As one of the original and most beloved cast members of Bravo’s “Below Deck”, Captain Lee Rosbach isn’t easily forgotten. The years he appeared in the show served to gain him such a loyal following that they keep up-to-date with his whereabouts even after his surprising exit from before season 11.
Nonetheless, the famous ‘Stud of the Sea’ isn’t just memorable but also pretty successful. The image he kept as the skipper during his “Below Deck” days is just one part of the great career that he’s built, and his inspiring personal life.
So, who is Captain Lee Rosbach, and how rich is he? What about his personal life and current projects? Is he planning on returning to TV? Keep with us to learn all of this and more!
Net Worth & Lifestyle
According to online reports, Captain Lee Rosbach has a net worth of over $1 million. This results from his decades-long career as a yacht and vessel skipper, as well as his earnings from appearing in “Below Deck”, including any sponsorships he might have gained thanks to his ever-growing fame. On top of that, his website lists a wide range of official merchandise, from t-shirts to mugs, to his book entitled “Running Against the Tide”.
As seen on Captain Lee’s Instagram, his lifestyle is right up to the level of a TV star. From trips to beautiful locations around the world, to running the streets of Florida on his expensive three-wheeler Can-Am vehicle – a brand of which he’s an ambassador – it’s easy to see that the Captain does just great in life.
Why Did He Leave “Below Deck”?
Captain Lee Rosbach was one of the original cast members of “Below Deck”, and a famous one at that. His vast experience and leadership on the Bravo’s vessels were crucial for the show and the dynamics among the cast members, thus the audience couldn’t help but admire and respect him.
Captain Lee Rosbach on returning to #BelowDeck:
“I do miss it. I miss the traveling. I miss the challenges. And there’s certainly no lack of challenges on board, each one unique and different,” he tells The Standard. “So, yeah, I do miss it.” pic.twitter.com/NtqVnQDSpY
— Below Deck Sailing Yacht (@BelowDeckSailng) August 16, 2024
Unfortunately, Captain Lee’s path in the show ended in late 2022 after ten seasons. As it happened, Captain Lee underwent back surgery before the season’s tenth began filming, resulting in him missing several episodes of the show. Though not many details about his health were revealed at the time, the Captain affirmed that he was ‘a little incapacitated’ and needed the help of his crew with certain tasks, but that the worst part of the issue was ‘already behind’ him.
Although Captain Lee’s departure from the show wasn’t officially announced in front of cameras, it was evident that he was going through a tough time health-wise. However, that didn’t stop fans from being shocked when the beloved Captain was nowhere to be found in season 11, which premiered in 2023.
According to an interview that Captain Lee gave The Sun Sentinel, he hadn’t retired from skippering, nor had he quit the show. Instead, he wasn’t invited for “Below Deck” season 11. The reason was that producers were uncertain about his health status, and couldn’t get ‘a straight answer’ even from his doctor beyond a description of it as a ‘nerve issue’, which even the Captain found understandable. He also affirmed that his ties with the show hadn’t been severed and both parties were waiting to see if his return would be possible in a couple of years.
Captain Lee’s Beginnings
The life story of Captain Lee Rosbach is as inspiring as excitement-inducing. He was born on 15 November 1949 in Saginaw, Michigan, USA. While not all details about his early life are known, he’s revealed that he used to run a 1967 Mustang in his teens, and the experience left him ‘lucky’ to be alive because of how dangerous it was.
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Lee’s earliest profession was as an on-air welder in construction operations in Indiana, a job that left him with great pay, but put him in constant danger. He later went on to own a biker bar, where a physical fight left him with a broken wrist.
As the Captain revealed to The Sun Sentinel in 2023, he and his wife, Mary Anne, closed the bar to establish themselves as restaurant owners in Turks and Caicos Isles – that’s the place where Captain Lee saw the ocean for the first time, and also joined a risky paid adventure in the Caribbean, delivering a sailboat to gain some extra money for his business.
The experience, which he describes as ‘an accident’, was the thing he needed to find his true life calling. From then on, Lee escalated his way in the field before becoming a Captain, facing very dire on-sea weather conditions and confrontations along the way.
Personal Life & Happy Moments
Every good fan of “Below Deck” surely remembers Mary Anne, the wife of Captain Lee Rosbach. While not a regular in the show, Mary Anne made some memorable appearances, so it isn’t even a surprise that the Captain described his favorite moment in the show as when he saw his ‘bride’, as she walked down the dock.
Lee and Mary Anne’s relationship is one for the books. The couple has been married since 1975 and has navigated, so to speak, the waters of marriage while one of them is often away traveling on the sea. Nonetheless, as Captain Rosbach has affirmed, he always makes the effort to put ‘a smile on her face’ because he cares more about her happiness than he does for himself.
While Mary Anne and Lee have built a stable and happy life together for more than 50 years, life hasn’t always been a bed of roses. In July 2019, the couple lost their youngest son Joshua Lee to addiction, which the young man fought against for 20 years. In an Instagram post from the time, the Captain encouraged everyone to help and support their loved ones who might be struggling with similar issues.
Upcoming Projects
After a couple of years away from TV, Captain Lee Rosbach returned to the small screen in Oxygen’s production “Deadly Waters With Captain Lee”, which premiered in mid-2024. This new show sheds light on the most mysterious unsolved crimes that have happened on the sea, though he isn’t alone in the adventure, as experts and investigators delve into the cases with him in hopes of finding the truth.
As Captain Lee revealed to E News, the show kept him busy enough to allow him to keep up to date with the 11th season of “Below Deck”, which premiered in early 2024. The good news was that he affirmed to be doing a lot better health-wise, with his nerve-related problem becoming almost a thing of the past, as he no longer needs crutches or a cane to walk.
While Captain Lee’s old “Below Deck” fans might be hopeful of seeing him again in the show, it’s unclear if a return is possible. Nevertheless, such an iconic man can’t be easily forgotten, whether he’s on TV or not.
