This calls for a sail-abration!
Below Deck Mediterranean's Captain Sandy Yawn is engaged to her partner of more than five years, Leah Shafer, E! News has learned exclusively.
"I have been thinking about marrying Leah for years," the Bravo star exclusively told E! of the proposal. "I knew from the minute I met her, but the timing had to be right. I wanted to make sure we could truly do life together first."
The brides-to-be got engaged last weekend, though Sandy started thinking about getting down on one knee back in April.
As for the inspiration behind the proposal, Sandy explained, "Leah wanted the fairytale, and to me, Leah represents elegance. I planned a boat ride to a beautiful cove. I had it decorated with flowers with a path to a small table accompanied by three violinists where we could sit and have a small date."
The captain admitted she was so nervous, she immediately popped the question upon arrival.
"I truly could not wait!" she added. "I shared my vision list of love I had written and wanted, then got on one knee. Then, she said 'yes!' The look on her face was priceless, and my heart exploded! It was filled beyond capacity of anything I could ever imagine. Somehow I feel closer than I did before, and I can't explain it. There is an energy that I have never experienced in my life. I love her beyond; as Leah says Yawn beyond."
Keep reading to see all the magical photos from Sandy's proposal.
The super-yacht captain, 58, met Leah, 49, in Los Angeles in 2018 after the gospel singer and skin aesthetician contacted her privately on Facebook months earlier.
Sandy told Cheat Sheet in 2019, "She sent me a nice message that said, 'I came across your show, congratulations, many blessings.'"
The Bravo star said she researched Leah and believed she would be "perfect" to bring on her "I Believe" tour "because her music has a message."
Leah told the outlet, "It was like a spiritual connection in the beginning. She has a passion for inspiring through music and the youth. And broken people and so do I coming from the gospel industry. That's what brought us together. And then, of course, the attraction and falling in love with a beautiful soul and knowing you want to be with someone forever. I've never felt that way before."
This will mark the second marriage for Leah, who is mom to a teenage daughter, Lauren, from a previous marriage.
Below Deck Mediterranean season eight premieres Monday, Sept. 25, at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
This story was updated on Sept. 18, 2023 at 3:50 p.m. PT to clarify the proposal timeline.
(E! and Bravo are part of the NBCUniversal family.)