Kim Skov-Nielsen
Mob: +34 609 891 650
info@yachtmarinesurveyor.com
About KSN
Kim Skov-Nielsen
Born to Danish/Norwegian parents in Saigon, Vietnam in 1960, raised in 14 countries until shanghaied for the '79 Fastnet Race.

KSN is preceded by 3 generations of seafarers, fishermen and explorers. His first yachting job was building GRP sailboats in polyester chopstrand in a small boatyard on the docks of Antwerp in the summer of 1974.

KSN has worked full-time in the marine industry since 1979, primarily as a yacht skipper and ocean racer. KSN has sailed almost 150,000 blue water miles worldwide, amassing a wide range of valuable experience - from building boats to sailing them around the world, from being bosun on a 12m at the America's Cup to being a Project Manager at America's Cup & Whitbread Round the World Race level. KSN has also done several seasons in the mountains as a ski bum, a year as a timeshare salesman for Marriott's and a few months as a trainee paramedic.
Yacht and Marine Surveyor
Tired of globetrotting and armed with a diploma in Marine Surveying, KSN established a surveying business in Spain delivering a range of survey and consultancy work to clients worldwide.

Surveying milestones have been to survey and value the Challenge Business fleet of 19 steel sailing yachts. And a short time thereafter to survey and value the Clipper Challenge fleet of GRP yachts.

In recent years yacht surveys have taken place as far apart as Gdansk and Buenos Aires.
Surveying Qualifications
  • Lloyds/IIMS Diploma in Marine Surveying with a speciality in Small Craft (with merit) awarded in 2003
  • International Institute of Marine Surveying - Full Member
  • Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors - Acredited Marine Surveyor (AMS) with specialty in Small Craft
  • UK Marine & Coastguard Agency - Approved Surveyor
  • International Register of Marine Surveyors
  • International Register of Marine Consultants
  • International Safety Management - Lead Auditor, qualified to set up, monitor and inspect ISM systems ashore and afloat
  • Expert Witness in UK Jurisprudence
Yachting Qualifications
  • RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean - with Commercial and Power Endorsement - held since 1983
  • MCA Navigation & Radar
  • MCA ARPA Radar Watch-Keeping
  • MCA Ship Construction & Stability
  • MCA Business & Law
  • MCA GMDSS GOC Operators license
  • MCA Fire Fighting at Sea
  • MCA First Aid at Sea
  • MCA Ships Captains Medical
  • MCA Proficiency in Medical Care
  • PADI Rescue Diver
Other Qualifications
  • International Baccalaureate from St. Clare's Hall, Oxford in 1979
  • Studied International Relations at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. 1979-1983
  • Commodore of the Georgetown University Sailing Team
Career Highlights
  • Surviving Hurricane Klaus enroute to the Caribbean in November 1984
  • Building and campaigning the champion One-Tonner 'Highland Fling' from One-Ton Worlds & Admirals Cup to winning the Southern Cross Cup and being top boat in the Sydney Hobart Race
  • Being a bosun and sailtrimmer on a 12m at the 1987 America's Cup
  • Project Managing the building of the boat and the training of the crew for the 1989 Whitbread Round-the-World Race
  • Initial Project Manager for the constuction of the Swedish America's Cup Class yacht in Sweden 1990-91
Rig Basics - How to Look After Your Mast, Rigging and Sails
Kim's book 'Rig Basics' is now available. Click Here for more information.

"This book is long overdue and, to be blunt, no skipper putting to sea across the bar should be without it."
Tom Cunliffe - Yachtsman, journalist and author
Kim's next book will be a guide to the shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast of Namibia.