Robert Thomson has a done a poor job of keeping out of the news over the last 12 months.

The 42-year-old Scotsman and his family moved to Bermuda in 1987 to enjoy the easy life after he sold his US-based computer software company and became financially secure.

But his hopes for a peaceful and stress-free existence have been dashed by a disastrous business investment he made almost as soon as he set foot on the Island.

A loan of $80,000 he made to help prop up failed travel firm Bermuda Travel and Shipping has left him with a $500,000 glass-bottom boat he does not really want and potential exposure to debt of over $200,000.

Although the sums involved will do little or nothing to affect Mr. Thomson's lavish lifestyle, he is doing everything he can, including taking legal action, to recoup as much of his losses as possible.

His problems started when he loaned $80,000 to entrepreneur Mr. Llewellyn Peniston in 1987 to help save Bermuda Travel and Shipping, of which Mr.

Peniston was president.

But Mr. Thomson claims he has not been paid a cent of it back and, instead of interest on the loan, he said he was given shares in BT&S and in other firms run by Mr. Peniston which are now worthless.

In an effort to recoup his initial investment, Mr. Thomson pumped money into Bermuda Vacations, which was another company run by Mr. Peniston and which ran The Reef Goddess glass-bottom boat.

But that firm too has stopped operating and has left Mr. Thomson potentially liable for more than $150,000 of its debts since he is a co-guarantor with Mr.

Peniston of a loan from Bermuda Commercial Bank.

"The situation went from bad to worse,'' said Mr. Thomson. "It was a series of bad judgments on my part. I'm now just trying to reduce my exposure.'' In a bid to do that, he bought the Reef Goddess for $500,000 at an auction last month to raise money to pay off Bermuda Vacations' main creditor, Bermuda Commercial Bank.

"I wanted to ensure that, in light of the depressed market, the boat fetched a fair price,'' said Mr. Thomson. "It cost us $600,000 to buy last year so I didn't want it being sold for a ridiculously cheap price.'' He is currently negotiating to sell the boat to a company, which he may or may not have an investment in.

His semi-retirement bliss has been further impinged by legal action he has taken against Mr. Peniston for the recovery of the $80,000 loan, plus interest. The case is due to be heard soon at Supreme Court.

Mr. Thomson's involvement with the travel and local tour boat business is far removed from his huge success in his main line of work -- designing computer software products.

After graduating from Watt University in his native Edinburgh, he worked for Dolby Laboratories, Xerox and Citibank, all in London, before going to the US and forming International Management Reporting Services (now called IMRS) in 1981.

The company, which is based in Stamford, Connecticut, sells programmes designed to provide corporate executives with information on the financial status of their businesses. It is considered to be the number one supplier of financial reporting and consolidation software for personal computers.

IMRS has been one of the fastest growing firms in the US, going from sales of between $150,000 and $200,000 in its first year to $34.3 million in the fiscal year ended June, 1991.

"I founded the company and I created the product,'' said Mr. Thomson. "We were about five years ahead of our time and we are now at our prime operating point.'' But as the company grew -- it now has offices in 30 countries -- Mr. Thomson decided he did not want to run a large operation and decided to cash in his chips.

He sold most of his 70 percent stake in the company in the two years before the firm went public last October and became a very wealthy man.

"I handed over the day-to-day operations to a very competent president and management team,'' he said. "I wanted more time to myself.'' An indication of his wealth can be gleaned from the fact that the company was valued at about $100 million when it went public.

He moved to Bermuda primarily for tax reasons. "It is a preferable place to live when you're selling shares, particularly regarding the payment of capital gains tax. Apart from that, it's a very nice place to live anyway.'' These days, Mr. Thomson is in semi-retirement, still acting as a director and consultant for IMRS through his Bermuda-based exempted company, called Natcom Consulting Ltd., which was formed in 1987.

Natcom was based in the same offices as Bermuda Vacations, but Mr. Thomson is currently looking for new premises.

He lives with his wife of 17 years, Pamela, who is from Kent, England, and their two children in the affluent Jennings Land area of Smith's. They moved to Bermuda primarily for tax reasons.

"I sold my shares because I didn't want to have to work 12 hours a day seven days a week,'' he said. "I never expected the company to go public and be as successful as it has been.

"Now I work about 20 hours a week and I spend much of my time deep-sea fishing and travelling for pleasure.'' "I'm still involved, though, with some new computer projects on an international scale.'' MR. Robert Thomson -- seeking to recoup his losses.