Gary King and Daisy Kelliher have become two of the hallmarks of Below Deck Sailing Yacht. So it’s almost weirdly comforting to see them bickering again. Rather than, you know, making out like they were a few episodes back. At the end of last week’s episode, the chief stew and first mate were in a tiff over Kelsie Goglia having to serve an early rising guest coffee instead of doing her work on deck. And that’s right where we’re at when this week’s episode begins, too.
Daisy doesn’t understand how making two cups of coffee could’ve impeded Kelsie‘s work schedule all that much. But Gary‘s a man down on deck and stressed as it is. So he just wants some help and understanding from his fellow department head. It’s not worth getting into an argument over. But we all know how hard it can be to tell that to someone who’s already on edge. Good thing it’s the final morning of the charter!
As Parisfal prepares to dock, Captain Glenn Shephard notices that the boat may encounter some bad weather in the marina. So it’s time to bust out the new, supersized fenders to keep it from getting damaged in the storm. Except remember what I just said about the deck team being a man down? Yeah…not the best time to attempt a massively cumbersome new procedure in the middle of a docking. Even if Tom Pearson had been there to help, the giant fenders require all hands on deck, literally. The stews are hauling lines. Ashley Marti is (incorrectly) calling distances. Even Chef Marcos Spaziani is holding up fenders in his white chef’s coat. Ultimately the boat docks safely, but it was a job and a half getting there.
Once the guests leave, Captain Glenn calls the team together for their fourth tip meeting. Despite the various levels of catastrophe that occurred over the last three days — running aground, Tom getting fired, etc. — the charter ended on a good note. And the crew earned a tip of $21,000. That’s $2,530 each, plus two-thirds of Tom’s share since he exited so abruptly mid-charter. It’s the only silver lining to being a man down, and suddenly no one’s missing Tom all that much.
As always, the crew is ready to spend their fresh cash. And are treated to a fancy dinner ashore at the cliffside restaurant of Sa Barrera Hotel. You would think everyone would be in a convivial mood. After all, they just passed the $20,000 mark on a tip. They got good feedback from Captain Glenn. And they saved the charter from being a complete disaster. But during the meal, Gabriela Barragan can’t help but snipe at Chef Marcos. First during his attempt at making a unifying toast about raising the bar each charter. And then as he interrupts when Kelsie‘s trying to tell a story at the table.
It may just be residual tension from their blunder during dinner service the night before. But suddenly Gabriela and Marcos don’t seem to like each other all that much… She accuses him of making every conversation about himself. He fires back that she gets aggressive when she drinks and will come crawling back with an apology the next day after realizing how she acted. It’s really sort of a feud out of nowhere, and the second stew ends up storming away from the table in a huff. But hey, at least Gary and Daisy hugged it out on their cigarette break?
Back on the boat, the whole crew decides to have yet another hot tub party. Except for Kelsie and, surprisingly, Gary, both of whom are feeling overworked sans Tom and desperate to catch up on sleep. As the night winds to a close, a tipsy Gabriela seizes the opportunity to climb into Gary’s bed. And it’s a decision that sets Ashley off. Because…did I forget to mention that Gary kissed Ashley in the van on the way back from the restaurant? Yeah, that happened. Not even an hour before she finds Gabriela under Gary’s covers. Ashley insists she’s not jealous, despite what Colin Macrae thinks. She just refuses to play this game of competition with her fellow stew. And ends the night by falling face first out of her (top) bunk while trying to turn off her light. Ouch.
The next morning, it’s a turnaround day for the boat. And…no one’s remembering much of anything. Ashley doesn’t remember falling out of her bunk. Gary doesn’t remember kissing Ashley in the van. Or how Gabriela got into his bed. And Gabriela? She doesn’t remember to wake up for work. Instead, she crawls from Gary’s bed to her own in the early hours of the morning. And ends up having to be woken up by Daisy for her shift. Oops. That’s not a good look. And it seems Ashley didn’t have any qualms about letting her frenemy sleep through the start of the morning, thereby getting on Daisy’s bad side. Revenge is a dish served five minutes late, apparently.
Captain Glenn calls Daisy, Gary and Chef Marcos together for the next preference sheet meeting. There’s bad news and even worse news. The bad news is that the next group of charter guests are self-proclaimed foodies who want five-star dining experience. The worse news is that the primary happens to be vegan, which should make life decidedly difficult for Chef Marcos in the galley for the next few days. Add to that the fact that the new deckhand won’t be out of quarantine until after this charter’s over and the pressure’s definitely on for the crew.
Meanwhile, Gabriela is starting to crumble. Waking up late set something off in her, and she pulls Ashley aside to confess that she’s wanting to quit. It hasn’t been expressly spelled out on camera, but apparently it’s been a buildup. The second stew feels like she’s always getting reprimanded for not doing a good enough job. She doesn’t trust most of the crew — Ashley included. Particularly when she’s drinking. And now she feels like she’s losing Daisy‘s respect. Ever the emotional robot, Ashley doesn’t know what to do besides awkwardly give Gabriela a hug. But it doesn’t make anything better. Later that night Gabriela reiterates the story to Gary, claiming she doesn’t like the person she is on this boat. It seems like she may, mentally, be halfway onto the dock already.
Cut to the following morning, and it’s the day of charter pickup. The day starts off with a both highs and lows. The high being that Gary MacGyvers a solution to the giant fender problem by simply tying them to the dock. He’s not about to go through the docking process with them again. And the first low being that Gabriela manages to send an entire tray of champagne crashing to the floor five minutes before guest arrival. As in, the crew is still scrambling to pick up broken glass and hose champagne off the teak as the guests are strolling up to the boat.
Thanks to some stormy weather overnight, getting out of the marina will also be particularly tricky. So it’s probably a good thing Gary eliminated the extra problem of handling the giant fenders on top of everything else. Major swells start rolling the boat as Captain Glenn pilots Parsifal III out into open water. So much so that even the crew are starting to get seasick from the motion. To try to help stabilize the rocking, Captain Glenn hoists the sails. But then, of course, disaster strikes all at once.
The starboard runner for the main sail stops working. Everything below deck is getting tossed and turned as the ship rocks back and forth. Even the sliding glass doors start slamming open and shut, in danger of shattering altogether. When Gary and Colin run to secure the doors, Gary’s finger gets inadvertently slammed in the door. And the episode ends with the first mate running to his cabin, clutching his finger as he screams in pain. This can’t be good…
TELL US – DID YOU MISS TOM THIS WEEK? WERE YOU SURPRISED TO SEE DRAMA FLARE UP BETWEEN GABRIELA AND MARCOS? IS GARY TO BLAME FOR THE STEWS FIGHTING OVER HIM OR IS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND? DO YOU THINK GABRIELA WILL REALLY QUIT MIDSEASON?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
