Captain Lee Rosbach is leaving the Bravo show Below Deck after ten seasons and 4 spin offs.
The show is now a Bravo staple that spawned Below Deck Meditoranian, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Below Deck Down Under, and Below Deck Adventure, which is currently airing it’s first season.
But the captain that started it all was Captain Lee and now, because of an ongoing health issue, he is forced to leave the show he loves.
Rosbach was admittedly struggling with nerve issues when he boarded motor yacht St. David at the start of charter season, but he hoped his symptoms would subside over time. Instead, he shared in a confessional interview: “My injury, it’s getting worse. The left side of my body, I don’t feel anything:”
He continued, “I expected a lot more progress than I’m experiencing, and the most frustrating part about it is, I can’t do a god d— thing about it, and it’s hard.”
As Monday’s episode went on, Rosbach realized he had to consider that his health concerns might have an impact on the whole boat. “The pain’s getting worse, not better. I owe it to my crew to do right by them. They expect that out of me,” he said.
“There comes a point if a captain is really being objective, he should be putting the best interests of his crew first because that’s your primary responsibility,” he affirmed. “As soon as you step on board, check your f—ing ego at the dock. That’s where you leave it.”
At the end of the hour, he called an all-hands meeting, telling his crew: “As you guys know, I’ve been struggling with my mobility, and it’s been hard. And I’ve let you guys down, and for that I apologize. So I’ve made a decision to leave the boat.”
No word on who will replace (as if you could) the captain, but I sure hope it’s that sexy Australian man from Below Deck Down Under.