Captain Sandy, Luka Brunton. Fred Jagueneau/Bravo (2)
Luka Brunton‘s mistakes caught up with him on Below Deck Mediterranean when Captain Sandy Yawn called him out for not properly planning his team’s schedule.
During a new episode of the Bravo series, which aired on Monday, December 4, Captain Sandy questioned Luka’s abilities as a leader after noticing that he was the only one working from the deck crew.
“We only have you on deck? That’s not OK. We need help with service. We always have two people on deck. This isn’t OK,” Sandy told Luka after he sent deckhands Lara Du Preez, Haleigh Gorman and Max Salvador on their respective breaks.
Earlier in the episode, Luka remained on board while Lara, Haleigh and Max joined the guests on an excursion. The bosun sent his fellow crew to their cabins after they returned, which caused a problem when Tumi Mhlongo needed help with dinner service and Luka was the only one still awake but not around.
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Luka stepped off the boat to drive a mentalist — who was hired as entertainment for the guests — back to shore. As a result, Captain Sandy wasn’t thrilled with Luka for failing to think ahead about what his absence meant for the interior team.
“It is important to have at least two deckhands on board in case of an emergency. I have to be able to maneuver [and] I have to hall anchor. Not only is it safety but we have guests on board. It is about service,” she explained to the cameras. “The deck team is there to support the interior because now it is all about the food and service [since] there’s no water sports. We can’t only have one person. I need two. I’m not happy.”
Once Luka returned, Sandy expressed her frustration, adding, “I’m not very happy. The priority is the food. Get Max up. This is the stuff that makes me mad. You have to figure your schedule out.”
Luka attempted to defend himself by pointing out that his team “didn’t get their breaks” earlier in the day, which is why they were all off at the same time. Sandy, however, expected Luka to have a better handle on the situation.
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“When [Tumi] called and called, the deck crew needed to f—king answer. I’m f—king mad,” she told Luka as the episode came to an end.
During season 8 of Below Deck Med, Luka has candidly discussed the lessons he has yet to learn as a bosun. He was originally brought on to the Mustique as a deckhand before becoming a provisional bosun when Ruan Irving‘s paperwork was called into question. Luka, who appeared on season 2 of Below Deck Down Under as a lead deckhand, was subsequently offered the bosun position by Sandy once Ruan quit his job.
“I am usually an engineer so in the past I have never had to do any kind of paperwork. But I do cater the work schedule more toward Max and Haleigh,” Luka admitted on Monday’s episode. “I can always rely on Lara to not give me s—t if she breaks late and that’s definitely why she got the lead deckhand position. Because she’s happy to just push through.”
In a confessional, Lara admitted she wasn’t actually thrilled with her schedule because Luka wasn’t taking her into account. For Lara, being the crew member that Luka relied on the most meant she had less time to rest, which didn’t seem fair to her.
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Sandy didn’t only remind Luka to organize his team’s schedule better. The captain also used Monday’s episode to bring up Luka’s other responsibilities that were slipping through the cracks. While the group was on their night out, Sandy noticed that the deck team wasn’t keeping the crew mess as clean as she expected.
“Even though this is Luka’s first time at being a bosun, it isn’t his first or second or third charter. He knows my expectation,” she noted. “Being a bosun on a charter yacht isn’t just about throwing lines and calling distances. It is about making sure that your schedule is working well.”
Sandy concluded: “Although Luka is doing an amazing job, I don’t want him to get complacent and take his eye off the ball.”
Below Deck Mediterranean airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.