Over the years, fans have seen a lot of bosuns flounder when it comes to handing out responsibility to their deck crew. But none seem to be more of a fish out of water than Iain Maclean. The laid-back Ares is giving Captain Sandy Yawn massive anxiety thanks to his hands-off approach to work. The South African native would rather be mingling with the guests than lending a helping hand. And even though Iain can call distances, he can’t seem to spot the line hands on shore when he needs them the most. Needless to say, Below Deck Mediterranean fans are thinking twice about Iain.
Iain Maclean lacks leadership
There is no arguing that Iain needs to up his game when it comes to his leadership skills. The outdoorsman doesn’t give directions well and often takes any form of feedback personally. These two traits do not make for a good, well-rounded leader. The three deckhands, Gael Cameron, Joe Bradley, and Nathan Gallagher, are trying their best, but Iain struggles to gain their respect. This last episode of Below Deck Mediterannean highlighted how nervous Gael, the only female deckhand, was about sharing an idea about offloading the guests. Eventually, Captain Sandy took her side, but Iain almost seemed displeased with the suggestion.
It doesn’t help that Captain Sandy doesn’t approve of Iain’s decision to make Joe the lead deckhand. According to Iain, if you don’t name a deckhand straight away, “you end up having people fighting and causing tension.” Another major red flag is Iain’s flippant attitude toward safety. Captain Sandy was not pleased after she learned that the bosun let Gael go down for a three-hour break when she was the only deckhand on the swim platform. Iain’s performance as a manager has been subpar at best.
Iain passes the blame
The South African cannot hold himself accountable. Any good manager knows that in a position of leadership, it is important to admit when one makes a mistake. There has been more than one occasion when Iain has tried to pass the buck. Between letting Gael go down for a break and losing a guest at sea, which resulted in an uncomfortable hitchhiking moment, Iain has very little room for mistakes.
The cherry on top was when he left the battery on the tender on all night. When asked how this happened, he stumbled over his words and tried to defend himself. Captain Sandy became wise to his antics when he failed to plan any beach activities for her friend, GG, the Olympian. Even though he was warned multiple times he just ignored the preference sheet. In the end, Gael had to scramble to put games together and ended up saving the team’s butts.
Captain Sandy is over Iain Maclean
Captain Sandy gives a lot of chances when push comes to shove. But she isn’t all forgiving, and she won’t be walked over. The Colorado native has noticed a few red flags when it comes to Iain’s work, and she is calling him out about it. The skipper called Iain to the bridge for a chat and was extremely surprised to learn that he had already chosen a lead deckhand without consulting her first. This is a big no-no in the industry and shows he didn’t respect his boss. Even though Joe has never been the lead deckhand, Iain felt he was good at running the team.
Captain Sandy was flabbergasted as she noted, “I didn’t know you chose. I had no idea. Nate works circles around Joe. I think you need to reassess experience.” In her confessional, Sandy said, “This is clearly an oversight on Iain’s part. He should have informed me before making this decision. Joe, I always have to correct him. If Iain had taken the time to read the CVs, he would have seen that Nathan had a lot more experience than Joe. That’s a red flag.”
Iain has a red flag or two waving high over his head. Between not speaking nicely to his crew, lacking leadership, passing the blame, and being about all play and little work, I think Iain has his work cut out for him. Who knows, he might be the first person that Captain Sandy decided to axe.
TELL US — DO YOU THINK IAIN IS DOING A GOOD JOB AS BOSUN?
