tape deck. “This is the good life,” you say to no one in particular, casually tipping your baseball cap to the bikini-clad crew on the boat zooming by. Then you press “play” again. What else but Boz Scaggs ’ silky “Lowdown” could soundtrack such a moment in paradise? Everything about this tune, which cruised to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, is equally idyllic: Jeff Porcaro’s metronomic hi-hat pattern, David Paich’s jazzy keyboard vamp, the cool-guy croon of Scaggs — flexing about gossip and “schoolboy game.” You crack open another cold one — why not? And, well, you press play once more. (Reed)

3. "Lido Shuffle," Boz Scaggs (1976)

Scaggs' storied career began as a sideman with Steve Miller  and already included a scorching duet with Duane Allman . Co-writer David Paich would earn Grammy-winning stardom with songs like "Africa." Yet they resorted to theft when it came to this No. 11 smash. Well, in a manner of speaking: "'Lido' was a song that I'd been banging around, and I kind of stole – well, I didn't steal anything. I just took the idea of the shuffle," Scaggs told Songfacts in 2013. "There was a song that Fats Domino did called 'The Fat Man ' that had a kind of driving shuffle beat that I used to play on the piano, and I just started kind of singing along with it. Then I showed it to Paich, and he helped me fill it out." Then Paich took this track's bassist and drummer with him to form Toto. (DeRiso)

2. "Peg," Steely Dan (1977)

"Peg" is blessed with several yacht-rock hallmarks: a spot on Steely Dan's most Steely Dan-like album, Aja , an impeccable airtightness that falls somewhere between soft-pop and jazz and yacht rock's stalwart captain, Michael McDonald, at the helm. (He may be a mere backing singer here, but his one-note chorus chirps take the song to another level.) Like most Steely Dan tracks, this track's meaning is both cynical and impenetrable, and its legacy has only grown over the years – from hip-hop samples to faithful cover versions. (Gallucci)

1. "What a Fool Believes," the Doobie Brothers (1978)

Michael McDonald not only steered the Doobie Brothers in a new direction when he joined in 1975, but he also made them a commercial powerhouse with the 1978 album Minute by Minute . McDonald co-wrote "What a Fool Believes" – a No. 1 single; the album topped the chart, too – with Kenny Loggins and sang lead, effectively launching a genre in the process. The song's style was copied for the next couple of years (most shamelessly in Robbie Dupree's 1980 Top 10 "Steal Away"), and McDonald became the bearded face of yacht rock. (Gallucci)

Top 100 Classic Rock Artists

Gallery Credit: UCR Staff

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Column: Your endless summer is brought to you by yacht rock and Yachtley Crew

Yachtley Crew plays a sold-out show at the Music Box on Sept. 10

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If you believe in calendars, summer is almost over. But if you believe in yacht rock, summer is never over.

“It’s kind of a made-up genre. But even if you don’t know what it is, if you hear it, you already get it,” said vocalist Philly Ocean (real name, Phillip Daniel) of the Los Angeles-based yacht-rock band Yachtley Crëw , which is playing a sold-out show at the Music Box in Little Italy on Sept. 10.

“It’s all of these easy-listening, feel-good tunes that go well with a piña colada on the deck of a yacht with the horizon off in the distance. Summer vibes are encapsulated in these songs.”

It will never be recognized by the Grammys, but yacht rock has become a pop-culturally accepted category for the semi-fizzy, sorta-jazzy soft-pop songs that ruled the charts in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Songs like Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind,” the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes,” and every track on Steely Dan’s “Aja” album.

But before it became a streaming-radio format, a brunch inspiration and the genesis of tribute bands with names like Yachty by Nature and Monsters of Yacht, yacht rock was a web series.

Created in 2005 by actors J.D. Ryznar and Hunter Stair, “Yacht Rock” was a deliberately cheesy, yet totally appreciative “mockumentary” series following the fictional lives and careers of such future yacht-rock heroes as Hall & Oates, Kenny Loggins and the Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers.

Once the series made its way to YouTube, it tickled the fancies of industry types who realized that re-branding soft rock as yacht rock could give these oldies new, hipster-approved life. Satellite- and streaming-radio stations began adding yacht-rock channels, and by 2016, these smooth tunes had made their way to the musicians who formed Yachtley Crëw.

According to Yachtley lore, the two veteran Los Angeles musicians who would go by the names of Sailor Hawkins (drums) and Baba Buoy (bass) were hanging out in a hot tub with their wives (“Probably drinking,” Ocean surmised), when they heard a satellite-radio yacht-rock station and had an epiphany.

One year later, they had a band.

“They thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have a band and play just this music?,’” Ocean said. “When we would go around pitching to venues, club owners would look at us sideways like, ‘You play Christopher Cross? Who is going to listen to that on a Friday night?’ We would always say, ‘Just give us a shot.’”

Four years and many Christopher Cross tunes later, Yachtley Crëw is playing sold-out shows in venues all over California and beyond; Ocean is singing to passionate crowds who know every word to Boz Scaggs’ “Lido Shuffle” and Jackson Browne’s “Somebody’s Baby”; and the genre started out as a goof has turned out to be a real happy thing.

And that is no joke.

“I think these songs have lasted because they are of the highest quality. The musicianship, the melodies, the lyrics, that is what has given them a long life and caused them to come back around,” Ocean said. “There is a zest for life that you can experience in every single one of these songs. They just make you feel good.”

Yachtley Crëw’s Sept. 10 show at the Music Box is sold out, but there are plenty of other ways to get your yacht-rock fix. Fire up the blender, crank up the tunes, and it will be smooth summer sailing all year long.

Streaming and satellite radio: Whether it’s Spotify’s 11-hour playlist or the stations curated by SiriusXM satellite radio and the LiveXLive streaming service, yacht rock’s non-stop happy hour is just a click away. Because they have a lot of digital space to fill, programmers have expanded the yacht universe to include such genre-questionable crew members as Van Morrison, Tommy Tutone and Eddie Money, but after a few umbrella drinks and a nap, it’s all good, matey.

Slate’s “Hit Parade” podcast: On his two-part “What a Fool Believes” episode, chart analyst and “Hit Parade” host Chris Molanphy gives the yacht-rock genre the thorough, musically astute analysis it deserves. We hear how its shiny roots stretch back to the legendary group of L.A. studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew; how the sessions for Boz Scaggs’ “Silk Degrees” album are responsible for the existence of Toto; how Toto shaped Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (It’s true!); and why the aforementioned “Aja” album set the itinerary for the stylish radio adventures that followed. Enlightenment, ahoy!

“Classic Albums: Steely Dan’s ‘Aja’”: Without this landmark 1977 album, there might be no yacht rock today. And without this 1999 episode of VH1’s essential “Classic Albums” series , we wouldn’t know the control-freaky lengths Steely Dan masterminds Walter Becker and Donald Fagen went to in their effort to achieve such glossy, effortless perfection. We also wouldn’t get to see guitarist Jay Graydon unfurl that classically casual “Peg” solo or watch Michael McDonald nailing those sweet, sweet layer-cake harmonies. You can stream it on IMDb TV with irritating, randomly placed commercials, or you can purchase the DVD and immerse yourself as yacht-rock nature intended. Don’t forget your snorkel.

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The 20 greatest yacht rock songs ever, ranked

27 July 2022, 17:50

By Tom Eames

We can picture it now: lounging on a swish boat as it bobs along the water, sipping cocktails and improving our tan. Oh, and it's the 1980s.

There's only one style of music that goes with this image: Yacht rock.

What is Yacht Rock?

Also known as the West Coast Sound or adult-oriented rock, it's a style of soft rock from between the late 1970s and early 1980s that featured elements of smooth soul, smooth jazz, R&B, funk, rock and disco.

• The 40 greatest disco songs ever, ranked
• The 10 greatest and smoothest ever sax solos, ranked

Although its name has been used in a negative way, to us it's an amazing genre that makes us feel like we're in an episode of Miami Vice wearing shoulder pads and massive sunglasses.

Here are the very best songs that could be placed in this genre:

Player - 'Baby Come Back'

Player - Baby Come Back

Not the reggae classic of the same name, this 1977 track was Player's biggest hit.

After Player disbanded, singer Peter Beckett joined Australia's Little River Band, and he also wrote 'Twist of Fate' for Olivia Newton-John and 'After All This Time' for Kenny Rogers.

Steely Dan - 'FM'

It's tough just choosing one Steely Dan song for this list, but we've gone for this banger.

Used as the theme tune for the 1978 movie of the same name, the song is jazz-rock track, though its lyrics took a disapproving look at the genre as a whole, which was in total contrast to the film's celebration of it. Still, sounds great guys!

Bobby Goldsboro - 'Summer (The First Time)'

Bobby Goldsboro - Summer (The First Time)

A bit of a questionable subject matter, this ballad was about a 17-year-old boy’s first sexual experience with a 31-year-old woman at the beach.

But using a repeating piano riff, 12-string guitar, and an orchestral string arrangement, this song just screams yacht rock and all that is great about it.

Kenny Loggins - 'Heart to Heart'

Kenny Loggins - Heart To Heart (Official Music Video)

If Michael McDonald is the king of yacht rock, then Kenny Loggins is his trusted advisor and heir to the throne.

This track was co-written with Michael, and also features him on backing vocals. The song is about how most relationships do not stand the test of time, yet some are able to do so.

Airplay - 'Nothing You Can Do About It'

Nothin' You Can Do About It

You might not remember US band Airplay, but they did have their moment on the yacht.

Consisting of David Foster (who also co-wrote the Kenny Loggins song above), Jay Graydon and the brilliantly-named Tommy Funderburk, this tune was a cover of a Manhattan Transfer song, and was a minor hit in 1981.

Boz Scaggs - 'Lowdown'

Boz Scaggs - Lowdown (Official Audio)

We've moved slightly into smooth jazz territory with this track, which is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

The song was co-written by David Paich, who would go on to form Toto along with the song's keyboardist David Paich, session bassist David Hungate, and drummer Jeff Porcaro.

Steve Winwood - 'Valerie'

Steve Winwood - Valerie (Official Video)

This song is probably as far as you can get into pop rock without totally leaving the yacht rock dock.

Legendary singer-songwriter Winwood recorded this gong about a man reminiscing about a lost love he hopes to find again someday.

Eric Prydz later sampled it in 2004 for the house number one track ‘Call on Me’, and presented it to Winwood, who was so impressed he re-recorded the vocals to better fit the track.

Toto - 'Rosanna'

Toto - Rosanna (Official HD Video)

We almost picked 'Africa' , but we reckon this tune just about pips it in the yacht rock game.

Written by David Paich, he has said that the song is based on numerous girls he had known.

As a joke, the band members initially played along with the common assumption that the song was based on actress Rosanna Arquette, who was dating Toto keyboard player Steve Porcaro at the time and coincidentally had the same name.

Chicago - 'Hard to Say I'm Sorry'

Chicago - Hard To Say I'm Sorry (Official Music Video)

Chicago began moving away from their horn-driven soft rock sound with their early 1980s output, including this synthesizer-filled power ballad.

• The 10 greatest Chicago songs, ranked

The album version segued into a more traditional Chicago upbeat track titled ‘Get Away’, but most radio stations at the time opted to fade out the song before it kicked in. Three members of Toto played on the track. Those guys are yacht rock kings!

Michael Jackson - 'Human Nature'

Michael Jackson - Human Nature (Audio)

A few non-rock artists almost made this list ( George Michael 's 'Careless Whisper' and Spandau Ballet 's 'True' are almost examples, but not quite), yet a big chunk of Thriller heavily relied on the yacht rock sound.

Michael Jackson proved just how popular the genre could get with several songs on the album, but 'Human Nature' is the finest example.

The Doobie Brothers - 'What a Fool Believes'

The Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes (Official Music Video)

Possibly THE ultimate yacht rock song on the rock end of the spectrum, and it's that man Michael McDonald.

Written by McDonald and Kenny Loggins, this was one of the few non-disco hits in America in the first eight months of 1979.

The song tells the story of a man who is reunited with an old love interest and attempts to rekindle a romantic relationship with her before discovering that one never really existed.

Michael Jackson once claimed he contributed at least one backing track to the original recording, but was not credited for having done so. This was later denied by the band.

Christopher Cross - 'Sailing'

Christopher Cross - Sailing (Official Audio)

We're not putting this in here just because it's called 'Sailing', it's also one of the ultimate examples of the genre.

Christopher Cross reached number one in the US in 1980, and VH1 later named it the most "softsational soft rock" song of all time.

Don Henley - 'The Boys of Summer'

The Boys Of Summer DON HENLEY(1984) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

Mike Campbell wrote the music to this track while working on Tom Petty’s Southern Accents album, but later gave it to Eagles singer Don Henley, who wrote the lyrics.

The song is about the passing of youth and entering middle age, and of a past relationship. It was covered twice in the early 2000s: as a trance track by DJ Sammy in 2002, and as a pop punk hit by The Ataris in 2003.

England Dan and John Cord Foley - 'I'd Really Love to See You Tonight'

England Dan & John Ford Coley - I'd Really Love To See You Tonight.avi

A big hit for this duo in 1976, it showcases the very best of the sock rock/AOR/yacht rock sound that the 1970s could offer.

Dan Seals is the younger brother of Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts fame. Which leads to...

Seals & Crofts - 'Summer Breeze'

Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft #1 Hit(1972)

Before The Isley Brothers recorded a slick cover, 'Summer Breeze' was an irresistible folk pop song by Seals & Crofts.

While mostly a folk song, its summer vibes and gorgeous melody make for a perfect yacht rock number.

Christopher Cross - 'Ride Like the Wind'

Ride Like The Wind Promo Video 1980 Christopher Cross

If Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins are in charge of the yacht rock ship, then Christopher Cross has to be captain, right? Cabin boy? Something anyway.

The singer was arguably the biggest success story of the relatively short-lived yacht rock era, and this one still sounds incredible.

Eagles - 'I Can't Tell You Why'

The eagles - I can't tell you why (AUDIO VINYL)

Many Eagles tunes could be classed as yacht rock, but we reckon their finest example comes from this track from their The Long Run album in 1979.

Don Henley described the song as "straight Al Green", and that Glenn Frey, an R&B fan, was responsible for the R&B feel of the song. Frey said to co-writer Timothy B Schmit: "You could sing like Smokey Robinson . Let’s not do a Richie Furay, Poco-sounding song. Let’s do an R&B song."

Gerry Rafferty - 'Baker Street'

Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street (Official Video)

Gerry Rafferty probably didn't realise he was creating one of the greatest yacht rock songs of all time when he wrote this, but boy did he.

• The Story of... 'Baker Street'

With the right blend of rock and pop and the use of the iconic saxophone solo, you can't not call this yacht rock at its finest.

Michael McDonald - 'Sweet Freedom'

Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom (1986)

If you wanted to name the king of yacht rock, you'd have to pick Michael McDonald . He could sing the phone book and it would sound silky smooth.

Possibly his greatest solo tune, it was used in the movie  Running Scared , and its music video featured actors Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines.

Hall & Oates - 'I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)'

Daryl Hall & John Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) (Official Video)

This duo knew how to make catchy hit after catchy hit. This R&B-tinged pop tune was co-written with Sara Allen (also the influence for their song 'Sara Smile').

• Hall and Oates' 10 best songs, ranked

John Oates has said that the song is actually about the music business. "That song is really about not being pushed around by big labels, managers, and agents and being told what to do, and being true to yourself creatively."

Not only was the song sampled in De La Soul's 'Say No Go' and Simply Red 's 'Home', but Michael Jackson also admitted that he lifted the bass line for 'Billie Jean'!

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Screen Rant

What raquel 'rocky' dakota has been doing since below deck season 3.

Raquel "Rocky" Dakota was featured on Below Deck season 3, and has since left the yachting industry. She now lives in Hawaii with her boyfriend.

Raquel "Rocky" Dakota was featured in Below Deck season 3 and has since been busy working outside the yachting industry. During her time working on the Eros megayacht, Rocky was a very polarizing figure. She brought a lot of energy to the show that was sometimes off-putting to her castmates and the viewers.

Rocky managed to grab the attention of Below Deck deckhand Emilie Kotze and even had a short-lived boatmance with bosun Eddie Lucas. Though there were people aboard Eros who got along with Rocky, some of her other relationships were a bit more difficult. Rocky did not have a good working relationship with the Eros chief steward Kate Chastain, especially after she blamed Kate for firing her " best friend, " Chef Leon Walker. In fact, the third stew even tried to get herself fired by stripping down to her undergarments and jumping off the side of the yacht, swimming all the way to another boat. Things did not work in Rocky's favor, and she stayed on the yacht until the end of the season.

Related: Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2's Most Dramatic & Memorable Moments

Rocky Left the Yachting Industry After Below Deck

The former reality star left the yachting industry shortly after Below Deck season 3 aired . In December 2016, Rocky decided to move to Hawaii, a place she had lived while she was in college. While living in Hawaii, Rocky decided to live out a dream of hers and is now working as a surfer, competitive national diver, as well as a cook (via Reality Titbit ). Rocky presented her culinary skills on the expensive-to-produce Bravo series after Chef Leon left Eros. While viewers may have seen Rocky's love life as a mess, she has since found true love. Rocky started a relationship with her new love, Mark, over four years ago (via Distractify ).

Rocky Dakota Found Love

The couple appears to be very happy together, plus they share a love of outdoor activities such as hiking, surfing, and boating. Rocky, who had a tumultuous relationship with Eddie , has her Instagram open again but it was private at one point. Internet sleuths were able to see the cute snaps of the couple when Rocky's account was set to private. What fans also discovered was that Rocky's younger sister, Sophia Tiare Bartlow, passed away in a tragic car accident in 2017 while driving with her then-boyfriend Sage Candeleria. Rocky, who was close with Chef Leon, often shares photos of her sister on social media by frequently memorializing her with posts. The former stew has been vocal about her struggles with mourning the death of her sister and wanting to help others who have gone through similar situations.

Rocky has since moved on from her days on Below Deck season 3 and is enjoying her life out of the spotlight. She didn't get the greatest edit on the show and was liked by many of her castmates. Nonetheless, Rocky is happy with her new life away from realty TV.

More: Below Deck: What Deckhand Ashton Pienaar Has Been Up To Since Season 7

Sources: Reality Titbit , Distractify

The Truth About Below Deck Sailing Yacht's Captain Glenn

Move over Captain Lee and Captain Sandy , because Captain Glenn Shephard is back! In 2020, Bravo introduced loyal viewers to Shephard in the first season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht . The captain is the only member from season 1 who is making a return to the series in season 2 as a cast of fresh-faced yachties are joining him. According to the Bravo website, the new crew includes chef Natasha De Bourg, Chief Stew Daisy Kelliher , Chief Engineer Colin Macrae, First Mate Gary King, Second Stewardess Dani Soares, Third Stewardess Alli Dore, and Deckhands Sydney Zaruba, and Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux.

Shephard shared his thoughts with The Daily Dish on how he feels about getting an entirely new crew in the show's sophomore season and how he felt about season one's cast. "I've been lucky to work with a lot of great crew. It's definitely not one and done," he dished. "When I find the really good ones I do my best to keep them around. Even if they leave for a time, I try to get them back on board. It's great having people that know the boat well."

While Shephard will have his work cut out for him with an entirely new staff, he has plenty of experience at the helm of luxury yachts. Keep scrolling to find out the truth about Below Deck Sailing Yacht 's Captain Glenn.

Captain Glenn is a seasoned pro in the yachting world

Captain Glenn Shephard has had an impressive career in yachting, and he has the resume to prove it. According to Distractify , the Montreal native has been in the industry for 20 years. His Bravo profile indicates that he fell in love with the profession while working as a deckhand on a 50-foot classic sailboat. After that, he never looked back. According to Decider , Shephard spent nine months on a motor yacht before switching to a sailboat; since then, it's all literally been smooth sailing. Shephard has served as the captain on Parsifal III for 11 years, which means that he's hosted more rich guests than we could even begin to count.

When asked about the differences between superyachts and motorboats, Shephard explained it like the pro he is. "Sailing, it's about the journey, getting there. It's fun, it's more physical, and I guess there's a little more romance to the sailing side of it. And it's nothing against motor yachts, motor yachts are great," he told Distractify . "But I've always preferred, all my buddies, all my friends, we're all into sailing. It's a smaller segment of the superyacht industry, but there's something special about it."

In true captain fashion, Captain Glenn also shared that tipping boats are nothing to worry about, simply calling it "another day at the office."

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The Latest Bravo News

Below Deck Med Season 9 cast: Meet Captain Sandy's new and returning crew

Captain Sandy Yawn returns for Below Deck Med Season 9 this summer with some new and familiar faces.

It was a shock to learn that Below Deck Med was returning for Season 9 so quickly after Season 8 had just ended.

However, this week, Bravo dropped the bombshell that instead of Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 hitting Bravo airwaves this summer, Below Deck Med will air.

The new season brings back fan favorite Aesha Scott to the Med after she helped launch Below Deck Down Under Season 2.

As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Aesha broke her silence and went back to where it all began for her.

There is one other familiar face on the crew that’s mainly filled with new yachties.

Meet the Below Deck Med Season 9 interior crew

Stew Elena Dubaich appeared on Below Deck Med Season 7 for a brief minute when Kyle Viljoen was out with an injury. The Slovenia native is back to shine for an entire season, showing off her eight years of interior experience.

Bri Muller is the other stew working under Aesha with three years of experience in the yachting world. She hails from South Africa and clashes with Elena, causing many problems for the chief stew.

Ironically, there are only three stews in the interior crew this season on the Mustique yacht. That’s one less than on Below Deck Med Season 8, which could mean another crew member’s identity is being kept quiet for now.

Chef Johnathan Shillingford takes on the galley with his seven years of experience as a yacht chef. Johnathan calls Dominica home, it’s where he gained his love of cooking as well as twerking and dancing.

Here’s the Below Deck Med Season 9 deck team

Bosun Iain Maclean heads up the deck team after being in the yachting world for five years. The South African native is all about positivity and being friendly, which will be interesting to watch.

Joe Bradley from Spain is all about living a life of adventure. The deckhand brings three years of yachting to the team and some romance drama.

Gael Cameron also has three years of experience in yachting and considers making people laugh her specialty. She hails from Australia and loves everything about yachting, even the sacrifices.

Ireland native Nathan Gallagher rounds out the deck team with only two years of experience in yachting. Nathan also admits to being a huge Below Deck and Summer House fan.

There is a brief breakdown of the Below Deck Med Season 9 crew.

Below Deck Med Season 9 premieres on Monday, June 3 at 9/8c on Bravo. Seasons 1-8 are streaming on Peacock.

Hall & Boats

Featuring the music of michael mcdonald, toto, huey lewis, steely dan, the doobie brothers, hall & oates, and more, new england's premier yacht rock tribute band, boston common band presents:.

From the very lovely people who brought you Boston Common Band. Hall & Oates is New England’s Premier Yacht Rock Tribute Band. Performing events from New York, to New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. No band provides a more refined taste of the Yacht Rock music years. Furthermore, in addition to performing weddings, we are available for DMC Corporate Party Bands Entertainment Events. Our Party Philosophy

Hall and Boats is the most comprehensive of all Yacht Rock Tribute Bands in the nation; Featuring world class musicians from the Boston, Newport and Cape Cod areas.

Likewise, over the past 10 years our bands have been reviewed by hundreds of brides and grooms, corporate events, industry colleagues., we perform our yacht rock tribute band in boston, but our true homes are performing in the newport, nantucket and cape cod harbors..

If you would like to learn more about Hall & Boats, please email us or give us a ring! We are happy to serve. And also corporate parties, working directly with your DMC event planners.

6-10pc Yacht Rock Band

The All-Inclusive Yacht Rock Band. Providing you with everything you need to smooth out your weekend on Nantucket, Newport, The Cape & Vineyard.

Yacht Rock.. Really?

Answering the question no one asked… You’re Welcome.   We’ve curated a set list of soft-rock bangers you secretly love and hate to admit.

Do You Travel?

Deck of your Yacht, Helipad, or Barge in the Marina. If you have one, we’ll be there. Okay, we’ll probably even play the local pier bar too…

The Very Best of Boston

Who are you guys? Just some of Boston and RI’s most in-demand musicians, looking to keep the fabulous music of the late 70s – 80s alive.

Pass The Bubbly, Would’ya??

Let’s face it, this is new england. —  from may to september, we practically live this genre..

Our band sets weave together the magic of Toto, Michael McDonald, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins, Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, The Police, Christopher Cross, Huey Lewis & The News, Chicago, and more.

Formed like the Voltron,   featuring Boston Wedding Band – Boston Common Band musicians; We are the new standard in Tribute Bands.

Full Steam Ahead!!

Boston Common Band // Hall & Boats Contact Us:

We are an independent (non-agency owned or managed) company. A team of extremely talented individuals keeping the dream of Yacht Rock music alive.

Hotlinks of Interest:

Preferred Venues & Vendors | Live Event Calendar  |  Destination Weddings Sitemap

Hall and Boats performances deliver a smoothed out mix of the best music the late 70s to 80s has to offer! From Boston, to Newport, Nantucket and the Vineyard, bring out your boat shoes and linens and enjoy our Yacht Rock Tribute Band.

© 2024 — Boston Common Entertainment

• Wedding Band + DJ Combo
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What Happened To Rocky From Below Deck?

For over a decade, the reality show "Below Deck" has featured a rotating cast of crew members on various superyachts, but one yachtie really made a splash. In season 3, Raquel "Rocky" Dakota was a third stew on Eros, and despite her short tenure, she forever made her mark on the Bravo franchise.

Her lone season on the show featured her butting heads with her boss, chief stew Kate Chastain , and her hookup with bosun Eddie Lucas was one of the first 'boatmances' ever discovered on the show and even gave producers the idea to install cameras in the laundry room. "Rocky" ultimately jumped ship after a disagreement with Captain Lee Rosbach, and Bravo fans have seen little of her since.

In a 2015 interview with Bravo , Dakota gave an update on her post-"Below Deck" life. After going on a wild girls' trip to Europe, she reeled it in, became vegan, and moved to Hawaii, where she got her yoga certification. "Yoga has really been my savior and has guided me into a really healthy and an even more positive direction," she said. "Rocky" also took on freelance chef and stew jobs in Florida and worked with a yacht brochures photographer as a model and assistant.

In 2017, Dakota suffered a tragic loss when her sister, Sophia, died suddenly at 26. "RIP my everything beautiful little sister... I'm out of words – I love you," she captioned a photo of her late sibling on Instagram . After experiencing such a terrible loss, it seems Dakota is enjoying every second of every day. Today, her Instagram is filled with Bible verses, nature photos, yoga poses, and her love for the culinary arts.

Rocky Dakota and Kate Chastain's 2020 reunion was a tad bit awkward

While she moved on to a more peaceful lifestyle, in early 2020, Raquel "Rocky" Dakota stopped by the Bravo Clubhouse for the "Below Deck 100th Episode Special," and it was clear her beef with her former boss was still brewing. After host Andy Cohen asked her to name her favorite moment from "Below Deck," Kate Chastain chimed in to give her a backhanded compliment. "You're not the best yachtie, but you're so entertaining and so talented," Kate said. "I could never dive like you. I could never swim like you ... you're so talented."

When an offended "Rocky" asked her ex-boss why she said she's not the best yachtie, Kate pointed out that she jumped off the boat in her underwear and didn't seem to love the job. "Well, I went to culinary school, and I thought I was gonna be the sous chef, and then I was the third-ranking stew, the lowest-ranking cleaning lady," Dakota fired back. "I never cleaned a yacht in my life, so why would I like cleaning a yacht if I was planning on being a sous chef?"

Before "Rocky" joined "Below Deck," she went to school at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, according to Bravo . And while she was stuck cleaning on Eros, her freelance yacht gigs finally gave her a chance to focus on her cooking skills. In a post-"Deck" Instagram photo, she posed in a white chef's coat and wrote, "Assessing the plate... taste, texture, line, color, form, space... Art!! I love freelance work, sous chef gig this week on a 160M/Y...#charters."

Below Deck Mediterranean Has a Major Crew Shakeup in Season 9 Trailer

Get ready for a whole new below deck mediterranean . e news has the exclusive first look at the season nine trailer featuring many new faces and one series alum's shocking return..

There's been a shakeup on the high seas.

The crew of the  Mustique looks very different in E! News' exclusive first look at Below Deck Mediterranean season nine. That's because the only returning yachties are longtime Captain Sandy Yawn and Aesha Scott , who is making her triumphant return as Chief Stew after departing the Bravo series following season five in 2020.

But they aren't the only ones making an epic return, as Stew  Elena Dubaich , who was in the last charter of season six, is also making her way on board.

Which means all the familiar faces from season eight, including first-time Chief Stew Tumi Mhlongo , drama-loving Stew Kyle Viljoen  and his nemesis Stew Natalya Scudder , will not be setting sail this time around.

Instead, Sandy, Aesha and Elena will be joined by a completely new team of fun-loving castmates, including fellow stew Bri Muller , Chef Johnathan Shillingford , Bosun Iain Maclean , and Deckhands Joe Bradley , Nathan Gallager and Gael Cameron .  

And after two seasons as Chief Stew on Below Deck Down Under , Aesha is over the moon about her homecoming.

"I have so many butterflies!" the New Zealand native exclaims in the trailer. "The Med is where it all started for me. I'm just so excited to prove myself."

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However, this season's demanding guests will definitely put Aesha and crew to the test. As one angry vacationer complains in the preview, "Their food was... okay ."

And in true Below Deck fashion, expect plenty of boatmances between the sizzling-hot crew.

"Every single person is so hot," Aesha notes. "You guys are all gonna be f--king."

Plus, fans will also get a behind-the-scenes look at how Sandy planned her romantic proposal to fiancée Leah Shafer .

See everything to come—and meet the new season nine cast—by watching the trailer above. Below Deck Mediterranean returns on Monday, June 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Captain Sandy Yawn

Hometown: Bradenton, FL·

Birth date: Feb. 23·

Zodiac sign: Pisces·

Years of experience in the yachting industry: 36·

Favorite off-boat activities: "Snowboarding, skiing and playing in the water."

What is your wildest charter guest story from your career?

"I had guests shooting water balloons from a massive slingshot on deck into a crowd during the Cannes Film Festival. The guests were also dressed for a red carpet.·"

What was your first impression of Mustique?

"I was excited to run it because it was built in the same shipyard as the White Star, the vessel I became captain on in 2003."

Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled?

"I love the south of France and the Amalfi Coast."

What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people?

"The show reveals it all, so no surprises there."

Chief Stew Aesha Scott

Hometown: Tauranga, New Zealand

Birthdate: Nov. 27

Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

Years of experience in yachting: 8·

Favorite off-boat activities: "I love hiking, yoga and reading. Additionally, I love sipping a cocktail in the sun while reading a book. It’s probably my favorite activity."

What do you do in your off time in your room on the boat?

"I’m usually so busy going over orders or preferences for the next charter guests. I try to send a message to Scott or nap if I can. Even 10 minutes of closed eyes is a dream."

What is the best place on the boat to find privacy?

"Privacy doesn’t really exist on a boat. Cleaning a guest bathroom is probably the most privacy I’ll get and I often enjoy quiet time in there. Otherwise, when I’m in the shower."

"Stews don’t spend much time outside. When you finish a season people are always shocked that we aren’t tan. 'But you work on a boat!?' We work inside and don’t see much sun and definitely don’t swim until the season is over."

Sum up this season in three words: "Management skills tested."

Deckhand Gael Cameron

Hometown: Sydney, Australia

Birth date: May 14

Zodiac sign: Taurus· Years of experience in the yachting industry: 3

Favorite off-boat activities: "Free diving, scuba diving and eating."

What Bravo shows do you watch?

" The Housewives ."

"I have had an entire group get dropped off a day charter only to find they left someone behind with their head in the toilet."

"Thailand. The water is beautiful, the food kills and the atmosphere is buzzer."

"As much as it seems like a dream job, there are sacrifices we make. We’re away from our friends and family for years at a time sometimes and maintaining a healthy long distance relationships can be very challenging."

Stew Bri Muller

Hometown: Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Birthdate: April 22

Zodiac sign: Taurus

Years of experience in the yachting industry: 3

Favorite off-boat activities: "Anything that involves getting in the water, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, tubing, going down slides and jumping off the sun deck."

Special skills: "I did a course on manicures and pedicures, but never got the certification due to lack of time before yachting again. I can do nails, though."

"So many crazy things have happened that crazy stories for other people are just normal day to day occurrences for me. I’d probably end up with a lawsuit if I had to tell you."

"On charter, my favorite place has been the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands. I got to swim with dolphins and snorkel in my free time…a literal dream."

"Believe it or not, but land sickness is a thing after spending a lot of time on a yacht. Your world rocks for maybe three days after hopping off the boat."

Stew Elena Dubaich

Hometown: Škofja Loka, Slovenia

Birth date: July 5

Zodiac sign: Cancer

Years of experience in the yachting industry: 8

Favorite off-boat activities: "Weightlifting and gaining back the muscle mass I normally lose during a charter season."

Special skills: "I’m a massage therapist, personal trainer and yoga instructor. I love teaching guided meditations (Yoga Nidra)."

"I was invited by the yacht owner to go on my first helicopter ride overlooking the British Virgin Islands. I felt incredibly blessed in that moment."

"The coolest place I’ve been to on a yacht was Cuba. Greenland, Patagonia and the Amazon River have also really stood out to me. As far as my own travels, I’ve really enjoyed Taiwan."

"How hard it is to stop yachting and get used to 'regular life.' It’s an addictive lifestyle as there’s few things to worry about—accommodation, food, laundry—as it’s all taken care of. Leaving that behind and coming back to regular life is a very hard transition for most of us."

Bosun Iain Maclean

Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa

Birth date: March 21

Zodiac sign: Aries

Years of experience in the yachting industry: 5

Favorite off-boat activities: "I like going to the gym, hiking, kloofing, surfing, jolling, music festivals, hanging out with friends and family and going to the beach."

Special skills: "Being friendly and positive all the time."

What was your first impression of the Mustique?

"In need of some good maintenance, but a good-sized strong ship with solid bones."

Favorite place you've been on charter? "Ponza and Palmarola, Italy."

"Honestly, I find that the job as a whole surprises most people that aren't in the industry."

Chef Johnathan Shillingford

Hometown: Roseau, Dominica

Birth date: July 7

Years of experience in the yachting industry: 7

Special skills: "Twerking, singing, cooking all the food and design. I’m also great at accents."

"Real Housewives , Queer Eye , Top Chef and Project Runway ."

Who do you miss most from home when you’re traveling for work?

"My mom. Gilly is my rock and the best cheerleader anyone could ask for."

"She’s a cute, big, old girl who maybe needs a face lift."

"I love French Polynesia and the Tuamotu Islands. Both are, literally, heaven on Earth."

Deckhand Joe Bradley

Hometown: Alicante, Spain

Birth date: March 18

Zodiac sign: Pisces

Favorite off-boat activities: "Rock climbing, go karting, motorbikes, the awe of sunsets, dancing, playing the guitar, piano and swimming."

Special skills: "I play the guitar, piano and speak fluent Spanish."

Who do you miss most from home when you’re traveling for work? "The most beautiful, kind and powerful woman this world has to offer … my mother."

What is your wildest charter story from your career?

"There was a Catamaran crash in Italy. A huge Catamaran lost power and crashed against all the boats."

What are the smallest tips you’ve ever gotten?

"I had a guy onboard who owned a nut packaging company and I got a packet of nuts. They weren’t even salted."

Deckhand Nathan Gallager

Hometown: Burtonport, Ireland

Birth date: June 19

Zodiac sign: Gemini

Years of experience in the yachting industry: 2

Favorite off-boat activities: "Everything to do with boats!"

Special skills: "Making people laugh."

" Below Deck franchise and Summer House ."

What do you do in your off time on the boat?

"I enjoy travelling on my time off. I’m currently saving for a house in Spain, so my time off is limited."

What are the biggest and smallest tips you’ve ever gotten?

"The tips I got while on the Mustique are the biggest. I’ve never received tips like that in my life."

"You can make friends with people you’d never make friends with in normal life."

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family).

The Simpsons Kills Off Original Character After 35 Seasons

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Below deck sailing yacht.

S2.E1 ∙ Running on Fumes

S2.E2 ∙ Nookie Mistake

S2.E3 ∙ Smoldering Secrets

S2.E4 ∙ Barrie'd Alive

S2.E5 ∙ Hollandaze and Bustiers

S2.E6 ∙ Throuple Trouble

S2.E7 ∙ The Scorning After

S2.E8 ∙ Cake Shock

S2.E9 ∙ Panic on a Tack

S2.E10 ∙ Knotty Knotty

S2.E11 ∙ Crash Boom Bang!

S2.E12 ∙ Total Ship Show

S2.E13 ∙ Nip N Slide

S2.E14 ∙ No Shirt, No Clue, Big Problems

S2.E15 ∙ Sexual Heeling

S2.E16 ∙ Last Call for Parsifal!

S2.E17 ∙ Reunion Part 1

S2.E18 ∙ Reunion Part 2

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Below Deck Lost Another Crew Member This Week, And I’m Not The Only Fan Unhappy About It

Another crewmember has been forced to walk the plank.

The Below Deck franchise continues to struggle , as Season 11 faces more rocky waters. The season got off to a rough start with two crew members leaving the St. David during a single episode. And that development was followed by some of the all-time worst charter guests of all time, including Jill Zarin of Real Housewives of New York fame. To make matters worse, the crew has also been dealing with tension amongst themselves. This week saw the deckhands fighting about who truly deserved the “lead deckhand” position, while the interior continues to clash with Chief Stew Fraser, who is quickly becoming the villain of this season . Now, another member has exited the show, and fans like myself are not happy.

A series of terrible charters should have bonded the crew, but it has only made things worse. It's not exactly the most ideal time for the St. David to deal with the loss of yet another crew member. So let's break down who departed in this week's installment, which you can stream now with a Peacock subscription . 

Who Was Fired From The Crew And Why?

A new face in the Below Deck franchise, Chef Anthony Iracane instantly won the hearts of fans tuning in. Unfortunately, his charismatic charm wasn’t enough to protect his job when things started going sideways. 

While the chef had a few bumps in the beginning, the taste of his food made up for poor timing. All that changed, however, when Jill Zarin stepped on board, making work for the underpaid crew members harder . Plagued with confusing preferences and not enough guidance from the interior, Anthony made a handful of mistakes that impacted the guests’ experience. Ultimately, he wasn’t able to bounce back and continued to flounder on the latest charter, once again becoming confused with guests’ preference sheets. 

The state of his kitchen while he was cooking also became a moot point for Chief Stew Fraser Olender, who regularly found himself criticizing Chef Anthony instead of helping him out. In the end, it was a series of bad tips that most likely stemmed from poor food service that led Captain Kerry to fire Anthony this week. 

How Fans Are Rallying Behind The Ousted Below Deck Star

This isn’t the first time a chef has been fired on Below Deck, but it is one of the first instances that I can remember myself and so many fans being so utterly upset about it. Did Chef Anthony make mistakes? Absolutely but, unlike the other departments on the super yacht, he’s the only one in charge of the kitchen. Cooking for 10+ people with different preferences, who all want to eat at the same time, and managing to keep the crew fed is a stressful job for one person to handle. 

As X User AnnieDuff pointed out, the cook is also dealing with dyslexia, which made it more difficult for him to understand the preference sheets: 

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Ummm the chef did NOT need to be fired. #BelowDeck 🛥️😭 His food is gorgeous. He just needed better instructions ☹️ that he could receive and retain with his dyslexia. 🥺

As mentioned, in addition to the confusing and demanding nature of the charter guests, Chef Anthony also had to deal with being the only one in charge of his department. On top of that, he'd also never worked on a super yacht up to this point.

The larger reason why fans, like myself, are upset about the chef’s firing is because it could have been avoided. While it’s true that only one person is ever responsible for the cooking, in the past, the interior team has come to aid the chef during dinner services. The St. David crew never offered Chef Anthony any assistance and instead stood by and watched him go at it alone. I can’t even begin to count how many times Fraser stood ideally by, judging instead of rolling up his sleeves and helping. It's like X User @esteco2 pointed out: 

'I’m feeling destroyed.' I know he made some mistakes. But I keep saying this every week. He didn’t get the support and help from the crew DURING dinner service like we have seen in all other seasons and franchises. I feel bad for Chef Anthony 🥺 #BelowDeck

Adding insult to injury is the fact that Chef Anthony was one of the nicest crew members on board the yacht. He never had any drama with the others and he mostly kept to himself. All he wanted to do was prove his abilities to himself and his deceased dad. Even after being fired, he returned to the kitchen to clean things up, proving just how amazing he is. Check out what user @NattyNiGhT posted:

What really kills me is not only does chef anthony get fired but his response is to finish cleaning the Galley before he leaves. that alone shows what a stand up guy and team player he is. He will be missed but i hope he comes back one day and wish him success #BelowDeck pic.twitter.com/iAJdGfB136 April 23, 2024

With only a handful of episodes left, Chef Anthony should have been able to redeem himself. Thankfully, it seems like he’s not giving up just yet. In his confessional, after the firing, he admitted that this wouldn’t be the last time Below Deck fans see him. I hope he’s right! 

The ship definitely won’t be the same without him, but fans should continue tuning in every Monday at 9 p.m. ET as new episodes continue to air as part of the 2024 TV schedule .

Danielle Bruncati is a writer and pop culture enthusiast from Southern California. She recently earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Television Writing and Producing from a top film school. While she works tirelessly on her portfolio of original scripts, she is also a Freelance Writer for CinemaBlend. Danielle watches just about everything, but her favorite shows and movies often land in the YA and romantic comedy spaces. When she's not writing, she can be found wandering around Disneyland or hanging out with her laughter-hating corgi. 

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Aesha Scott Returns to Below Deck Mediterranean for Season 9 — Meet the Rest of the Cast

See who else will be on board motor yacht Mustique when Below Deck Med  Season 9 premieres with Captain Sandy at the helm.

Grab your sunglasses, sunblock, and a bathing suit because Below Deck Mediterranean is for Season 9 — and it's just in time for the warm weather. 

How to Watch

Watch Below Deck Mediterranean  on Monday, June 3 at 9/8c and next day on  Peacock . Catch up on the Bravo app . 

Captain Sandy Yawn is back in control on board motor yacht Mustique, which was the vessel featured on Season 7 of the series as well, and she's joined by familiar faces Aesha Scott and Elena Dubaich .

The rest of the Season 9 cast members are new to both the boat and the show. 

Meet the Cast of Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9

Find out more about the Season 9 crewmates by reading their official Bravo Q&As below. 

Sandy Yawn — Captain 

Hometown: Bradenton, FL    

Birth Date: February 23    

Zodiac Sign: Pisces    

Years of Experience in the Yachting Industry: 36    

Favorite off-boat activities: "Snowboarding, skiing, and playing in the water."

What is your wildest charter guest story from your career? "I had guests shooting water balloons from a massive slingshot on deck into a crowd during the Cannes Film Festival. The guests were also dressed for a red carpet."    

What was your first impression of Mustique ? "I was excited to run it because it was built in the same shipyard as the White Star, the vessel I became captain on in 2003."

Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "I love the south of France and the Amalfi Coast."

What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? "The show reveals it all, so no surprises there."

Aesha Scott — Chief Stew

Hometown: Tauranga, New Zealand    

Birthdate: November 27  

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius     

Years of Experience in Yachting: 8  

Favorite Off-Boat Activities: "I love hiking, yoga and reading. Additionally, I love sipping a cocktail in the sun while reading a book. It’s probably my favorite activity."

What do you do in your off time in your room on the boat?  "I’m usually so busy going over orders or preferences for the next charter guests. I try to send a message to Scott or nap if I can. Even 10 minutes of closed eyes is a dream."

What is the best place on the boat to find privacy?  "Privacy doesn’t really exist on a boat. Cleaning a guest bathroom is probably the most privacy I’ll get and I often enjoy quiet time in there. Otherwise, when I’m in the shower."

What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people?   "Stews don’t spend much time outside. When you finish a season people are always shocked that we aren’t tan. 'But you work on a boat!?'  We work inside and don’t see much sun and definitely don’t swim until the season is over."    

Sum up this season in three words: "Management skills tested."

See Every "Amazing" Detail of Aesha Scott's New House: "It's Just So Lovely" (PICS)

Johnathan shillingford — chef.

Hometown: Roseau, Dominica  

Birth Date: July 7  

Zodiac Sign: Cancer  

Years of Experience in the Yachting Industry: 7   

Special Skills:  "Twerking, singing, cooking all the food and design. I’m also great at accents. "

What Bravo shows do you watch?   Real Housewives , Queer Eye [for the Straight Guy,] Top Chef and Project Runway

Who do you miss most from home when you’re traveling for work?  "My mom. Gilly is my rock and the best cheerleader anyone could ask for."

What was your first impression of the Mustique ? " She’s a cute, big, old girl who maybe needs a facelift."

Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? " I love French Polynesia and the Tuamotu islands. Both are, literally, heaven on Earth."

Iain Maclean — Bosun

Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa

Birth Date: March 21  

Zodiac Sign: Aries  

Years of Experience in the Yachting Industry: 5  

Favorite Off-boat Activities:  "I like going to the gym, hiking, kloofing, surfing, jolling, music festivals, hanging out with friends and family and going to the beach."  

Special Skills: "Being friendly and positive all the time."

What was your first impression of Mustique ? "In need of some good maintenance, but a good-sized strong ship with solid bones."

Favorite place you've been on charter? "Ponza and Palmarola, Italy."

What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people?  "Honestly, I find that the job as a whole surprises most people that aren't in the industry."

Joe Bradley — Deckhand

Hometown: Alicante, Spain  

Birth Date: March 18  

Zodiac Sign: Pisces   

Years of Experience in the Yachting Industry: 3  

Favorite Off-Boat Activities: "Rock climbing, go karting, motorbikes, the awe of sunsets, dancing, playing the guitar, piano and swimming."

Special Skills: "I play the guitar, piano and speak fluent Spanish."

Who do you miss most from home when you’re traveling for work? "The most beautiful, kind and powerful woman this world has to offer … my mother."

What is your wildest charter story from your career? "There was a Catamaran crash in Italy. A huge Catamaran lost power and crashed against all the boats."

What are the smallest tips you’ve ever gotten? "I had a guy onboard who owned a nut packaging company and I got a packet of nuts. They weren’t even salted."

Nathan Gallagher  — Deckhand

Hometown: Burtonport, Ireland  

Birth Date: June 19  

Zodiac Sign: Gemini   

Years of Experience in the Yachting Industry: 2  

Favorite Off-Boat Activities:  "Everything to do with boats!"

Special Skills: "Making people laugh."

What Bravo shows do you watch? "[The]  Below Deck franchise and Summer House .   

What do you do in your off time on the boat? " I enjoy traveling on my time off. I’m currently saving for a house in Spain, so my time off is limited."

What are the biggest and smallest tips you’ve ever gotten?  "The tips I got while on the Mustique (are the biggest). I’ve never received tips like that in my life."

What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? "You can make friends with people you’d never make friends with in normal life."

Gael Cameron — Deckhand

Hometown: Sydney, Australia  

Birth Date: May 14    

Zodiac Sign: Taurus   

Years of Experience in the Yachting Industry: 3   

Favorite Off-Boat Activities: "Free diving, scuba diving and eating."  

What Bravo shows do you watch?  " The [Real] Housewives ."

What is your wildest charter guest story from your career?  "I have had an entire group get dropped off a day charter only to find they left someone behind with their head in the toilet."

Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "Thailand. The water is beautiful, the food kills and the atmosphere is buzzer."

What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people?  "As much as it seems like a dream job, there are sacrifices we make. We’re away from our friends and family for years at a time sometimes and maintaining a healthy long distance relationships can be very challenging."

Elena Dubaich — Stew

Hometown: Škofja Loka, Slovenia  

Birth Date: July 5  

Years of Experience in the Yachting Industry: 8   

Favorite Off-Boat Activities: "Weightlifting and gaining back the muscle mass I normally lose during a charter season."

Special Skills:  "I’m a massage therapist, personal trainer and yoga instructor. I love teaching guided meditations (Yoga Nidra)."  

What is your wildest charter guest story from your career?  "I was invited by the yacht owner to go on my first helicopter ride overlooking the British Virgin Islands. I felt incredibly blessed in that moment."

Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled?  "The coolest place I’ve been to on a yacht was Cuba. Greenland, Patagonia and the Amazon River have also really stood out to me. As far as my own travels, I’ve really enjoyed Taiwan."

What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people?  "How hard it is to stop yachting and get used to 'regular life.' It’s an addictive lifestyle as there’s few things to worry about – accommodation, food, laundry – as it’s all taken care of. Leaving that behind and coming back to regular life is a very hard transition for most of us."  

Bri Muller — Stew

Hometown: Port Elizabeth, South Africa  

Birthdate: April 22  

Favorite Off-Boat Activities:  "Anything that involves getting in the water, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, tubing, going down slides and jumping off the sun deck."

Special Skills: "I did a course on manicures and pedicures, but never got the certification due to lack of time before yachting again. I can do nails, though."   

What is your wildest charter guest story from your career?  "So many crazy things have happened that crazy stories for other people are just normal day to day occurrences for me. I’d probably end up with a lawsuit if I had to tell you."

Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled?  "On charter, my favorite place has been the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands. I got to swim with dolphins and snorkel in my free time… a literal dream."

What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people?  "Believe it or not, but land sickness is a thing after spending a lot of time on a yacht. Your world rocks for maybe three days after hopping off the boat."   

When Does Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 Premiere?

See the above cast members kick off the charter season in Athens, Greece for Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9. The season begins with a supersized 75-minute episode on Monday, June 3, at 9/8c on Bravo. 

Stream Below Deck Mediterranean on Peacock now. 

RELATED: Release Your Inner Yachtie When You Shop Below Deck- Inspired Merch 

• Aesha Scott
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