Heavy/NBCUniversal Captain Sandy Yawn
After filming season 8 of “Below Deck Mediterranean,” Captain Sandy Yawn said there was only one crew member that she’d never work with again.
While speaking with Us Weekly, the longtime captain said bosun Ruan Irving, who was the bosun to start the charter season, is the only one she wouldn’t want to work with again. “Except for Ruan, I would never have him back because I could never trust him,” she said.
“Because that’s a big deal to do what he did,” she continued. Viewers will recall that in the first episode of season 8, authorities checking the crew members’ paperwork found that Irving didn’t have the right documentation as all of his certifications weren’t the original versions.
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Captain Sandy Yawn Learned in the Season 8 Premiere That Ruan Irving’s Documents Weren’t Authentic
The problem with Irving’s documentation began at the start of the season 8 premiere when the crew was getting the yacht ready for the first charter. Authorities flagged to Yawn that the South African native’s documents were all copies and not the originals.
Irving explained that the originals were not with him but it had never been a problem before. Yawn replied that the originals were necessary and asked him to get them mailed to him in the Mediterranean.
Later in the episode, Yawn was told by the authorities that the bosun’s documents may have been forged. They said the documents actually had someone else’s photo attached to them instead of his. Irving insisted that he’d done the proper training and he would get the originals sent to him. In the meantime, he had to remain off the boat.
Eventually, Irving notified Yawn by phone that he wouldn’t be coming back. “Below Deck Down Under” alum Luka Brunton was instead promoted to bosun, his first time in the role.
Ruan Irving Shared His Side of the Story on Instagram After the Episodes Aired & Said He’d Probably Been ‘Scammed’
Although it appeared that Irving’s documents had been falsified, the bosun addressed the drama after the episode aired. He said the experience was “exciting and overwhelming” but denied his involvement in the forged documents. “All my original hard copies were in South Africa I never travel with them that’s why I get certified copies made!” he wrote on his Instagram.
“After the show I flew to Cape Town and I got my certificates and sent the show a video with all originals,” he added. He said his yacht masters had expired so he contacted someone from the school to get it renewed. “I paid a fee and I got sent a back and front copy of the yacht masters with new expiry date,” he wrote. “Was I scammed? Most probably!! Courses were taken, Guy got paid and I ended up with a f***ed license.”
Irving concluded that in the year since the show was filmed, he’d made sure to get all of his certifications updated and now always travels with the original versions. “Lesson learned,” he wrote.
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