Main Stew Katie Flood below deck mediterranean revealed that she actually got her start in sailing through a friend who was a member of the crew on Lady Michelle.
“So it’s actually really funny,” she said during an Instagram Live chat TMRW. “Ben one of my best friends who actually worked on Lady Michelle” [laughs] as Chief Officer. So about seven years ago, I was in New Zealand, I had graduated from university and I was working in my field, but I was not happy.
Katie Flood’s 2-year hiatus turned into a full-time career in sailing
“Like I’ve always wanted to travel,” she recalled. “But he had gone to France and got on a boat there. So I was calling him one day and I just felt a little lost and had nowhere to go and what to do.”
“And he was like, ‘Katie, just a book, a one-way ticket,’” he continued. “Do your courses and get on the boat for a year or two. Make some money, travel the world as you love, explore stuff.”
She laughed about how she fell into sailing. “And so one or two of my gap years have almost turned into a seven-year sabbatical,” she shared. “So that’s how I got into it. And I was really lucky. I worked for some amazing bosses. Some amazing captains and I just loved it. And I’ve had a really positive experience. So I still I’m here.”
Working in sailing on camera is harder than it looks
While Flood was really hooked in her role as a yachtsman, she said it was hard to get used to her sailing job on camera. In fact, she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that she cried when she saw the first episode because she remembered that she was so nervous.
“I also love watching it go back, like the first episode, like on day one,” she said. “Like I could see on my face. I’m so nervous and worried. As you feel [uneasy]. And I can see it. I hated that first episode. I was like ah, that’s so rash!”
“And you get used to it,” she said. “Like after a few days, I guess you’re too busy. Like running around to get our work done, you forget about it. But it just adds to the pressure. Like [the cameras] always there. You’re running around and they’re there… everywhere.”
Below Deck Med’s Katie Flood says she overcame anxiety over Lady Michelle
“And sometimes, I talk about this so much, I suffer from anxiety too,” she shared. “And things really build up inside me. So like when you need a moment to yourself, it’s really hard. Because when you have these little ones ….uh, you have a camera guy in your face And you’re like, ‘I gotta get my sh*t together.’ So it’s definitely a challenge. Like it’s definitely not your ideal. But you get used to it.”
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Flood found support from former chief Stu Hannah Ferrier. Ferrier dealt with anxiety on the show and was filmed having some panic attacks. “Yeah, she was really cute,” said Flood. “She messages me from time to time to check in. Like, ‘How’s the concern?’ I know she was really struggling with this as well.”
“But she was like ‘If you need any help I’m here to talk,’” Flood shared. “Or how to navigate your way through it. I don’t think you can prepare you for shooting a show. Like no one can prepare you for that. So it’s nice to have the support. And I think we Everyone deals with it differently. Like we all have our own stuff. So I guess that’s the hardest part, you just have time to walk away and be like, ‘Okay take a deep breath and give your sh*t a go. Bring along. You don’t really have that, so it can be a bit of a struggle.”
