A nightmare year will end for Mr. Herb Hilgenberg when he leaves the Island next week.

And the radio operator, who almost certainly has saved many lives with his personal weather service over the past seven years, says the decision to leave was the hardest of his life.

Mr. Hilgenberg, 57, said: "I keep asking myself what I have done wrong and why I am in this situation now?'' But his stay in Bermuda became impossible when his work permit was refused last year, even though he was given a temporary respite.

Mr. Hilgenberg has been in Bermuda for 10 years and was operations manager at Island Glass.

Seven years ago he started his weather service as a personal favour to a friend but, since then, it is reckoned to have aided thousands of yachtsmen sailing the Atlantic.

It has been the subject of countless articles in Yachting World, Ocean Navigator and Cruising World and has been particularly helpful in the Marion to Bermuda and Newport to Bermuda yacht races. He also had the support of many sailors and Harbour Radio.

In fact he often spent six to eight hours a night monitoring images from a satellite, received through specially-designed equipment rigged up in his garden. There are no other weather services offshore on the singleside band.

However his work permit was cancelled for the job at Island Glass when the Immigration Department decided that the job should be Bermudianised, last year.

Mr. Hilgenberg said: "My job has still not been filled by a Bermudian. My employers Island Glass offered me another job in Providenciales but it would have meant me getting another work permit.'' But an appeal was made and granted for another year as long as he continued his work on the radio.

He said: "Trying to find another job and continuing to provide my service would just not be possible. You cannot say `I'm starting a new job but I am only working so many hours' because I have my hobby.'' A qualified engineer, Mr. Hilgenberg admits that he has no qualifications in meteorology but he has more experience than many people in reading the weather.

He said: "I am providing a public service and to make it full time I need funding. But people have asked me to show them results of my broadcasts. I cannot say how many yachts were able to come here because of my broadcasts. It is impossible to say.'' Other people suggested that he look into offering the service on a full-time basis with almost certain funding from the US Coastguard, the US National Weather Centre or, even Bermuda.

But the Bermuda Government is concentrating on how to run the airport when the US Naval Air Station closes next year and is not ready to look at the weather forecasting side of the closure as yet.

Mr. Hilgenberg said: "In March they said I could stay on and see what the situation is later in the year. But it does not make sense. I do not want to go through the same situation having to try to get a work permit every year.'' He said it had been a stressful year and a half because of the uncertainty of finding work, and he finally decided to take his family home to Burlington, Ontario.

This will be more of a strain after 10 years in Bermuda because his wife Brigitte has become attached to the place and daughters D'arcey and Cathleen have grown up here. Eighteen-year-old Cathleen in particular has done all her schooling here and is presently studying at Bermuda College.

Mr. Hilgenberg believes he could restart his service to mariners fairly soon if he can get a licence in Canada or if he gets a green card in the United States.

He said: "People have asked me to move to Annapolis, Maine and Newport. They are already trying to get me a green card.

"If I start again I think it will have to be a full-time job and not a hobby, so I would have to get funding from somewhere.

"I have had a lot of offers of help, and the US National Weather Service in Washington have promised to get in touch. They were very surprised to hear that I was leaving Bermuda.'' LIFE-SAVER -- Mr. Herb Hilgenberg.