Kim Kavin - yachting journalist, writer, freelancer

Standing Before the Mast

Kim Kavin began her journalism career at a newspaper nearly 25 years ago. While many local newspapers have either been bought out, consolidated or shut-down, Kim Kavin made a move to yachting journalism before many of those changes began to proliferate. Her initial move to yachting was well, to Yachting Magazine.

Kim walks us through those early days, explaining how she wound up at Yachting and the many other publications with which she’s played a major role. Those other publications include: Soundings, Passagemaker, Cruising World, Soundings Trade Only, Yachts International, and Boatsetter. Part of that discussion includes how she successfully navigated a world occupied predominately by men.

Kim introduces me to the practice of “enthusiast oriented journalism”. Unlike in the world of Woodward & Bernstein, the approach to covering a story about a yacht or charter is a different, yet valued pursuit. There exists a delicate dance between the yachting businesses and the journalists that cover them. She also walks us through some of the structural changes that have taken place at magazines, and how she now works as a freelance journalist and writer.

Beyond Kim’s work in the world of yachting journalism, she also has a love and passion for dogs that runs deep. That passion runs so deep, her curiosity about the history of her adopted dog led her on a personal journey to discover the origin of her beloved pet. This was documented in her book, Little Boy Blue, released in 2012. CNN did a story on the book that ultimately resulted in a kill shelter being closed down.

Most of our talk is about boats, yachts and the behind the scenes of yachting journalism. The last 10 minutes or so are about our mutual love of dogs and her work in that field.

You can learn more about Kim, her writing history, accolades and links to her writings and advocacy for freelancers at her web site: http://www.kimkavin.com/

And next time you pick up a copy of Yachting, be sure to look for her name and you’ll be able to put a voice to the words.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisheaton.substack.com