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Meet the Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 Crew Taking on Ibiza (PHOTOS)

Captain Glenn Shephard  and his crew are headed to Ibiza for Season 5 of  Below Deck Sailing Yacht  this October.

The experienced leader will be joined aboard  Parsifal III by returning department heads Chief Stew Daisy Kelliher and First Mate  Gary King , as well as new crew members Chef Cloyce Martin , Chief Engineer Davide Morosi , stews Diana Cruz and Danni Warren , and deckhands Keith Allen and Emma Crouch .

Together, the Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 crew will "navigate" everything from "competitive co-workers" to "tense personal dynamics, all while trying to raise the bar every charter," according to a press release.

Get to know the  Parsifal III crew below .

Captain Glenn Shephard

For the fifth season in a row, Captain Glenn is leading the charge aboard  Parsifal III .

Chief Stew Daisy Kelliher

Daisy is returning as chief stew for her third season aboard Parsifal III.

More from Bravo:

Here's What Daisy Kelliher Has Been Up to Since Season 4 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht

Captain Glenn Shephard Shares a Surprising Throwback Photo (Hint: He "Had More Hair Back Then")

Daisy Kelliher Reveals Her Sister Suffered a Serious Accident: "Quite a Miracle She's Alive"

First Mate Gary King

For the fourth season in a row, Gary will serve as Captain Glenn's First Mate.

Chef Cloyce Martin

Cloyce Martin joins the Season 5 crew as Parsifal III's new chef.

Chief Engineer Davide Morosi

Davide Morosi will play a key role aboard  Parsifal III as the chief engineer.

Stew Diana Cruz

Serving on the interior team under Daisy will be new stew Diana Cruz.

RELATED :  The Below Deck Captains: A Complete List

Danni Warren

Danni Warren joins the Season 5 crew as a stew.

Deckhand Keith Allen

New deckhand Keith Allen will work under Gary's leadership.

Deckhand Emma Crouch

New crew member Emma Crouch joins Season 5 as a deckhand.

When does Season 5 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht premiere?

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 premieres on Monday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. Episodes will be available to stream next day on Peacock.

Until Season 5 premieres in October, catch up with  Below Deck Sailing Yacht  on Peacock and the Bravo app.

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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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Below Deck Season 1: Where Are The Cast Members Now?

Sailing through the oceanic blues, Bravo’s ‘Below Deck’ chronicles the lives of crew members aboard a mega yacht as they reside and work on the vessel during the charter season. The reality television show was launched in 2013 and has juxtaposed the thrill of sailing with the drama of its crew. As the Chief Stew, Captain, Deckhands, and Chef try to navigate the interpersonal conflicts of their workplace, several chaotic themes follow. Years since the debut season came on air, fans have been curious to find out the whereabouts of the original cast members. So, if you also want to know the whereabouts of the reality stars, look no further because we’ve got all the answers right here!

Lee Rosbach is Navigating Life Beyond Reality TV

At 73, Captain Lee Rosbach has led his crew on sails for more than three decades. The television personality was once a Wendy’s manager. His first encounter with the ocean came in his mid-30s when he and his wife, Mary Anne, moved to Turks & Caicos to run a restaurant. At 35, Lee obtained his Captain’s license and has since never looked back. Commonly referred to as the “Stud of the Sea,” he has been in the business for more than four decades. However, after leading his crew for ten seasons, Captain Lee bid his final farewell to the Bravo reality show.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Captain Lee Rosbach (@captain_lee_rosbach)

During season 10 of ‘Below Deck,’ fans witnessed Lee’s worsening health conditions, leading to him temporarily sitting out. The reality TV star has been facing mobility issues that have led to high pain levels. Ultimately, the network didn’t invite the boat captain back for season 11. Many have speculated that Lee’s exit from the show came after he conflicted with Captain Sandy Yawn in season 10. Yet, these rumors stand unconfirmed. Nevertheless, Lee Rosbach has now teamed up with Kate Chastain, hosting Bravo’s new series, ‘Couch Talk with Captain Lee and Kate.’

The revered Captain and former chief stew break down the biggest Bravo TV moments of the week on their new show. On the personal front, Lee continues to enjoy life with his family and loved ones. After losing his son , Joshua, at 42, to an opioid addiction in 2019, he has become extensively vocal about rehabilitation for people struggling with addiction. Despite sustaining such an incredible loss, the family continues to honor Joshua’s memory through donations and giving testimony in front of Congress.

Aleks Taldykin is Leading in Yacht Management

Originally picked up by the production house to enact the role of Captain on the yacht, Aleks was ultimately replaced by Captain Lee Rosbach after the yacht owner expressed his discomfort with him taking over the reins. Eventually, he became the Captain’s next-in-command but didn’t return to the series after season 1.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aleks Taldykin (@captaleks)

Since his exit from the show, Aleks has maintained his love for the ocean and is currently the CEO of Elite Yacht Management, a company servicing yachts from the Pacific to the Atlantic. He is also a Yacht Broker specializing in selling large motor yachts in California. In 2016, Aleks had also appeared on ‘Vanderpump Rules.’ At 33, the television personality enjoys life with his wife and family.

Ben Robinson is Engaging in Culinary Ventures and Content Creation

With several credentials, including an apprenticeship at Chef Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant, The Fat Duck, Ben brought his intersectional knowledge of restaurant and catering to ‘ Below Deck .’ However, the reality TV star ultimately left the show after season 2. Ben later appeared on ‘Below Deck: Mediterranean’ and ‘Below Deck: Galley Talk.’ Surprisingly, the certified health coach was briefly speculated to be the father of Chief Stew Kate Chastain’s baby. However, both have time and again denounced trolls for such rumors.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chef Ben Robinson (@benstogram)

On the personal front, the 42-year-old is engaged to Kiara Cabral. After nearly four years of dating, the television personality went down on his knee at the Vatican to profess his love. When Ben isn’t enjoying his time with friends and family, he’s engaged in several other commitments. Furthermore, he is a TikTok and Cameo creator who sells his personal merchandise brand and offers several services through online channels.

Adrienne Gang is Expanding Her Culinary Expertise

Despite her short-lived stint on ‘Below Deck,’ Adrienne quickly became a fan-favorite for dealing with a difficult crew. The 39-year-old Chief Stew has found herself busy with other endeavors. Apart from freelancing as a stew on different boats, she has also returned to her job as a Chef. Before taking up the role in reality television, Adrienne had been a professional chef for eight years.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adrienne Gang (@adriennegang)

The television personality is now working at the Culinary Vegetable Institute and Chef’s Garden, honing her skills and expanding her work portfolio. On the family front, Adrienne is married to Chiropractor Dr. Andrew Banks. The couple tied the knot in 2018 in a beachfront ceremony and have enjoyed marital bliss ever since. Sadly, they faced a substantial loss in 2021 after they miscarried their baby. Nevertheless, Adrienne and Andrew remain unfazed by these struggles and enjoy their life with their dog, Buddy. In addition, she hosts the ‘Gangplant Report’ podcast.

C.J. LeBeau is Actively Working in Marketing

Disembarking from the yacht just before the crew could take its final charter, C.J. Beau quickly became disinterested in the activities onboard and eventually left the boat behind. Since then, he has not reappeared in the series and has maintained a profile outside the media. Shortly after the season ended, C.J. was taken into police custody in Phoenix, Arizona, for allegedly getting in a physical altercation with his then-fiance.

The television personality was reportedly charged with intentional assault and defacing property. It was also reported that C.J. allegedly broke his fiance’s cell phone during the fight. Later, he became the Sales Director for Direct Source Distributing, a marketing company based in San Diego. On the personal front, C.J. has maintained privacy and doesn’t disclose his private information.

Kat Held is Pursuing Nursing and Bartending

Despite repeatedly knocking heads with the Chief Stew, Kat quickly became a fan-favorite for her famous phrases. However, she ended up leaving the show after season 2. Since then, Kat has been pursuing different opportunities. The 39-year-old worked as a waitress before eventually returning to nursing school in 2017. Kat also worked as a Bartender in Las Vegas and currently likes to keep her personal and professional details under wraps. Moreover, the television personality attended ‘Watch What Happens Live’ with her ‘Below Deck’ costars in 2020.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kat Held (@katostate)

Samantha Orme is Building a New Life and Career

While Samantha’s time was full of ups and downs on the yacht, the television personality decided she wanted more in life and not just work at a mega yacht. Shortly after exiting the show, she met Bradley Ulmer, a Coast Guard Helicopter Pilot, and the two hit it off. The couple decided to tie the knot a few months into dating.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samantha Ulmer (@samiorme)

Subsequently, the duo welcomed their daughters, Blake and Molly. On the professional front, 36-year-old Samantha has accrued equal success. The television personality was the Vice President of a Solar Energy Firm before she returned to study Industrial Engineering. She is currently working as the Enterprise Program Manager for Fidelity National Information Services.

Eddie Lucas is Commanding the Harbor

After appearing as the Deckhand in season 1, Eddie ultimately became a Bosun and the First Officer on the Bravo series. Yet, after eight seasons, he decided to leave the franchise entirely. Eddie is now the Captain of a harbor tug boat in the Baltimore Harbor. The homeowner had revealed in an interview with The New York Post that he gets paid the lowest amount compared to other shows on Bravo.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eddie Lucas (@eddielucas)

It is also speculated that Eddie’s arguments with Rayna Lindsey over alleged homophobic comments could have been the reason for his departure from the show. Nevertheless, these speculations have not been entertained by the television personality. Instead, the 38-year-old has left behind the reality television life and now focuses on chartering to the Caribbean and experiencing the best of the ocean life with his dog named Bert, as well as friends and loved ones.

David Bradberry is Pursuing Acting Opportunities

Sailing through the season without any conflict, David’s endearing demeanor won countless viewers during the show. Regardless, the reality TV star ultimately left the series following his appearance in season 1. Since then, David has explored a path in entertainment and starred in works like, ‘Confessions,’ ‘The Last Straight Man,’ ‘Fiendish Things,’ and ‘The Men Next Door.’ On the personal front, the 37-year-old is no longer with his boyfriend featured in ‘Below Deck.’ The television personality has since kept his dating life under wraps and loves to maintain a private profile.

Read More:  Is Below Deck Scripted?

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Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 cast: Meet Captain Glenn’s new and returning crew members

Captain Glenn Shephard will be back on the small screen soon for Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5.

After a delay and a slew of fan speculation, Season 5 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht finally received a premiere date and a trailer.

However, in true Below Deck fashion, a couple of alums make up Captain Glenn’s latest crew, but a fan favorite is missing.

Colin MacRae isn’t returning as Chief Engineer after a turbulent Season 4 that fractured his friendships with Gary King and Daisy Kellier.

The three helped revamp the sailing show after a lackluster Season 1, making it a hit along with Captain Glenn. Colin will undoubtedly be missed.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht stars Daisy Kelliher and Gary King are back

Two people needing no introduction are Gary and Daisy, who are each back for their fourth season on Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

Last summer, photos of Gary and Daisy filming Season 5 were leaked; honestly, we weren’t surprised to see them in the mix. Despite their friction, which amps up for Season 5, Daisy and Gary make good television.

Gary was featured much less in the trailer than in previous seasons, and that likely has to do with the sexual misconduct allegations that came out after Season 5 was filmed. Recently, Gary shared an update about his accuser as he continues to proclaim his innocence.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Above Deck Podcast (@abovedeckpod)

Who are Captain Glenn Shephard’s new Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 crew members?

Chef Cloyce Martin takes over the galley, and at 22, his age will play a huge factor in the season. We already see him clash with Daisy in the trailer.

Davide Morosi takes over Colin’s chief engineer role, and he seems to be pretty private, with little to no activity on social media.

Stew Diana Cruz declares herself “an organized mess” who has caught the acting and yachting bug.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Diana Cruz (@dianacruzc_)

Danni Warren rounds out the interior crew. She has a connection with Below Deck Med’s Bri Muller and seems to want to be in the social media influencer game, too.

Deckhand Keith Allen catches Daisy’s eye on Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5. Keith isn’t just a sailing yachtie but a photographer and diver who loves to travel.

Emma Crouch makes up the rest of Gary’s deck team. She’s all about being a yachtie, including helping others get into the business as a trainer with Paper Boat Yachting Academy.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emma Crouch (@emmacrouch88)

That’s a brief preview of the Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 cast. Fans will have to turn in to find out more about Captain Glenn’s crew, especially to learn how Daisy and Gary work together after their Season 4 fallout.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 premieres on Monday, October 7 at 9/8c on Bravo. Seasons 1-4 are streaming on Peacock.

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Below Deck: Behind the scenes of filming the hit superyacht reality show

When it first aired in 2013, Below Deck quickly garnered the attention of a loyal band of die-hard fans. Three years later, the spin-off Below Deck: Mediterranean followed. Amid the chaos of crew love triangles and outrageous guest requests, returning captains Lee Rosbach and Sandy Yawn emerged as respected industry professionals and brand ambassadors for the show. 

• Below Deck secrets: What the hit TV series didn't tell you

In 2020, the brand’s second spin-off, Below Deck: Sailing Yacht , launched, shining a new light on the crews and challenges of sailing yacht charters. Together, the reality show triumvirate propelled Below Deck and the superyacht industry to global audiences, earning the show its own unique place in the hall of reality television fame. But Below Deck’s producers aren’t done yet. Earlier this year, US network Bravo announced the Below Deck empire was set to grow further with two new spin-off seasons, Below Deck Adventure and Below Deck Down Under . As the sixth season of Below Deck: Mediterranean gets underway on June 28, BOAT talks to executive producer Tania Hamidi about Below Deck’s stratospheric rise and the behind-the-scenes reality of filming the show.

• How Captain Lee became TV’s favourite yacht captain

Hamidi is a seasoned television producer and one of Below Deck’s longest-serving team members. She has been a staple of the Below Deck production team for seven years, joining as the second season of Below Deck got underway. Soon after, she was involved in the launch of Below Deck: Mediterranean fronted by captain Mark Howard, who was promptly replaced by captain Sandy Yawn in the second season. This was a key casting decision, Hamidi says. “We loved Mark, but it was really exciting to have a woman in the wheelhouse. When that opportunity presented itself, it just took over,” she says, adding that Sandy “got herself on that boat”.

• Captain Sandy Yawn on the reality of filming Below Deck Mediterranean

While captains Lee Rosbach, Sandy Yawn and Glenn Shephard have become familiar fixtures of the show, Hamidi reveals that not even they are safe when it comes to casting the next season. “All the different positions are on the table each season, including the captain,” she says. However, when it comes to changing a captain “there’s got to be a reason”. With crew, familiar faces often return, with notable examples being chief stewardess Kate Chastain and bosun Malia White. This creates a sense of continuity, Hamidi says. “We often have yacht crew come back in higher positions.” Diversity also informs key crew casting decisions to ensure “different types of people feature in different roles.” “It’s fantastic to have a female bosun or a different culture as head of a department that you don’t expect to see,” says Hamidi. “It’s fun to lean into the reality of the industry because it does exist.”

Below Deck: Inside the boats from the hit reality show

A Below Deck charter typically carries a maximum of 12 superyacht crew on board, including up to three resident crew who work on the yacht full time. Often the official captain of the yacht will drop down to first mate to allow for an incoming Below Deck captain. However, generally these crew roles stay off-camera and are not considered “part of the season,” Hamidi says. “They don’t really fit into part of the story, and if you do see them, it’s in an organic way, like an emergency.”

When it comes to casting new crew members, Hamidi reveals that “most” incoming crew already hold their STCW qualification, with some needing a refresher. While the show is totally unscripted, the casting team does look for a specific type of person when choosing the crew. “It’s a TV show so the crew we choose are definitely outgoing and happy to be open,” Hamidi says. “If they are closed off, it’s hard to tell a story and hard for others to come out and tell them their stories.”

• Parsifal III : Meet the star of Below Deck's sailing spin-off

The same ethos applies when recruiting the season’s charter guests. As an unscripted show, the guests must be outgoing and excited for the charter. “We really don’t try and make them do things they don’t want to do,” says Hamidi. “We say ‘just have fun, it’s your vacation’.” This, Hamidi claims, is why they have so many guests keen to return, with the Below Deck charter guest casting team having to restrict the amount of returning guests to keep things “fresh”. While it’s well known that Below Deck’s guests pay a subsidised charter rate, Hamidi reveals the opportunity is still very much “aimed at the one per cent”, with guests expected to tip to the full price of the charter. “The guests have a slightly discounted rate but it’s still a pretty penny,” she says. “The average person couldn’t afford it.”

The filming schedule of a typical season of Below Deck is hectic. The intense schedule squeezes nine charters into a filming period of eight weeks. A total of 30 people, comprising yacht crew, guests and camera crew, can be on the boat at any one time. Split into pairs, the camera crew consists of a camera operator and a second team member operating the audio rig. Guided by the director, who watches from a cabin transformed into a “control room”, the camera crew “jump around the yacht” trying to capture key moments of the charter, from pulling anchor to meal prep in the galley. They often arrive onto the yacht at 5.30am and get the cameras rolling before the guests are out of bed. Working a 12-hour shift, they need to ensure all the unfolding action on board is caught on camera while avoiding the other camera crews on board. “The camera crew are running around and hiding from each other while getting all the action,” Hamidi says. This is especially difficult on a four-deck motor yacht, she says, but easier on the wider decks of Parsifal III , the star of Below Deck: Sailing Yacht . To support such an operation, the main charter yacht is accompanied by a support vessel and water taxi, which ferries the camera crew to and from the main yacht. The support vessel, which in previous seasons has been a schooner, catamaran and “mini yacht”, is chosen on the capabilities of its galley to ensure the crews are well fed. The support vessel follows around the mothership but is always carefully anchored out of sight to avoid being in the shot.

While Hamidi admits filming the series is “full on”, for her the hard work begins weeks before when preparation for the show begins. This includes everything from casting the show, choosing a charter yacht, selecting brands to appear on the show and sourcing water toys, such as floating golf courses and superyacht slides. Equipment is checked in the galley, visas are approved and valuable objects – such as art – are removed from the charter yacht. Amid all the noise and intensity of preparing and filming the show, it is the morning water taxi rides to the mothership that stay with Hamidi the most. “You’re out on the water, it’s too loud to have a conversation and it’s beautiful – it’s those moments that stay with me,” she says. Despite two more spin-off series being greenlit, Hamidi is adamant the Below Deck franchise is just getting started. “It’s internationally syndicated, more and more people are interested in yachting, and I think it’s just going to grow and grow and grow.”

Below Deck Mediterranean premieres on Monday, June 28 at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo. New episodes will be available one week early on Peacock beginning Monday, June 21 .

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EXCLUSIVE: Below Deck Mediterranean Season 7 in Malta onboard superyacht HOME

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By Editorial Team   28 October 2021

Bravo's much-beloved maritime hit has been seen filming in Malta for season 7 of Below Deck Mediterranean, with crew members spotted aboard superyacht HOME  and our exclusive superyacht data tracking her whereabouts confirms that she will be the new superyacht for this upcoming season.

Fans of the extremely popular reality TV show, which chronicles the lives of crew members working aboard a superyacht, will be extremely happy to hear the long-standing Captain will be back at the helm in the eagerly awaited new season.

Photos appear to confirm that fan favorite Captain Sandy will be returning to our screens as will Courtney Veale and Mzi "Zee" Dempers. It's expected season 7 will be aired in May 2022, but no official announcement has yet been made regarding its release nor the yacht and crew members.

Superyacht HOME in Below Deck Mediterranean Season 7

This marks the first time superyacht HOME appears in the show, following the appearance of elegant charter yacht LADY MICHELLE in season 6. The 180-foot Benetti cruised Croatia's sunkissed coastline and myriad islands while the show's many antics took place on her decks.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)

49m (160ft) superyacht HOME is a multi-award-winning vessel that can comfortably accommodate up to 12 guests across 6 palatial staterooms. First launched in 2017, she features beautifully proportioned decks for exquisite indoor/outdoor living and boasts a whole raft of charter-focused amenities that will enthrall guests. 

Our tracking data shows charter yacht HOME has primarily been docked in the stunning sun-dappled Valletta harbour overlooking the majestic Fort St.Angelo, but has dropped anchor in the serene Golden Bay, Mellieha Bay and Xemxija Bay too.

From her convivial sundeck setup replete with Jacuzzi and glowing cocktail bar, to her panoramic sky lounge and state-of-the-art water toys, she certainly has the wow factor required for Below Deck Mediterranean.

Yacht rentals in Malta

A  yacht rental in Malta beckons with balmy temperatures, tranquil landscapes and its sun-drenched, UNESCO- recognised centre steeped in history. Combined with eye-poppingly beautiful island hopping to nearby sister isles of Gozo and Comino, guests will adore this diminutive destination for a sunny escape.

To discover more about chartering one of the yachts featured in Below Deck Mediterranean, get in touch with your chosen yacht rental broker .

Featured charter yachts in Below Deck Mediterranean:

55m Benetti 2003 / 2024

56m Oceanco 1993 / 2016

47m Heesen 2006 / 2013

54m Turquoise Yachts 2006 / 2016

RELATED AREA GUIDES

View destinations guides, photo galleries & itineraries for areas related to this news article

• West Mediterranean
• Mediterranean
• East Coast Italy
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• Below Deck Mediterranean
• below deck mediterranean season 7

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