Below Deck’s Captain Sandy announces engagement to gospel singer Leah Shafer

Below Deck star Captain Sandy Yawn has announced her engagement (Image: GETTY) Captain Sandy Yawn, 59, has been dating gospel singer and skin esthetician Leah Shafer, 49, for more than five years – and the Below Deck star has finally popped the question. Sharing snaps from the sweet proposal on Instagram , Yawn wrote: “It’s official! I asked Leah to marry me, and she said YESSSSS. “We are engaged! stay tuned for the wedding.” (sic) In the snaps, Sandy was pictured getting on one knee in front of Leah, in a lovely beach location, with the pair seen to be celebrating with plenty of kisses. Captain Sandy spoke out about the surprise proposal to E! News , sharing: “I have been thinking about marrying Leah for years. Sandy and Leah have been together since 2019 (Image: INSTAGRAM/@CAPTAINSANDRAYAWN) “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 pair first met in Los Angeles in 2018 after Leah reached out to Sandy on Facebook months prior. The Bravo star has previously gushed about her romance in her advice book, Be the Calm or Be the Storm: Leadership Lessons from a Woman at the Helm. Captain Sandy Yawn always knew she wanted to marry Leah Shafer since they met (Image: GETTY) Sandy Yawn is the star of Below Desk Mediterranean (Image: GETTY) She wrote: “I believe God has a way of preparing you for ‘the one’. He knew I wasn’t ready for her all those years ago. And she wasn’t ready for me. “We were both being prepared for each other. God waited for us. He gave me opportunities to make different choices and be more conscious so that when that sweet little Facebook message came across my page, I was open. “Leah, the woman who would later become my life partner, had just caught that first season of Below Deck Mediterranean and sent me these simple words: ‘Congrats on the show. Many blessings. “Leah is God’s gift to me. I’ve always been deeply spiritual, but there is something about her faith that makes me feel more settled, and more grounded. She makes me feel like I have found my way home.” Gospel singer Leah was previously married to TV host Ross Shafer, 66, and they have a 15-year-old daughter LaurenRae who they adopted in 2006. Leah previously told The Cheat Sheet that she received backlash from some religious institutions after going public with her relationship with Sandy. She said: “It’s looked against it, loving the same sex. I think you can’t help who you fall in love with. God is love. He doesn’t care.” Captain Sandy is one of a few female superyacht captains and found international fame on Bravo’s Below Deck Mediterranean, currently in its eighth season.