Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9’s Bosun Iain Maclean Should Get Fired

Summary

• Bosun Iain Maclean needs to step up his game as his leadership skills are lacking on Below Deck Mediterranean.
• Iain’s flippant attitude towards safety puts guests in danger, showing he may not be fit for his role.
• Captain Sandy could potentially fire Iain if he doesn’t improve, as his actions have caused a rift in the crew.

Below Deck Mediterranean season 9’s Bosun Iain Maclean has been struggling through the charter season, but after his performance in the most recent episode, he should be fired. Though Captain Sandy Yawn hasn’t seen how poor Iain’s performance has been throughout the first two charters of the season, things have gotten to a difficult point with the exterior team thus far. While trying to navigate leading Gael Cameron, Joe Bradley, and Nathan Gallagher through the charter season, Iain has struggled to retain the respect of his crew and perform as a manager in some difficult circumstances aboard the superyacht Mustique.

Iain, who has been a Bosun for a few years aboard different private charters and superyachts, shared that he’s been in the industry for long enough to know what he’s doing, but he may not have been telling the truth. For Iain, being the Bosun of a superyacht is a more technical position than a management position. Though he knows he’s in charge of the exterior crew, Iain has been working harder to maintain the Mustique than he has to communicate with his team. Due to his lack of leadership abilities, the exterior team has struggled throughout the first charters.

Bosun Iain Seemed To Be Capable During The First Charter

He Performed Well Under Pressure

While Iain has struggled after the first charter of the season, his time aboard Mustique began on more stable ground. Throughout the first charter, Iain and the rest of the deck team were getting to know each other and dealing with some incredibly demanding charter guests. Though the charter was difficult, the deck team proved themselves as capable working through some of the early issues aboard Mustique. While the superyacht is older, it’s still in working order, but Iain went ahead and took stock of what sort of issues were present.

Throughout the first charter, Iain and the rest of the deck team did have to deal with the charter guests and ensure that they were doing things safely both on and off the superyacht. Though the charter was shorter, the guests still did have time on the exterior frequently and used Mustique’s water sports vehicles and off-boat decks. While it was smart of Iain to take stock of the superyacht ahead of the season, there were dynamics building he should’ve been paying attention to.

The Second Charter Shows His Leadership Was Lacking

He Left The Crew To Handle Themselves

After the first charter of the season, Iain knew he would be dealing with something more substantial throughout the rest of the charter season. The second set of charter guests were a group that had ties to Captain Sandy, so the crew knew they needed to bring their A-game. Throughout the second charter, Iain and his team had blunders that were difficult for viewers to watch, and difficult for the team to overcome. Iain’s leadership was lacking throughout the charter, which became more clear during the second half of the trip.

While Iain had faced issues with the crew earlier in the charter, the second half of the trip was difficult for their communication. Iain brought the charter guests to a beach without consulting the rest of his team, making it difficult for them to get things set up. The communication between the Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 crew was non-existent, making it impossible for them to be successful. While they were able to accommodate the guests, it was an unnecessarily pressurized situation because of Iain’s lack of communication.

Captain Sandy Had To Tell Iain He Needed To Lead His Team

She Reprimanded The Bosun After The Charter

After the charter guests traveled offsite and had fun on their excursion, returning to the superyacht was a smoother process. Though the exterior team did their best to put on a strong front, it was clear that things weren’t going well for them interpersonally. Iain had lost the air of superiority he had with the rest of the team, even after explaining his actions for not contacting them ahead of the guests’ arrival. After losing the confidence of his team, Captain Sandy had something to say about the way the Bosun was handling things, too.

While Captain Sany shared that she’d noticed the issues between Iain and his team, citing the communication as a problem despite not knowing the specifics surrounding the situation. While she wasn’t aware of what exactly was going on, she made it clear to Iain that she needed him to handle what was going on in his team. Warning him that she was paying attention to what was happening in the exterior team, Iain didn’t seem upset about the Below Deck Med issues.

Iain Has Put Charter Guests In Danger More Than Once

He Was Flippant About The Issues

Although there were communication issues in the exterior team between Iain and the rest of the deck crew, there were also some problems that could have impacted the safety of the guests. During the early moments of the second charter, Iain was dealing with navigation while the rest of the deck crew were handling the guests. Spending their time out on the water, the guests were riding jetskis and paddle boards with Joe and Nathan while Gael stayed aboard the deck to keep things going.

While Joe was handling the jetskis and other water toys, Nathan and one of the guests had paddle-boarded out into the water, and before long they realized that they were out a bit too deep. When Nathan realized he was out too far, he’d signaled Iain for help more than once, but Iain had ignored the distress call. Both Nathan and Joe had called for Iain, but he left the Deckhands to resolve the problems themselves. This became an issue immediately, as it put the guests in serious danger.

Bosun Iain Should Be Fired From Below Deck Mediterranean

He’s Put Too Many At Risk

After seeing that the exterior team has fractured and lost their trust in the crew member who’s supposed to be their leader, it seems clear that Iain should be fired from Mustique and leave Below Deck Mediterranean. While Iain will likely get another opportunity to prove himself, the fact that he’s put himself and the rest of his crew in danger already with just two charters under his belt is dangerous. Iain’s behavior has been flippant about the level of danger he’s put others in, which isn’t an appropriate reaction.

Though Iain may not be fired from Mustique quickly, if his behavior doesn’t change it’s likely that Captain Sandy will take action before something dangerous happens again. Iain ignoring the fact that he’s lost the trust of his crew has made it obvious that he doesn’t know how to lead a team successfully. If he hopes to continue on Below Deck Mediterranean or in the yachting industry at all, he’ll need to try and manage those he’s in charge of in a more substantial way.

Source: Below Deck/Instagram