Below Deck Mediterranean‘s Captain Sandy Yawn has been open about her love story with girlfriend Leah Shafer.

The couple met in 2018 when the gospel singer reached out to the reality star on social media about her hit Bravo series.

“She sent me a nice message that said, ‘I came across your show, congratulations, many blessings,’” the captain recalled in an interview with The Cheat Sheet in 2019, noting that the term “many blessings” quickly caught her attention.

Ahead of her romance with the Below Deck star, Shafer was married to entertainer Ross Shafer for 20 years. They welcomed daughter Lauren before their split.

For Leah, making her relationship with Sandy public in 2019 felt like the perfect next step in their romance. “It was definitely unexpected,” she shared with the outlet at the time. “It just happened, when you meet another soul that you connect with at such a deep level, it is unexplainable and so beautiful.”

The pair continued to offer glimpses of their blossoming connection over the years. In honor of their anniversary, Sandy gushed about her partner, writing via Instagram in November 2020, “2 years ago I met this incredible soul, my true love. It’s so true couples that play together stay together. Yep this is Leah’s idea of fun, detoxing the skin with a charcoal mask!”

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The Bravo star later hinted that she and Leah weren’t ruling out a walk down the aisle, telling Bravo in July 2021, “Yeah, you know, honestly, slow and steady wins the race. So, I do. I do [see marriage in the future]. I mean, who knows? Like, it’s only been two years. Just under two years, so let’s see.”

Scroll on for a full breakdown of Sandy and Leah’s romance:

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