The Below Deck franchise is a guilty pleasure of more than a few superyacht owners and industry reps. One of the shows, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, begins airing its newest season stateside in less than one month. Capt. Glenn Shephard (below) returns to the helm of Parsifal III for Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5 starting October 7.
Unlike the captains in the related shows, Shephard is the real-life captain of Parsifal III. He’s been in charge of her since 2008, in fact, three years after Perini Navi delivered the 177-footer (54-meter). Shephard’s longtime tenure is exceeded only by that of the owners, Kim and Nina Vibe-Petersen. Residents of Denmark, the Vibe-Petersens commissioned the yacht for family cruising and racing. (Kim Vibe-Petersen is perhaps best known as the CEO of the coffee-machine company Scanomat, which makes TopBrewer machines.) They additionally offer Parsifal III for charter, and were already quite successful in doing so prior to when the TV production crew came calling.
For Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5, filming took place last year, in Ibiza, Spain. This isn’t too surprising, since all of the years of filming have taken place in European waters. Seasons 1 and 4, for example, were in Greece, while season 2 was in Croatia. Spain is familiar territory to viewers of the show, since season 3 took place there.
It may not come as a surprise that the newest season sees a return to Spain. Fans spotted Parsifal III, along with Shepard and a film crew, there last summer. Naturally, they shared photos on social media. So did Tiffany Moon, a cast member of the Real Housewives of Dallas. Specifically, Moon posted photos of herself aboard the superyacht, along with pictures of the food, tablescapes, and more.
As viewers have come to expect, Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5 offers crewmember clashes and “boatmances.” It further has newbie crew trying to learn the ropes, literally and figuratively. The show is not without its share of controversy, however. Gary King, a returning cast member, faced accusations of sexual misconduct from a production staffer in 2022, during filming of season 4. Bravo, which airs the show, states that it looked into the allegations at the time and took action based on the findings, without elaborating.
The U.S. premiere of the new season is on Bravo. Episodes stream on Peacock the next day. Currently, Parsifal III is booking winter charters in the Caribbean, for a weekly rate starting at €245,000. She accommodates 12 guests and can achieve up to 18 knots of speed under sail in ideal conditions. She carries a total sail area of 31,269 square feet (2,905 square meters).
Meanwhile, Bravo is casting charter guests for the next season of Below Deck Mediterranean. According to its website, filming is taking place this month and in October, in undisclosed locations.
Beatrice.nesmith
I can’t wait I love captain Glenn. Ihate that Gary is coming back,
Shane VanHoeven
Gary’s carefree life and willingness to explore the willingness of others like him In his professional life are what that life can allow any 1s mind and experiences to be explored and this is the unknown of what could be if allowed to be. ..
Lisa Weaver
I’m so excited to watch season 5. I love captain Glenn and daisy!! I hope they cut out the scenes with gary. he was cool season 1. the more I watch him, the more I cringe.