What would persuade a man who, after a long career, took early retirement to chill out and enjoy life, and then gave that up to drive a taxi?

"Retirement looks good when you are working, but when you are actually retired and get your projects out of the way you have an awful lot of time on your hands," Vincent Dyer says.

Indeed, while the "honey do" list looks daunting, once it is completed - and yes, some of them do have an end! - couples who have enjoyed a long and happy marriage based on commitments that keep them apart for most of the day often find the ever-present lifestyle quite an adjustment.

And so it was with Mr. Dyer.

"I was getting in my wife's space, so when an opportunity came along to be a full-time driver, I thought, 'I love driving, I love to meet people, and I am very interested in Bermuda history'," he says.

When Mr. Dyer put all of these factors together and weighed up his options, he decided to dust off the taxi driver's licence he had held since the 1970s and hit the open road.

As befits a man who believes in being the very best that he can be at whatever he does, the then-retiree decided that he wasn't going to be just any taxi driver, but one of the prestigious Blue Flag cabbies who are qualified tour guides.

It would mean a lot of studying and research to pass the examination, but he has always been a man who thrives on challenges. The fact that the opportunity to drive arose in September and the examination wasn't until the following June was a mere detail.

"The Aquarium had natural history classes which are really excellent so I thought I would take that for general interest, and I thought it would probably help towards the Blue Flag exam," Mr. Dyer says.

Then in February the Government sent him a package of brochures and other material plus mock questions similar to those he could expect in the all-important examination.

"It was quite a package," Mr. Dyer remembers. "I went through the questions and discovered that in the greater majority of them I didn't have a clue, so it meant that I had to do a lot of research, but the folks at the Bermuda National Library were excellent.

"In fact, the Tourism Department suggested two books, one by the late George Rushe, which was out of publication, so I had to read it at the Library.

"There was another one on the plants of the Island, but the Library didn't have a copy of that because it too was out of print."

Where the Library couldn't supply answers, the driver turned to the Visitors' Service Bureau, and found that the ladies there were also very helpful. Other colleagues also assisted, and he also took one of the special sessions held for candidates.

"It seemed like I was studying forever, although it was only three to four weeks," Mr. Dyer says. "I didn't drive on Saturdays. That was my day at the Library."

Finally, examination day dawned and the prospective blue flagger found himself facing 300-odd questions which had to be answered in two hours, in addition to which he also had to write three short essays. How, he wondered, would he get through it.

"I love a challenge and I had done some courses at the Bermuda College to keep my mind sharp, but in the industry today you need as many irons in the fire as possible. It has changed quite a bit in my opinion," Mr. Dyer says.

With the examination over, there was nothing to do but wait - something else he felt "seemed to go on forever".

"They kept us in suspense for a great period," he says.

Finally, he got the word: he had not only passed the examination but topped his class.

"I had an idea I had passed, but to top the class, particularly when most of the candidates were half my age, was a real surprise, but with age comes wisdom I guess," Mr. Dyer smiles.

At a special ceremony at Waterloo House the top student was presented with an engraved tankard honouring his achievement as well as the coveted blue flag.

Acknowledging that flying the flag on his taxi will not bring him any greater financial reward than colleagues who don't have one, Mr. Dyer says that doesn't bother him.

"I did it for the challenge," he says. "I didn't particularly like being passed up in favour of blue flag drivers if I was in line, or if they were calling for one over the radio when I was close to the job and I would have to send someone else. I have always tried to be the best at whatever I do and this was another chapter."

Despite his newfound success, Mr. Dyer says he is keeping things in perspective and does not intend to work 14-hours days, or forego holidays.

"There are other drivers who share the taxi, so that gives me flexibility. If I don't feel like driving today I don't drive. If I feel like going away tomorrow I go."

But when he is working he believes in giving the job his all. In fact, his approach to his occupation harks back to the good old days when drivers extended a number of courtesies to their passengers, and local customers were as welcome as visitors.

"I'm from the old school," Mr. Dyer says. "Where possible I open the doors and help the ladies with the groceries if it is convenient. It's not for the sake of a tip, it's for the courtesy.

"Visitors pay bigger tips than locals, that is undeniable, but I treat everybody the same. If they tip me, fine. Many locals come up short but that is not a problem with me."

Nor is there any question that he is a dedicated driver.

"I absolutely love it," he says. "It gets me out of the house, and is something to look forward to every day: meeting new people and still discovering new areas. I used to say, 'I know Bermuda like the back of my hand', but I am still coming across roads I haven't been to before.

"I am so anxious to share my new-found information that very often I forget to put the meter on! The tourists, in particular, love it."

The charming Mr. Dyer usually starts his tours by asking overseas passengers what they are interested in. If they say history he knows he has to include some museums and talk about the discovery of the Island. If it is plants and trees the tour will include the Botanical Gardens.

Every morning he places a fresh bunch of hibiscus in his taxi, and in season, frangipani blossoms - again for the pleasure of all his passengers, a gesture he describes as a real icebreaker, especially among arriving visitors.

Of his new-found occupation, Mr. Dyer says: "I feel wealthier than Ross Perot in terms of freedom and choices. I will never be wealthy, but I am happy that I am my own boss. No schedules, no deadlines, no-one looking over my shoulder."

For the former engineer at ZFB and the Bermuda Telephone Company who first began work in his school holidays it is indeed a new day.

"You never say 'never'. In fact I wish we could erase that word can't from the dictionary. I try to be a positive person. What will be will be."