For the first time, the crew will be helmed by an all-female leadership team: Captain Sandy Yawn, along with Hannah Ferrier as chief stewardess and Malia White as bosun.

“We’re changing the future,” Yawn told us, adding that this was “the most rewarding season” for her. “We’re bringing more women in leadership roles in the maritime industry. So for me, it’s an incredible feeling.”

Yawn, 55, said that the shift to have more females in power in the industry has been “slow for sure” but that “Below Deck” and “Below Deck: Mediterranean” on Bravo “has brought to light that there are jobs in the industry for women who want to work on deck.”

She encouraged any female fans looking into the career to research their local maritime schools to get started.

Since shooting wrapped ahead of the coronavirus pandemic, Yawn has been at home in Denver with loved ones, including her girlfriend, singer Leah Shafer.

“The difference between being on a boat and in quarantine is that at least I get to pick the people I’m in quarantine with,” she joked.

As for her future, she’s looking forward to traveling to the Hamptons and Europe when restrictions are lifted as she misses “the ability to move around.”

“I like going to the Hamptons for the summer and not to be able to do that is so hard,” she said. “The other part [of what I don’t take for granted] is the appreciation for restaurants. To be able to go out for a meal and sit down with your friends and have these conversations and hug and just hug people, you know, like I’m a hugger. And it’s hard when you have to social distance.”