Meet the 'Below Deck' captain: Australia-born Kerry Titheradge now calls Florida home
PALM BEACH GARDENS — The captain setting sail on a luxury super yacht in the new season of “Below Deck” is one of the city’s own.
Kerry Titheradge of Palm Beach Gardens sailed off the coast of Grenada, a small island in the Caribbean, for six weeks while Bravo filmed the show’s 11th season. Its first episode premiered on Feb. 5.
The reality series follows the lives of a crew working on a yacht, the wealthy guests who charter it and the drama that arises throughout.
Titheradge previously manned a boat for one of the show’s spinoffs called “Below Deck Adventure.” It premiered in November 2022 and followed the crew as they navigated Norway’s water channels.
The 'Below Deck' captain who replaced Captain Lee: Who is Kerry Titheradge?
The 48-year-old was born in Brisbane, Australia. He has replaced Lee Rosbach, the captain who has been on “Below Deck” since its 2013 debut.
Titheradge’s love for the ocean has taken him around the world to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific Northwest. He has worked on boats for about three decades and yachts specifically for 20 years.
Titheradge moved to West Palm Beach in 2004 when he captained a boat based in North Palm Beach. He relocated to Palm Beach Gardens in 2014 because of the city’s A-rated public schools, where he enrolled his two children.
When he isn’t captaining a boat, he spends his time practicing jiujitsu with his son, taking his daughter for coffee dates, fostering Husky dogs and hydrofoiling, which involves riding on a board that lifts up above water.
He owns a company called Yachting Concepts, which offers yacht management, captaining and engineering services.
When did Captain Kerry start working on boats?
Titheradge got his start working on boats when his original career plan took an unexpected turn.
Titheradge grew up in Central Queensland, the outback of Australia, so he never learned to surf as a kid and he didn’t at first imagine himself working on the water.
When he was 18 years old, the company where he had an apprenticeship with hopes of becoming an electrician closed down.
“I ended up just doing whatever I could,” Titheradge said. “I walked down the street and knocked on every door until someone gave me a job.”
That eventually led him to an interview for a deckhand job on a parasailing boat, which tows water-skiers who float in the air with a parachute. He did whatever he could to get the gig.
“(After the interview), I wouldn’t leave,” Titheradge said. “I asked, ‘Can I rinse the boat?’ and ‘Can I dry the boat?’ I just kept adding jobs. It just felt right, and they gave me the job.”
Thus, his decades-long career began.
He worked on parasailing boats, then moved on to water taxis, ferries, landing barges, tug boats, dredges and yachts. He has worked as a deckhand, steward, engineer, captain and first officer.
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What does he love most about Bravo's show, 'Below Deck?'
Titheradge loves that the show lets people see what life working on a yacht is like, especially with a crew whose members come from different places around the world.
“The cameras disappear pretty quickly for me, and I’m just doing my job,” Titheradge said. “We’re showing people aspects of the industry that people don’t know much about, but are very interested in.”
He describes his captaining style as “firm, but fair.”
“I give all of my crew members respect,” Titheradge said. “If they take my kindness as a weakness, they’re gone. But if they’re having a tough time (mentally), I want to be able to help them. Mental health is very important to me.”
Titheradge said he is grateful for the fanbase and platform that “Below Deck” has given him, which is something he never thought he would have.
He wants to use his following for good.
During the Christmas season, he raised funds and collected gift donations for families with single parents. He is also an advocate for pet adoption and shares information about fostering dogs on his Instagram page.
Has he experienced any scary moments on the waters?
While out on the water, Titheradge has faced hurricanes, fires and medical emergencies among guests.
One unexpected storm raged in the middle of the night while he was cruising off the coast of Italy about 14 years ago. Lightning struck the boat and shut off its navigation, light, radio and radar equipment.
The storm lasted for hours and tossed the boat all the way to the coast of Croatia. Titheradge said he didn’t have time to get scared because he was so focused on the job at hand: avoiding a capsize.
“If you let fear ride your decision-making, you make mistakes,” Titheradge said. “It’s about planning properly, clear communication and executing it.”
How to watch ‘Below Deck’ Season 11?
New episodes of Season 11 run on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET Mondays.
If you missed an episode on cable, they release on Peacock the day after they air. Previous seasons of "Below Deck” and its spinoffs are also on the streaming service.
The exact number of episodes has not yet been revealed, but there are usually around 15 to 17 episodes per season, each around an hour long.
Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 'Below Deck' Captain Kerry who replaced Lee, calls Florida home
