Captain Lee Rosbach announces he’s leaving Below Deck yacht due to health issues

Captain Lee Rosbach announced he would be leaving the 197-foot yacht St. David due to persistent mobility issues on Monday’s episode of Below Deck, calling it “one of the most sobering experiences of my life.”

The 73-year-old great-grandfather, whose number one fan is Christina Applegate, was forced to use crutches to get around the glass due to nerve damage he sustained after undergoing back surgery ahead of season 10.

‘My injury, it’s getting worse. The left side of my body, I don’t feel anything. I expected much more progress than I’m experiencing, and the most frustrating part is that I can’t do anything about it, and it’s hard,” Lee explained in a confessional.

“One of my biggest problems now is that I can’t observe. I don’t know who does what, it’s my job. The pain is getting worse, not better. I owe it to my crew to do right by them. They expect that of me.

“There comes a point where if a captain is really objective, he should put the best interests of his crew first because that is his primary responsibility. As soon as you get on board, check your damn ego on the dock. That’s where you leave it.

Rosbach, who has 43 years in the boating industry, later confronted his crew about how “difficult it’s been” and apologized for letting them down: “So I made the decision to leave the ship.”

Below Deck fans were clearly upset, taking to Twitter to show their support for their Captain, writing, “You are the standard most of us strive for” and “You are a man of honor and integrity.”

In an earlier scene, Lee is seen making a surreptitious phone call to another captain, who many believe to be Captain Sandy Yawn.

“I swear to God if Sandy steps in as Lee’s Captain I’ll cry,” one fan tweeted.

An outraged Twitter user tagged executive producer Andy Cohen, writing: ‘We deserve better than more Sandy! Re crazy? Literally anyone would have been a better replacement for Captain Lee! We are so tired of Sandy! Nobody likes Sandy!

But the Michigan-born, Fort Lauderdale-based Rosbach might not stay out of the Caribbean for long, as he said. ME! News on November 16 that “retirement is grossly overrated.”

‘You can only go fishing so much, you can only play so much golf. I think people have to continue to be productive, otherwise they better start bringing out the shovel,” Bravo-lebrity explained.

‘I’m still having fun [on Below Deck]. I look forward to every season. I always said that when it stops being funny or everyone gets tired of staring at me, then I’ll walk away. But until one of those two things happens, I don’t see myself going anywhere.

Lee will also appear on the US version of the British game show The Wheel, which premieres December 19 on NBC.