Below Deck Med: Captain Sandy Is Being Too Hard On Iain Maclean (Is She Picking On Him?)

Summary Captain Sandy criticized Iain throughout the season, causing tension.

Iain struggled to understand the demands of filming for a reality show.

Iain may choose to leave the season if he feels unappreciated by the crew.

Captain Sandy may have been too hard on Iain Maclean during Below Deck Mediterranean season 9. The latest season of the Below Deck spin-off featured the return of beloved Chief Stew Aesha Scott. With the help of Captain Sandy, she led the new crew of Below Deck Med to a mostly successful charter season. None of the crew of Below Deck Med season 8 were invited back for season 9 after the season let down the audience. The Below Deck production team took a risk by recasting the series, but thankfully, the risk was well worth the reward.

The Below Deck Med season 9 cast sports a crew of franchise-first yachties. Each personality has brought new energy to the show that was lacking after a few unsuccessful seasons. Bri Muller and Elena “Ellie” Dubaich stirred up a lot of drama with their love triangle involving deck team member Joe Bradley. The exterior team introduced Joe, Gael Cameron, and Nathan Gallagher into the Below Deck universe with Iain as their Bosun. While most of the conflict in the season stems from the interior team, there have been additional problems on deck with the crew’s Bosun.

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Captain Sandy Has Nothing Nice To Say About Iain

Iain Disappointed Captain Sandy & The Deck Team

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Captain Sandy hasn’t shared many positive sentiments about her Bosun. As the charter season went on, Iain’s performance slowly declined. Captain Sandy attempted to steer him in the right direction by pulling him aside and giving him notes on improving as a leader. One of his first missteps within the season was when Nathan and a guest drifted off to sea while paddleboarding. He let Gael go on a break and failed to assign a deckhand to watch them while they were on the paddleboards.

Nathan and the guest couldn't paddle back to the Mustique and hitched a ride back to the superyacht on a neighboring catamaran. When Captain Sandy learned what happened, she was upset with Iain. He argued that it felt like he had to micromanage his deck team for tasks to be completed in his confessionals. The captain kindly pulled Iain aside and told him to improve his leadership skills. After the paddleboarding incident, he continued to make mistakes that upset Captain Sandy. Instead of championing his wins, Captain Sandy points out all his faults as Bosun.

Iain Tries His Best On Deck And Captain Sandy Still Criticizes Him

Iain Likely Didn’t Understand The Demands Of Filming Below Deck

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While his crew calls him out for his laziness, Iain tries his best to be a good leader in Below Deck Med season 9. He worked in the yachting industry for five years before his appearance on the show. However, Iain didn’t have experience filming a reality TV show, which can be daunting. He likely had no idea what it would be like working and recording the show on the superyacht, and the pressure seemingly got to his head. He felt a lot of pressure to join the crew as Captain Sandy’s Bosun.

Chief Stew Aesha worked with the captain and had appeared in four seasons of the Below Deck franchise before Below Deck Med season 9. She knew what to expect going into Below Deck Med season 9, and Iain likely didn’t. He doesn’t seem to have the swiftness and awareness needed to be a Bosun on Below Deck. Almost every single action he carries out is filmed for the show to fact-check his behavior, and he made a lot of mistakes towards the mid-way point in the season. He thinks he’s doing a great job, but Captain Sandy thinks otherwise.

Iain Is Reaching His Breaking Point With Captain Sandy

Captain Sandy & Iain Need To Work On Their Relationship

The Bosun may be reaching his breaking point with Below Deck Med season 9. To focus on his job, Iain opted out of a night out drinking with the rest of the crew after a rough charter trip. If he wanted to stay out and get intoxicated with his co-workers, he could’ve, but he didn’t. Iain prioritized getting extra rest to focus on improving as a Bosun. Iain could be fired if he doesn’t make quick changes to his leadership style after the next few charters of the season.

The captain and Bosun voiced their frustrations with each other in their confessional interviews. Iain admitted it felt like Captain Sandy was micromanaging his decisions throughout the season. She revealed she was disappointed at the Bosun and thought he’d had a better grasp on the job by the mid-way point of the season. Captain Sandy warned Iain that she didn’t trust him after he continuously let her down when docking the superyacht and promoting Joe to lead deckhand before the first charter began.

Will Iain Voluntarily Leave?

Iain Shouldn’t Leave The Show But Might

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Iain may voluntarily leave Below Deck Med season 9 if he doesn’t feel appreciated by the crew. Captain Sandy showed him tough love at the beginning of the charter season. However, as the mid-way point of the show approached, she started becoming tougher on the Bosun. Granted, Iain has made plenty of silly mistakes and hasn’t improved much since the paddleboarding incident involving Nathan, though the deck crew has shown sympathy towards his position as Bosun. Gael admitted during a confessional that she struggled with how to feel about Iain as a leader because of how nice he was.

Iain shouldn’t choose to leave the charter season before it ends. His early exit will leave a bad taste in Captain Sandy’s mouth after their rocky relationship as captain and Bosun thus far. Iain needs to make a valiant effort to be a better leader and team player in Below Deck Med season 9. If he doesn’t improve, Captain Sandy may not give him the chance to quit, and Sandy might fire him herself.

Captain Sandy may need to drop her tough love tactics with Iain in Below Deck Med season 9. She was incredibly critical of his performance as a Bosun throughout the charter season. Captain Sandy’s concerns are valid, but she should try not to be too hard on Iain for the season to improve.

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo, then streams the following day on Peacock.