Ahoy, yachties! Welcome back to another lively episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht. This week had everything: makeouts, fallouts, disasters and possibly the most wasted charter guest the show has ever seen. But before we get to all of the drama happening aboard Parsifal III, I just wanted to turn your attention briefly to the newest addition to the Below Deck family: Below Deck Down Under! I’ll be recapping the entire season of the new show over on Peacock, and would love if you would take a minute to watch the show, read my recaps and let me know what you think in the comments! I promise the show’s great so far. And my recaps of the first three episodes are already live here, here and here!
OK, now back to what’s happening on Parisfal: Gary King and Daisy Kelliher‘s steamy hot tub hookup. OK, it’s only a makeout. But it’s quite a long one and I still can’t believe it happened! Neither can Daisy, it seems. Because she’s the one who breaks away and goes running for her cabin. Leaving Gary in the hot tub to ponder the alcohol-influenced decisions that have led them here. At the same time, Tom Pearson and Ashley Marti are just leaving the guest cabin after having had sex. Though it’s unclear how much of that was Ashley trying to get back at Gary for not paying enough attention to her. Either way, this is all certainly going to be awkward come morning…
Thankfully, the following day is a turnaround day. And equally thankfully for Daisy, the chief stew doesn’t seem to remember much of the night before. She’s positively mortified when Gary breaks the news that, yes, their make out was, in fact, real. And of course he can’t resist teasing her as much as humanly possible about it for the rest of the day. I’m even surprised he refrained from bringing it up at the preference sheet meeting, where we learn the next primary is a Manhattan-based luxury real estate broker who’s bringing his family on vacation. However, the day isn’t all giggles and secondhand embarrassment. Tom gets a heartbreaking call from home that his best friend’s dad has fallen into a coma due to blood clots in his brain and is on life support.
The next morning it’s the start of charter number three. And poor Tom is still consumed with worry over what’s happening back home. He vows not to leave the boat, but still fills Captain Glenn Shephard in on the situation and warns that he may need some extra support and understanding. Luckily, Ashley‘s actually there to listen and provide a shoulder when he needs one. One thing the third stew is not there to, however, is take any more of Gabriela Barragan‘s lists. Every time the second stew asks Ashley to do something it gets under her skin. To the point that she even complains to Daisy, who has to tactfully remind her that the second is allowed to delegate tasks to the third. That’s the way it works, sweetie. Now stop whining.
The guests arrive and the boat sets sail — only metaphorically speaking; there’s no wind — for Punta Prima. However, Daisy‘s not the only one noticing the tension between her subordinates. Chef Marcos Spaziani warns her that the petty grievances could boil over into a major problem that could affect life on the boat for everyone. Both girls are even complaining to him in the galley when the other isn’t around. Daisy decides to address the building issues within her department after the charter is over. Because it’s definitely not going to get any worse over the next few days, right?
After anchoring, the crew throws a lightly 007-themed birthday dinner for the primary’s 75-year-old dad. And Captain Glenn‘s even on hand to join the guests for the meal. Hilariously, though, the primary’s younger brother is fully checked out at the table thanks to a long afternoon of getting wine drunk. He falls asleep before the entree is even served. And we’re talking Weekend at Bernie’s-level blackout. There’s no waking him up for the rest of the night. Not the entire table singing “Happy Birthday” to his dad. Not Gary, Tom and Colin Macrae delivering cake while shirtless to the flirtatious female cougar of the group. In fact, he’s still asleep after the rest of the family have finished their meals and gone below deck for the night. It takes his dad literally slapping him awake, with some help from Colin and Tom, to get him to his cabin for bed.
Day two of the charter starts with Captain Glenn trying something the guests didn’t get to experience the day before: sailing. But even after raising the main, mizzen and genoa, there’s no such luck. Because there’s just no wind. And without wind, you can’t really sail. It’s time to distract the guests with a beach picnic. Hopefully getting them to shore for a bit will give the necessary wind time to pick up. Or if not, then at least time for Captain Glenn to process the news that his first mate and chief stew have swapped saliva in the hot tub, which Gary is proud to tell him.
The focus of the guests’ picnic is apparently supposed to be badminton. They just want to smash some birdies, OK? So thinking it will be simple, Daisy sends Ashley and Kelsie Goglia ashore to set up. However, what Tom conquered last charter by erecting the gazebo singlehandedly — not to mention decorating it with palm fronds — the girls can’t seem to do together. Set-up is slow. The tent is confusing. And by the time Gabriela and Gary arrive on the beach with the guests in tow, they’re nowhere near ready. To be frank, the entire picnic set-up looks like a complete mess.
Naturally, Gabriela is mortified at the scene the guests are walking into. And wastes no time blaming Ashley for the disorganized disarray. It ultimately takes all four crew members — Gary, Gabriela, Ashley and Kelsie — to get the gazebo successfully up. All while the stare at them aimlessly in the heat of the Menorcan sunshine. The picnic is not off to a great start. But Gabriela turns on the charm, successfully distracting the guests with badminton and putting on a smile to laugh off the major blunder. On the inside, though, she’s surely fuming and can’t wait to report back to Daisy what a terrible job Ashley did.
That afternoon, there’s still no wind. Which means still no sailing. Though Captain Glenn lets one of the guests steer the yacht to make up for not being able to control Mother Nature. Chef Marcos also pulls out all the stops for a flamenco-themed dinner filled with traditional Spanish cuisine. Which equals lots of local seafood, shellfish and a truly incredible-looking paella as the piece de resistance. So even though there’s been absolutely no sailing on their vacation aboard a luxury sailboat, the guests still go to bed happy. Little do they know disaster’s about to strike…
Tom covers the anchor watch all night. And with the sea so still, there’s honestly not much to do. He kills time during the late shift by cleaning, emptying the garbage and sitting, staring out into the night. By early morning, nothing’s happened. And when Ashley arises to start her early shift, the lovebirds of convenience steal a kiss in the wheelhouse.
Then, the wind that’s been missing all charter decides to come roaring back with a vengeance. Within a span of just thirty minutes, it goes from blowing at a leisurely eight knots to 31, setting off alarms and waking the crew to an emergency in the making. As Gary runs shirtless up the stairs, he shouts at Colin to get the boat’s engine started. Only then does Tom realize Parsifal is dragging anchor, and amid the chaos, he shouts that the boat could be on the verge of running aground…
TELL US – DO YOU SEE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN GARY AND DAISY? WHO’S TO BLAME FOR THE TENSION BETWEEN GABRIELA AND ASHLEY? SHOULD SETTING UP THE BEACH PICNIC HAVE BEEN THAT DIFFICULT FOR ASHLEY AND KELSIE? WILL THE YACHT RUN AGROUND NEXT WEEK?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
