Below deck Captain Kerry revealed Captain Lee’s advice to him before departure

Pass on his wisdom? Captain Kerry got some useful advice from Captain Lee before being chosen to take over Below deck.

“‘Be yourself. Be the same man I was golfing with,'” de Below deck adventure star told exclusively Us weekly earlier this month, referring to his first encounter with Lee, 73, at a golf tournament. “And then I asked him about social media and how to do it. I said, “I heard I should get someone to do it so I don’t get caught up in it.” He says, “No, do your own social media. Don’t let anyone do that.’”

Kerry recalled getting support from the OG Below deck star when they also crossed paths at BravoCon.

“The show wasn’t out yet, but we got talking and he said, ‘Man, you’re going to do great. You’re going to do really well. I can see it,'” the Australian native shared. Us. “He says, ‘You’re going to do great in this franchise.’ And then he talked to my daughter, it was cool.”

The Bravo newcomer’s insight into his friendship with Lee came shortly before that Us broke the news that the Michigan native would be leaving the franchise after Season 10. Lee, who joined the hit series in 2013, will be replaced by Kerry for season 11. Us also confirmed that filming on the new season will begin in Grenada later this week.

The Running against the current author shocked viewers when he announced his temporary departure from the show in Season 10. He eventually called Below deck Mediterranean‘s Captain Sandy to take his place – marking the franchise’s first captain crossover.

“As you know I have struggled with my mobility, and it has been difficult and I have let you down and I apologize for that. So I’ve decided to get out of the boat,” Lee told his crew in a December 2022 episode before Sandy arrived to take over.

That same month, Lee shared how filming took a turn for him in Season 10. “The back surgery was amazing, it really was,” he told Exclusively Us. “You’ll find me doing something this season that I’ve never done before in my career or in my life. And there will be a lot of situations where you think, ‘Wow, I didn’t see that coming at all.’ And not only will it be true for the viewers, [but] so was myself and the crew.

Meanwhile main stew Fraser Older admitted he felt a difference when Sandy, 57, temporarily took Lee’s place on board.

“I think overall they have very different management styles,” he said exclusively Us in January. “I knew Captain Lee and I knew how he worked. I knew how much he liked to arrange things. He also trusted me and he gave me the confidence to be creative and enjoy my opinion [it].”

According to Fraser, it took him “some time” to “get used to Lee’s replacement” before returning later in the season. “But she also taught me a lot about myself, and I think at the end of the season [you’ll] understand what I mean by that, ”continued the native of England. “She really opened my eyes to things I wouldn’t have handled very well before — without making sure I did.”

Below deck airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.