Sydney Zaruba – Below Deck Sailing Yacht

By starrymag | March 29, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) It was touched on a bit during the show, but how did you get your start working on yachts?

A) Parsifal is my first superyacht I have worked on! I grew up sailing and my family runs a day charters business on a traditional tall ship back home in Florida.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of “Below Deck Sailing Yacht?”

A) I wanted a new experience in sailing and a way to travel the world and do something I love doing, sailing, boating, being on the water and what’s even better, getting paid to do it.

 

Q) Had you been a fan of the show or familiar with it before joining the cast this year?

A) Yes! I’ve always watched “Below Deck” through the seasons.

 

Q) Were there though any certain parts of your life you deemed off limits to the camera?

A) I’m a pretty open book. Really, I am who I am, and I’m not ashamed of that, so nope, not really!  Just don’t drag my friends or family or I will NOT be happy!

 

Q) Talk about your background in sailing yachts and what made you want to be a deckhand?

A) It never even occurred to me to go into the interior department when I joined yachting! I’ve always been outside working on deck, while also serving drinks and food, but never been a “silver service” sort of gal. Though I have mad respect for stews, they take a beating! My passion is sailing, so it made sense to be on the deck to me!

 

Q) We saw you and Gary [King] get pretty close pretty quickly. What was it about him that drew you to him?

A) Gary can be a very charming individual when he wants to be!

 

Q) We know that he stated from the jump that it was a one-night fling. Was there something that made you confused about where things stood between you?

A) I think we’ve all been in a situation where we liked someone else more than they liked us, and that happened to me!  It’s no biggie, things happen.

 

Q) Talk about working with Captain Glenn Shephard. 

A) I absolutely adore working with Captain Glenn – there’s not a lot of people who I would drop everything and go work for, but Captain Glenn is one of them.  He’s even keel, hilarious, and such a joy to work for.

 

Q) Who have you stayed in contact with and become friendly with from the show?

A) I definitely keep up with Natasha [De Bourg] the most out of everyone!  But I still chat to pretty much everyone, mostly the gals.

 

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming “Below Deck Sailing Yacht?”

A) Most of my favorite moments are things that are never going to be shown on TV, little things on deck when we’re out sailing, finally having some alone time during night shift, stupid jokes with the crew that never make the cut.  It was a crazy season for sure, but there were so many giggles. I think we as a crew laughed more than I’ve ever seen a crew laugh.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Have you been enjoying the instant fan feedback you have been receiving to episodes?  

A) I’m grateful for every single person who thinks I’m interesting enough to follow in my day-to-day life!  Most of the time my life is not nearly as exciting as it seems it was while on “Below Deck Sailing Yacht,” but I try to keep busy!  I’m grateful for anyone who has kind words to say to me and I always try and respond back to as many people as possible.

 

Q) What do you want to be sure fans know about you and your time on “Below Deck Sailing Yacht?”

A) Going on “Below Deck” completely changed my life.  I can’t say what happens, but the way the season ended has literally changed everything I thought I had planned in my life!

 

 

Catch Sydney Zaruba on “Below Deck Sailing Yacht” Mondays at 9PM ET/PT on Bravo