Captain Sandy Defends Firing Hannah Ferrier on Below Deck Med and Shares the Protocol She Had to Follow, Plus She Explains Why She Followed Hannah to the Dock as Hannah Says She “Deserved a Better End” to Her Story

Captain Sandy Yawn has once again addressed the explosive Season 5 firing of longtime Chief Stewardess Hannah Ferrier on Below Deck Mediterranean, vehemently defending her decision by citing strict maritime law and the rigid protocol she was legally bound to follow. The dismissal, which stemmed from an undeclared anti-anxiety prescription and a CBD vape pen found in Hannah’s possession, remains one of the most polarizing moments in the franchise’s history.

For Captain Sandy, the core issue was never personal, but professional and legal. “The maritime industry has a certain standard,” she explained. “My number one priority is the client. I have told people time and time again that the boat has to be drug-free under Maritime law. I will never risk my captain’s license for anybody.”

The Non-Negotiable Protocol

Captain Sandy confirmed that, upon learning of the undeclared medication from Bosun Malia White, her hands were tied. Her immediate action was to consult her maritime attorney, who advised her to terminate Ferrier immediately.

“I took years to get my maritime license. It’s a federal license with the U.S. government,” Yawn stressed. “Every decision I’ve ever had to make—in that case, drugs—I call my attorney. He goes, ‘Fire her now.’ I follow what they say because he protects me from getting in trouble. God forbid something happened at sea, I would be taken to jail, and I would lose my license.”

This insistence on following procedure, even when unpopular, is the foundation of Captain Sandy’s defense against fan backlash, which often painted the firing as a personal vendetta. She emphasized that a Chief Stew, particularly, holds a crucial role in managing guest safety in an emergency, and any impairment from undeclared or unmonitored medication is a direct violation of duty.

Why She Followed Hannah to the Dock

Perhaps the most criticized part of the entire affair was the awkward, tension-filled moment when Captain Sandy followed Hannah to the dock as she was leaving the boat, culminating in an expletive-filled outburst from the Captain. Fans widely viewed this as an unnecessary final confrontation designed to harass the departing stew.

Captain Sandy has since explained that her intention was misconstrued by the cameras and the edit. She claims she followed Hannah to try and have a “real conversation”—a moment she now regrets never fully happening. She admitted wishing she could have sat down with Hannah in a more professional setting to discuss the underlying issues, but the urgency of the situation prevented it.

However, during that dockside encounter, the conversation quickly devolved as Hannah accused her of not caring. In response, a frustrated Sandy essentially doubled down, telling Hannah, “If you want to make it about that and say that I don’t care, that’s fine with me. I won’t care. So now officially I don’t fing care*.”

Hannah’s Desire for a “Better End”

On her part, Hannah Ferrier—who was an original cast member and the heart of the interior crew for five seasons—has admitted her mistake in failing to follow the declaration protocol for her Valium, which she used for anxiety. However, she maintained that she was disappointed with the way her long yachting career was abruptly cut short.

“I would’ve preferred to end on a high,” Ferrier stated. “I deserved a better end to my story.”

While Hannah has since moved on from yachting, getting married and having a child, she and Captain Sandy have reportedly mended fences in the years since, even meeting up in Australia. Despite the drama and the clear difference in their professional priorities, both women seem to agree that the controversy was a dark moment that ultimately led to a better chapter for Hannah on land. The Captain’s uncompromising stance, however, remains fixed on one core principle: safety and law always come before personal feelings in the high-stakes world of super-yachting.