Below Deck: Are Captain Lee Rosbach And Eddie Lucas Still Close?

Captain Lee Rosbach and Eddie Lucas first met on "Below Deck" Season 1 and their friendship grew over the years. Lucas came onto the luxury yacht "Honor" as a deckhand and quickly impressed Rosbach with his hard work. Lucas returned to "Below Deck" for Seasons 2 and 3 as a bosun, via Bustle. Season 3 proved to be Lucas' most drama-filled to date, as he was struggling with his then-girlfriend and then had an illicit affair with Stew Rocky Dakota.

Lucas tried to cover up his fling but Dakota felt slighted by him and let the whole boat know what was going on between them. When Rosbach found out, he expressed his disappointment in Lucas and the two shared a serious conversation that season. "[Lucas] took that pretty hard, and it was a conversation I didn't wanna have, but I had to because there were some things I thought he needed to hear," Rosbach shared with The Daily Dish.

Following Season 3, Lucas left "Below Deck" to take time away from the cameras, but his one faux-pas wasn't enough to break Rosbach's trust, and the captain had a special request just for him.

Ahead of "Below Deck" Season 8, Captain Lee Rosbach asked Eddie Lucas to return to the show. "This season, Captain Lee didn't have Kate [Chastain] with him anymore and I think he needed a little ace in the hole. Somebody he could rely on. He definitely reached out to me to come back and work with him again," Lucas revealed to Digital Spy. Rosbach shared his reason for wanting a familiar face on board. "If you don't have an Eddie or a Kate that can count on, you might as well just resign yourself to the fact that you're gonna be pulling your hair out before the season ends," Rosbach told Bravo.

Rosbach showed his appreciation for Lucas by promoting him to First Officer at the end of the season, per Bravo. The two shared a heartwarming moment and their mutual admiration for each other was apparent. Lucas returned for "Below Deck" Season 9 as the First Officer but was noticeably absent from subsequent seasons. The yachtie shared that he wasn't invited back and complained that the network underpays the "Below Deck" crew compared to the other shows, per New York Post.

Lucas shared that he would never return to the show but when Us Weekly asked if he would work with Lucas again, Rosbach declared, "Absolutely. I'd work with Eddie in a heartbeat." Although Lucas is no longer on the show, he and Rosbach still remain tight.

Captain Lee Rosbach and Eddie Lucas's friendship is so strong, they make time to see each other outside of "Below Deck." According to Hello!, Rosbach lives in Florida and Lucas is based in Maryland but the two find the chance to meet up whenever possible. In August 2021, Lucas shared a picture on Instagram of him with the handsome captain in Los Angeles, with the two sporting matching flower shirts. "Reunited and it feeeeels so gooooooood!" the First Officer captioned. Rosbach posted the same picture on his Instagram feed and wrote, "A great time with an even better friend. Doesn't get any better than this."

In June 2021, Lucas shared a snap of him and Rosbach sunbathing on a boat. "Capt! It national sunglasses day! Maui Jim's on!!" A day before, Rosbach posted a picture of him and Eddie with his wife at a restaurant. "Great night, great food, even better friends," he captioned the photo. It's apparent Rosbach and Lucas formed a deep bond during their time together on "Below Deck" and their friendship continues past the show.