Dan Poljšak is now 21 years old and is the proud owner of a 7.5-meter-long twin-mast wooden sailboat, which he largely built himself. His craft, dubbed Cassiopeia, was ready for launch in part because of the help he had received from family and friends.

"I’ve had a close bond with boats since I was little, and I’ve always wanted to build my own wooden sailboat. Before I started on this boat, my father and I reconstructed a small twin-mast sailboat, and when I outgrew that boat, I began to contemplate building a new one," Poljšak told TV Slovenia.

His mother, Judita Poljšak, said that the completion of the boat is a special day for the family. Many coworkers and friends also participated in the construction and they ensured that the boat is "so beautiful." "This is a reward for the entire family’s work; we take is personally. To tell the truth, I sat down beside the boat yesterday and I cried twice while I looked at it," admitted Dan’s father David Poljšak.

Dan’s friends and supporters joined Cassiopeia’s launch at the dock. After the first sailing, Dan proudly shouted to onlookers that the boat is performing exactly as it was designed to. "This is it. It’s fantastic."

Dan still has to work on the sailboat’s interior but intends to set sail as early as August. He fell in love with sailing as a six-year-old and is already making plans for his next sailboat.