Kim Hess moves aboard her first boat

Kim Hess — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:52:06 +0000

“Tonto he was smart, one day said Kemosabe, Kiss my ass I bought a boat, I’m going out to sea.” Lyle Lovett’s, If I had a Boat

I could not wait to make this the ring tone on my phone, and I did November 20, 2009 as the selling broker and I were bringing ‘my’ boat back to her home at Florida Sea Base after the survey.

Since that day my entire life has changed. I have moved aboard, left my full time yoga teaching position in Miami Beach and am preparing to receive my first Boy Scout crew for the ten weeks I will be running at Sea Base in the Florida Keys.

When I purchased Rainbow Connection, I had zero knowledge of diesel engines, electrical systems or any kind of ‘boat system’ for that matter. I knew how to sail, period. I had been crew on several boat this size (she is a 41’ Morgan Classic) but had only handled boats 22’ or less. What a leap of faith!

Since that time, I have learned about the cooling system on my engine, naturally after she overheated; I have also learned about the electrical system by being without shore power for the last couple of months.

I have learned that by stepping back and breaking things down detail-by-detail, troubleshooting can solve any problem and that Nigel Calder
is a Godsend.

I know that I need to replace the discharge valve in my aft head (not really looking forward to this one).

And I also have learned that there are a million and one ways to do the same thing!

Some days I feel totally confident and other days I wake up filled with anxiety and wondering what the heck I got myself into.

I will be perfectly honest…I imagined myself doing all of this with a partner, but refused to let both dreams slip through my fingers while I waited for one.

So, here I am, learning, growing, knowing my fears and facing them, one day at a time.

I believe one of the biggest lessons for me is that no one that owns a boat does it all alone. The captains here on the docks at Sea Base and other friends of mine have been so helpful and reassuring in the fact that they have felt the same chaos that I am feeling right now at some time or another and they ask for help when they need it.

This morning I am going to fuel up, then into the engine room for an oil change and fuel filter change. After that I will be zipping into West Marine to pay another weeks salary for one of their employees.

Tuesday I get my first crew: six scouts and two counselors; followed by nine more crews, taking me into the first week of August. We will sail, fish (I still have to learn how to fish!) snorkel, pray to the weather Gods and teach each other about life.

All is good in the Florida Keys!

Peace, Love and Laughter
Captain Kim Hess
SV Rainbow Connection

About Kim Hess

Kim Hess is a sailor, a captain, a yoga instructor and the author of Yoga Onboard, a practical guide to adapting traditional yoga postures or asana to your vessel.

It’s available as a book and DVD.

More info (external links)

Visit Kim Hess’s website, Tropic Yoga or check her book Yoga Onboard: a guide for cruisers and live aboards at Amazon.com.
The boat maintenance “most revered bible”: Nigel Calder’s Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual

How did you learn your sailing/cruising skills?
Let us know. Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

Why Kim Hess got her captain’s license

Kim Hess — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:41:00 +0000

I am always being asked what prompted me to get my Captains license or more correctly my Merchant Marine Officers license.

I can’t honestly say when the seed was actually planted or why, but as soon as it was, it began to grow and grow fast.

I mentioned the idea to a friend of mine, and he encouraged me to do it sooner than later. Within the next month, I had signed up and began Sea School.

I do know that a couple of years ago shortly after meeting and having an amazing connection with Suzanne Giesemann, I read her book It’s Your Boat Too. This book changed the way I saw my role on a boat. It gave me the confidence to take the test (oral and practical) to check out as a skipper at Shake-A-Leg Miami where I had been sailing as an AB (able body) for two years.

	Kim and the Shake-a-Leg Pirate Girl Crew.
	The Pirate Girl Crew share pizza and show off their tattoos after a day on the water.

I initially saw Sea School and the ensuing test as an opportunity to once again up my confidence level. I had plans to cruise whether it be with a partner or by myself, and having very little experience as a skipper (although I am, if I may say so myself, a mighty fine crew), and only having the opportunity at the time to skipper the twenty something Freedoms at Shake, I felt by acquiring the intellectual knowledge, I would then be able to transfer that into practical knowledge when the time came.

For me, the confidence came in realizing how much I already knew, with the most challenging part about the whole process being the paperwork preparation for the Coast Guard. Trust me, if there is even the most remote possibility that you may decide to do this, start right now logging your hours on every single vessel you are on. For those of you that are now cruising or have been, this will be easy. For me, I had to document sea time over the last 20 years of sailing!

Getting my Captains license was definitely a good thing for me, however, unless you have a desire to use it for professional reasons, I highly recommend ASA’s (American Sailing Association) certifications. The information is the same; with an opportunity to apply the information in a practical setting (and be tested on it) is presented. I am a true believer in experiential learning, which is something the Captains license testing doesn’t offer.

Today, I am actively looking for my boat, with hopes to being a live aboard before years end and with my Captains license, I am excited about starting a charter company and getting my ASA instructors certifications so I can share this passion with others.

About Kim

Kim Hess is a sailor, a captain!, a yoga instructor and the author of Yoga Onboard, a practical guide to adapting traditional yoga postures or asana to your vessel. It’s available as a book and DVD.

More info

Visit Kim Hess’s website, Tropic Yoga or check Yoga Onboard: a guide for cruisers and live aboards at Amazon.com.
Look for sailing classes and certifications at the American Sailing Association.
Volunteer with Shake-A-Leg Miami.
Visit Suzanne Giesemann’s website, Liberty Sails or check It’s Your Boat Too at Amazon.com.
Check out getting your captain’s license through Sea School.
Consult the Learning to Sail Resources page (on this website)

Blog » Kim Hess