YouTube Below Deck Down Under's Captain Jason was the captain of Moatize when it crashed into a wharf.
“Below Deck” has had its fair share of close calls with its captains navigating difficult weather and dockings but a new captain joining the franchise has actually already been in the news for a superyacht crash.
Captain Jason Chambers, who will be at the helm for the new spinoff “Below Deck Down Under” premiering in March, was the captain of Moatize when the 45-meter luxury superyacht crashed while docking in Cairns, Australia, in 2019. According to ABC News, the vessel collided with the wharf and just barely missed a bigger collision with a restaurant trawler called Prawn Star.
One passerby described to the publication that he’d stopped to watch the Moatize dock but it “went the wrong way.” He said, “It just picked up more speed — next minute I heard this crunch when he hit the little boat and I was just waiting for another big crunch into The Salthouse.”
The Prawn Star’s manager Kay Green said it was “scary” and diners were “screaming and very frightened.” Luckily, no one was hurt in the collision. Afterward, Chambers spoke about what went wrong and attributed the crash to a mechanical fault.
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Chambers Explained What Happened at the Time & Said the Crash Was Due to a Technical Fault
Chambers was the captain of the superyacht when it crashed and he explained what happened to The Daily Telegraph. “We came [into the marina] and did a tight turn… and our starboard gear was stuck ahead when I selected the go astern,” he said. “We used the bow thruster to come over into a clear vision, went astern to exit the marina, but it was still going ahead at all times.”
We took control in the wheelhouse to try and see if it was a technical fault on the controls, but it was still going ahead again. So, we did what we’re trained to in collisions: we shut down all engines, dropped an anchor and thank God we selected a nice spot where there were no personnel.
The new “Below Deck” captain said he wasn’t worried about the cost of the damage to Moatize and the owner wasn’t either. “We are just making sure that everyone here is still functioning, that no one is put out, and there is no injury – that’s our only concern,” he told the publication.
In a video interview with 7 News, Chambers said the boat was damaged on the left side but it was “mainly cosmetic” and there was nothing too serious. According to ABC News, there were no fuel spills as a result.
Chambers Will Make His Below Deck Debut in March & the Trailer Hinted at What’s to Come
The trailer for “Below Deck Down Under” promises an exciting and drama-filled season ahead for Captain Jason and his crew. The first glimpse we see of him, he’s climbing up a ladder out of the water as one of the crew says, “Captain is just hot.”
However, it seems as though Chambers might also be involved in a bit of drama as one scene in the trailer shows him raising his voice at the chef, saying, “I don’t want your attitude, if you wanna bring it up 3 decibels, I’ll bring it up even more okay?” It also looks like he might be firing a crew member as there’s a brief clip of him telling someone, “We’re gonna terminate your appointment today.”
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Below Deck Captain Involved in Major Superyacht Accident