black community in the world and must take advantage of the opportunities they have and reach for their dreams.

"You are blessed and don't know it,'' solo yachtsman Mr. William Pinkney told Berkeley Institute students on Thursday. "Don't blow it.'' "I know 500 kids who would take your place in an instant. You don't have to walk to school in the morning wondering whether you're going to get shot by accident or on purpose.'' Mr. Pinkney, who grew up in poverty in Chicago, Illinois, became the first black yachtsman to circumnavigate the globe via Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope single-handedly last summer.

The former marketing executive stopped in the Island on the first and final legs of his 32,000-mile journey, which began in August, 1990.

Now a motivational speaker, the 57-year-old grandfather spent last week speaking to Bermudian school children, encouraging them to set goals and achieve them as he did.

Mr. Pinkney told the Berkeley students he made the two-year voyage on the yacht Commitment because it had been a childhood dream to sail around the world.

In addition to giving his two grandchildren "a benchmark'' of achievement to shoot for, the trip would also prove to young people with backgrounds similar to his that their own dreams can come true.

"Somebody told me that before I was 19 years old I would be in jail, on drugs or dead from crimes of violence,'' he said. "One thing about it was I didn't believe it. You see, whatever you believe yourself to be, that's how you will turn out.

"If you believe yourself to be a failure, then you are absolutely, positively right. But if you do not believe that, you can do anything you want to -- but first, you must have a dream.'' By "dream'' he meant a clear-cut idea of what they wanted to see happen in their lives that others might think is "above'' their capabilities.

One of the most important aspects of pursuing a dream is understanding that no-one owes you anything -- if you want something, you will have to do something to get it.

He noted there were three basic components of a dream: having it, understanding what it takes to make it a reality and being willing to do what it takes to attain it.

"To make your dream a reality, it's going to take a lot more than you just wishing,'' Mr. Pinkney said. "It's going to take alot of hard work, diligence and sacrifice, and it's going to make you do things you ordinarily would not do.'' Mr. Pinkney said he received up to 800 rejection letters from corporations and individuals during his search for sponsors who could finance his round-the-world voyage.

He got the "thumbs-down'' from the likes H. Ross Perot, Donald Trump, the Coca-Cola Corporation, Pepsico and Anheuser-Busch.

"Rejection is something that's going to come up to you when you try to make your dream in life come true and if you buy into that, '' he said snapping his fingers, "You're outta there!'' "Don't let anyone in life make your determinations for your dream. Make those yourself, because after they've made all the determinations for your dream, they're gone and you have to live with it.'' He also advised the youngsters to "get new friends'' if the present ones do not support their dream.

"Running with the crowd means that you end up in a stampede when they all turn around and run the other way,'' Mr. Pinkney said. "Set your own path.

You can lay the terms and the changes.'' Imploring the youngsters not to wait to act he said: "The only place in the world is right here and the only time is right now. What you do here and now is going to determine what happens to you in the future, and the future is not twenty years from now, the future is five minutes from now.'' GO FOR YOUR DREAMS -- Round-the-world yachtsman Mr. William Pinkney gives Berkeley Institute students food for thought last week.