PRESTON – Boys and grown men alike probably still wish they could fulfill their own childhood dreams of fame, either through arresting all the bad guys as a police officer, fighting the most dangerous of fires as fireman or playing in the National Basketball Association.

But Preston resident Nate Brown doesn’t have to wish. He knows firsthand what it’s like to fulfill his childhood dream.

Two weekends ago at the General Motors Cup competition during Seafair hydroplane races, Brown and his boat, Miss E-Lam Plus, owned by Sven Ellstrom, were able to squeeze past Miss Budweiser, driven by Dave Villwock, and Miss Znetix, driven by Gregg Hopp, to a first-place victory.

Brown knew he had to get out in front early in the race. He said he “hosed” the start of the Columbia Cup in Kennewick the week prior and finished fifth because he was unable to get a good start off the line.

During the preliminary heats at Seafair, he was twice second and once first before going into the final race. It was at the finals where he was able to move in for the kill. Villwock mistakenly left a hole open in his lane, which helped Brown gain the lead after the first turn. That move and the Budweiser boat’s dominant position, which helped keep everyone else out of the way, gave Brown the perfect chance to dart full speed ahead and past the water hog.

It was his first Seafair win after participating in the event for 10 years.

“I had to win [Seafair],” Brown said. “Who wants to race for second?”

His victory did not come easily. Three weeks before the race he had emergency surgery for appendicitis. He had to stay overnight and was still in pain by the time he competed in Kennewick the following week. He was unsure of whether he could race in Seattle.

“But I didn’t tell anyone,” he said coyly.

He said his quick recovery could only be attributed to one thing: divine intervention. He does, however, wonder whether the win and quick recovery were once-in-a-lifetime gifts.

“I could step away from this tomorrow and be happy, [however], I’d like to get a few more wins under my belt to make sure this wasnOt a fluke,” Brown said, laughing.

Budweiser has won 20 of the last 25 races at Seafair, three of which were consecutive. Then Brown came along and deprived the team of its fourth win in a row.

“It was unbelievable racing against the big guy with the unlimited funds. It’s been rough to stick in there and stay with it,” Brown said. “People [who aren’t racing or sponsoring] don’t like to see the Budweiser win all the time.”

Brown has been around boats most of his life, beginning with a homemade 20-foot cabin cruiser his father, Walter Brown Jr., built at the age of 15 using money from his weekly allowance. His father understood blueprints of boats well enough to be able to lay the keel of the cabin cruiser because of the start he got while building his first “cruiser” at the age of 9.

When Brown was 10, he would sneak down to the garage at night when his parents were asleep to sit and “drive” in the 5-liter 1971 hydroplane boat his father stored for a racing friend of his, Del Maxfield of Southern California.

In junior high and high school, Brown took lots of woodshop and metal-shop classes, which gave him skills that he later used to teach himself how to build boats. He bought his first ski boat when he was 15 and his first hydroplane boat when he was 19 for $500.

“That was my first car,” Brown joked.

It needed a motor, but he retrieved that out of a Datsun 1200 he bought later.

He lived on Lake Washington from 1966 to 1971 and drove boats. Then he moved to Preston and began his own business, Preston Performance Marine, where he builds boats.

He has been racing for 20 years and has competed at Seafair for 10 of those.

He is also a stay-at-home dad for his 10-year-old son, Derek, who likes to race quarter-midget cars and play Little League baseball. His wife, Janet, works full time.

“A lot of people donOt heed the message that it’s right, but the rewards are so much greater to be able to have my son be with me,” Brown said of staying at home with his son.

He also wonders how much longer he’ll be able to participate in the sport he loves.

“To win Seafair is everything, like first at Daytona, [but] my 15 minutes are pretty much over,” Brown said.

But winning is not what is most important to him. It’s his family – the time they can spend together – and the children, who root for him at races and may someday follow in his footsteps.

“One of the things that keeps me coming back to Seafair is the kids. Everybody loses sight of the future,” Brown said.

He wants to leave his legacy with children like his son so they, too, can experience what it’s like to come out on top.

Brown’s instant notoriety brought droves of admirers to his side after the race, waiting for autographs and sound bites. Unable to leave the scene until everyone had gotten a piece of the local celebrity, he was thankful he invested in a family camper last month, to which he can retreat in situations such as winning the General Motors Cup.

He is also relieved to know that much of the hoopla associated with his win has died down. He was able to see a movie just the other day and went completely unnoticed – a sign that his life is almost back to normal.