Captaining a superyacht off the coast of Yemen with fires and failing equipment, being chased by pirates, alongside an ex-British special forces soldier and having to call for the U.S. Navy for escort sounds like the plot of a new Hollywood action film. But for Captain Sandy Yawn, this was a reality. Her years of experience as a super-yacht captain, after her struggles with sexuality and addiction before this, has moulded her into one of the most prestigious female yacht captains in the world. But how does one get to this point, and what skills would you need to follow in her footsteps, or be successful in any career?
Be The Calm or Be The Storm is a guidebook to leadership skills from Below Deck Mediterranean’s Captain Sandy. Interspersed with personal anecdotes and the experiences that have developed her skills, the book acts as a manual to leaders in all fields on how to adjust their practice to get the very best out of the people who they work with, and become better leaders in their everyday lives.
I’ve been following Captain Sandy for a few years now, and knowing she was releasing a book left me unable to wait to pick up a copy! But having read it, I can say only that this book is very unusual. Whilst the leadership lessons are great tips and getting to see behind the scenes into what makes Captain Sandy tick, it’s this marriage that makes the book really strange to me. Having this book continuously jump from profound leadership lessons to the story of her dealing with technical difficulties and pirates on the Red Sea leaves the book on a strange boundary between biography and self-reflection guide. And then doesn’t particularly do either justice. It’s an entertaining book, but by the end feels quite repetitive in both stories and leadership tips, and therefore doesn’t do justice, frankly, to either concept.
This book may not be what I had hoped for, but it’s an easy and quick read, and often entertaining too! Captain Sandy is an inspiring woman and reading her stories will leave you in awe of her. But this book, unfortunately, doesn’t do her justice. If this was to be rewritten into two books – a biography and a separate leadership guide – I think, both would end up being significantly more enjoyable.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Be The Calm or Be The Storm (ISBN: 978-1-83782-015-3) was published in 2023
