If you’ve fished in Guatemala in the last 19 years, there is a pretty good chance that you’ve seen Captain Kennedy Hernandez. A true professional of intense fishing skill, Hernandez is a family man who is humble, straightforward and friendly. Kennedy’s rise to the Captain’s chair is a tale of how skill and dedication can pave the way for opportunity.

Growing up in Guatemala, Hernandez started out washing boats at Fins and Feathers. “My dad was a maintenance man there and used to fill the boats with fuel. So, after school I used to help him cleaning the pool or passing the fuel hose to the mates. Seeing the boats every day, I always told myself that one day I would work on one of them. I couldn’t have been happier when the first mate on the Intensity one day asked me if I wanted to help out on the boat. I immediately said yes – I didn’t even ask what my monthly salary would be,” Kennedy recalls. “That’s how I started my career – as a washdown boy, for Captain Rick Ogle, one month before I turned 13.”

While washing boats, it was the late Captain Aaron Valdez on the Magic who first gave Kennedy the opportunity to work as a second mate. This opportunity led to a full time offer for the same position aboard the Pelegian with Captain Brad Philipps. “After five months, I became first mate. I fished with Brad from 2000 through 2016-17 seasons,” recalls Kennedy.

While running Captain Brad Philipps’ cockpit, Kennedy experienced epic fishing. “The most impressive was the 2006 season. We caught nearly 100 blue marlin and nearly 2,000 sailfish. Our best single day ever was 91 sailfish,” Kennedy recalls. “I rigged the ballyhoo and all of the baits, and I’d run the cockpit.” While Kennedy is too humble to provide the total number of sailfish and blue marlin that he caught while fishing with Philipps – both on conventional tackle and fly, it is safe to say that it is a number not seen by many other crewmen. Proof of this statement is the pile of The Billfish Foundation top mate awards he received.

“Brad and I also fished in Cape Verde together in 2012 and 2016. We fished in Costa Rica. He took me to the Seychelles Islands and on safari in Africa, too. I’m really grateful to Brad,” Kennedy says. “All the guys here have helped me (speaking of the captains who fish out of the Pacific coast of Guatemala’s only marina). Brad really taught me a lot about being a captain. He used to let me run the boat in or out. It was very simple, but it was very important to me.”

On some level, anyone who works on a boat benefits from investment generated by sportfishing. For those passionate about life on the water, a captain’s job or a position in the cockpit not only provides a livelihood but a great lifestyle. While this is true for anyone, there is an added level of benefit and profile to a captain’s job in places where it may provide a higher standard of living than might otherwise be possible.

“Sportfishing has done a lot for me. I started when I was really young. A sportfishing job is one of the best in the port. It allows you to make enough money to live really well,” Hernandez explains. “It not only changed my lifestyle but gave the chance to be a sportfisherman instead of a commercial fisherman.”

Captain Kennedy Hernandez pictured with his wife and two young daughters.

After having compiled an incredible resume in the cockpit (Kennedy is a wizard of a mate), there was only one place left for Hernandez. “Being a captain, it’s a different feeling. It feels wonderful,” he says. Captain Kennedy runs the Typhoon, a 31-foot Bertram, owned by American Eric Goetz. Captain Kennedy and the Typhoon run charters for Big Buoy Fishing – www.bigbuoyfishing.com.

For a Young Gun who has already achieved a tremendous amount in his career, Kennedy maintains a level head and a wise bit of perspective. A man of faith, Hernandez first credits his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the success he is experiencing. “I am not a guy who wants a lot of credit or lime light. I’m simple. I just want to do my job well and make my clients happy. I’m focused on that when I get to the boat every day.”

In addition to his work running the charter boat in Guatemala, Kennedy also fishes the occasional tournament in other places. “I am going to the White Marlin Open in August. I’ll be fishing with Hank Draper. I will run the boat a bit and help in the cockpit. I fished the tournament last year too – working in the cockpit. It was one of the most fun tournaments I have fished. It was my first time in the US, I was very impressed,” Hernandez says. If the past is any indication, Hernandez future will be a bright one. Success could not have happened to a nicer guy.

Subscribe Here – Available in Print & Digital

The Young Guns of Sportfishing

This article first appeared in our June 2017 Volume 16 Edition 5 of InTheBite The Professionals’ Sportfishing Magazine

Captain Chris Kaulen, Marlin Darlin – 62-foot Spencer Yacht

by Capt. Jen Copeland

Recent evolution in the sportfishing industry is creating opportunities for younger, level-headed, smart captains. These days, many of the owners are younger, many of the boats are faster with more range. For many operations, young captains provide the perfect fit between experience and confidence that allow today’s sportfishing programs to flourish. Just as advancement in technology allows young captains to gain experience faster, being over-confident – or just plain cocky – could easily turn bad: not smart. This series showcases some of the today’s young captains who are getting it right.

At just 29-years old, Captain Chris Kaulen found himself jumping from the cockpit to the bridge in the middle of the Bahamas tournament season. Owner Bobby Jacobsen’s confidence in young Chris was realized in May of 2015. Having worked for Jacobsen the previous three years, Chris knew the boat and hoped he was ready. The pressure was on, but Jacobsen’s decision proved true in June that same year when the Marlin Darlin won the Baker’s Bay Invitational, only to repeat the win in 2016.

To what does Chris credit the seeming ease of his transition to the bridge? “Staying positive and working hard,” says Kaulen. “No one treated me any differently once I became the captain,” he said, “I didn’t have to do anything special to prove myself, I just did the job and stayed humble.”

If you are lucky enough to know “Little Chris,” you know he is humble. Soft-spoken, supportive, and friendly, Chris knows how to make you love him – unknowingly of course. Respected for his warm personality and integrity, Captain Chris has been at this boating thing for a while.

Growing up on Pumpkin Cay, an isolated island in Biscayne Bay just a half-mile from the Ocean Reef Club, Chris found himself in a small boat at a very young age. In fact, Chris drove his boat to and from school each day. For as long as he can remember he had an interest in fishing. And at 13, young Chris was freelancing and working charters for the likes of Captains George Mitchell, Greg Graham, and Ron Crisp.

Landing his first private, traveling job on Captain Kevin Dunn’s Cajun Dancer at the age of 18 soon led Kaulen to more distant locales – mating for Ohana’s Captain Eddie Wheeler and Captain Bryce Garvey’s Bree. “I fished with as many people as I could,” says Chris, “I tried to adopt the best attributes from each captain so I could create my own style, my own philosophy.”

So, what exactly makes him Captain Chris? “Attention to detail,” he insists, “you must stay ahead of things – the boat’s schedule, the boss’ schedule, the maintenance.” When you are suddenly propelled from a position of “neck-down,” it takes a little adjustment. “Trying to grasp the fact that your responsibilities are now totally different…that’s the hardest part.”

Today’s young, aspiring captain must work hard and continue to learn from his mistakes, without putting the entire program out of business. Chris believes one of the biggest worries owners may face when considering a young gun would be lack of experience. Additionally, the mate who has his eye on the helm must go above and beyond the scope of his job without stepping on any toes. “When the time is right, it will happen,” says Kaulen, “no one knows that magic number (of years) when it comes to experience, but each year – each day – counts.” Obviously, nothing beats real-world experience on the water, and Kaulen believes you must be honest with yourself and know your limitations. “Mental maturity – way past your years – is extremely important in this business,” he says. On a boat there must always be the voice of reason – a leader – and that is the captain’s job.

With a new 66-foot Spencer boat on the horizon for 2018, and a Bahamas-Caribbean tour that could wear out even the hardiest of crews, Captain Chris tries to be sure anyone who steps foot on his Darlin, enjoys sportfishing as much as he does. He continues to learn – as we all should aspire to do – at the helm of the Marlin Darlin, perfecting his style and his team in the never-ceasing quest to be a competitive force in this industry. With no plans of moving on anytime soon, this skipper believes most in leading by example: “Be happy, work as a team, continue to compete, and try to win as much as possible.” After all, happy boats catch fish, don’t they?

SUBSCRIBE or RENEW today.