A lifetime after escaping South African apartheid, sailing around the world and starting two companies - an American businessman will share some of his experiences at a speech at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute later this month.

Neal Peterson, CEO of No Barriers Inc., said he hopes to share some of his lessons with Island residents during his speech on June 20 and 21.

"I don't know everything _ but here's what worked for me and maybe it can work for you," he told The Royal Gazette last week.

He said his speech was "customised" for Bermuda after spending three days on the Island during a recent sailing tournament.

He said several critical lessons stem from his work to earn enough money for an education. It took years of scraping barnacles off of boats in South Africa before Mr. Peterson became a commercial diver for an oil platform and a deep-water miner.

"That education was my support. After that, the world opened up for me. I remember people would say `You're black in South Africa with no money. You can't do it.' But to me, that's even more reason why I'm going to try and succeed," he said.

Among other accomplishments, Mr. Peterson is an author and a professional sailor who endorses BUEI for "fostering the building of dreams".

He said sometimes, people are too pre-occupied with what they don't have and may overlook what is right in front of their eyes.

"Also, I'd like to show how you can turn challenges into advantages. My challenges were I was financially impoverished, had to overcome prejudice and physical disability (disabled hip joint).

"But when you overcome them, you become stronger," he added.

In addition, he said the lessons he gleaned from sailing can make an impression on Bermuda's corporate citizen.

"Risk and reward of sailing can teach businessmen a lot about their own trade." He said: "When you sail a boat around the world there are a number of risks. The reward is that you stay alive. In business, the risk and reward are the bottom dollar. Business is like diving. You can't be ignorant underwater. If you're ignorant, you die."

For tickets and further information, contact the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute at 297-7314.