Regatta is plain sailing for young Hastings boating enthusiast

Max Tullett, eight, who lives in Hastings and attends Ark Blacklands Academy, attended the National Schools Sailing Association (NSSA) annual youth regatta in Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire, this month, competing with around 300 other sailors in the week-long event.

His mother, Miroslava Dopiráková, said: “It was his very first big regatta and, as he was one of the youngest sailors there, he was put in the rookie fleet.

“In all sorts of weather conditions, around 300 young sailors raced every day. Max won most of his races in his fleet and came first several times.

“He received a beautiful boat-shaped trophy.

“We are very proud of his achievements. Max is doing great in his sailing career.

“Hopefully the future is bright for Max and if he does as well as he is doing now in the future, we might have an excellent Olympic sailor here.”

Max has been on boats all his life with his father and grandfather. His very first sail was when he was only two months old.

He later joined Pevensey Bay Sailing Club when he was four.

Last October, Max, a member of Kent Sailing School Association, decided to raise funds for a charity and chose St Michael’s Hospice as it is his mother’s place of work.

To raise the money, he completed a solo sail from Eastbourne Pier to Hastings Pier, collecting thousands of pounds for the St Leonards-based charity.

He gathered more than £2,600 before TK Maxx in St Leonards increased the sum by £1,000 through its generous donation.

Max sailed solo for 14 miles between Hastings and Eastbourne in two hours and 10 minutes.

He started off by Eastbourne Pier with 13/14 knots of breeze, and did approximately 6mph on his Tera dinghy.

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