'Below Deck' stars to 'battle' it out in Patchogue

From “Below Deck” to onstage, two alumni of Bravo’s charter-yacht reality show franchise come ashore Saturday at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, for the one-night event "Battle of the Bosuns."

While the title is alluringly alliterative, neither star, in fact, is a boatswain anymore. Eddie Lucas, 38, who appeared in five seasons of the flagship show, had risen from deckhand to boatswain — the position in charge of deckhands, organizing deck operations and other tasks — to first officer. He now captains his own ship: the tugboat Lynne Moran, in Baltimore Harbor. Malia White, 33, from three seasons of “Below Deck Mediterranean,” went from deckhand to lead deckhand to boatswain on the show. She’s now second officer on the private family yacht where she has worked for 4½ years.

Saturday's event, both say, will test their nautical knowledge and give each a chance to tell stories of their time at sea both on their shows and off. As is typical of such productions, there will be audience Q&A and other interactive elements.

“It's going to be a lot of participation with the guests, answering questions, telling fun stories and spilling some tea about the show,” says the Massachusetts-born and Maryland-raised Lucas by phone from his stateroom on his tug. “And supposedly there's even going to be a surprise appearance from another ‘Below Deck’ cast member that Malia and I don't even know who it is.”

“Yeah,” agrees the New Jersey-born and Oregon-raised White, speaking by phone from her home in West Palm Beach, Florida, “and I've tried guessing and [the producers] won't tell me. I feel like it's going to be Colin [Macy-O'Toole, of Sayville], but I'm not sure.”

In the time since they were last on their respective shows — Lucas most recently in 2022, White in 2021 — they have kept up careers in their field.

Lucas and his four-member crew last month received a U.S. Coast Guard Public Service Commendation, as well as an American Waterways Operators HERO (Honor and Excellence in Rescue Operations) Award, for rescuing two stranded boaters in distress on Oct. 25. White recently obtained her “Chief Mate 3000” certification, meaning she can serve as first officer on vessels of up to 3,000 gross tons. And she was in the cast of Bravo’s “Winter House” last year.

Lucas, who lives with his girlfriend in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, is too firmly ensconced as a captain in a demanding profession to get away for extended periods — he and his crew are two weeks on, two weeks off, living on the tug when on. Even just this one-night event required major shuffling of schedules.

“I've got relief coming in that's going to cover me for the event,” he says, “and then as soon as the event's over, I'm jumping in a car and driving back. My mate's going to cover the boat until I get back around five, six in the morning.”

White, whose boss allows her a flexible schedule, says there may be more “Below Deck” in her future.

“With ‘Deck’ you never really know if or when you're coming back, so it's not like I've left the show — just that they haven't had me back for another season," she says. "There's always talk of my coming back as an officer, maybe, but we'll see.”