Boasting a spacious cabin, piped music and an optional glass bottom, the 78-foot luxury yacht Destiny is the lifelong dream of owner Steven “Cooky” Brown.

Next month, marks the first year anniversary of his chartering business, Destiny Tours.

“When I was about eight years old, my Somerset friends and I built a boat and painted it,” he said. “We made money for it by mowing lawns and trading in mineral bottles.”

Mr. Brown said he and his mates would putter around near the boats which Kitson and Company used to bring tourists into Somerset Village to shop.

“We would pretend that we were one of the skippers,” he fondly remembered.

But although he had a love for the water, Mr. Brown said he did not initially intend to work on a boat.

As a Berkeley Institute student, he said he wanted to become a fashion designer or work in the business arena - until he landed a summer job which led him in a different direction.

“I was hired as a deck hand for Williams Marine. At 16, I worked there full-time and by the time I was 19, I had obtained my local pilot's licence,” Mr. Brown told The Royal Gazette. “After that I couldn't see myself doing anything else.”

And, the 40-something-year-old said, after stints of working on “everyone else's boat”, he told himself that he realised it was time to go into business for himself.

“Ten years ago, I had a vision, I had a dream,” he said.

And dream he did.

Mr. Brown said he designed the luxury cruiser himself, then sent his plans to ship builder in Panama City, Florida.

“I designed Destiny so that she could be multi-faceted,” he said.

Mr. Brown recalled the first time he saw Destiny in Florida: “It was an overwhelming sense of awe. It was a bit of shock seeing a dream brought into fruition.”

Sometimes confronted by 27-foot seas, he and a crew of four sailed Destiny onto Bermuda's shores early February last year.

Along with hosting convention groups, Destiny Tours also facilitates private parties, day and night time glass bottom cruises, weddings and a host of other tours.

Already, the company has won two awards for its services: The 2002 VIP award for Best Activities and Attractions and the Best Tour and Tour Operator Award 2002 by the Pacific Princess.

Mr. Brown said he was both pleased and surprised at the success of his venture so far.

“The accolades have been phenomenal. Sometimes it's hard to believe, but dreams do come true. With a lot of work.”