The 14-year-old sailed Byte, a single-handed racing sailboat, to victory in Pattaya and wrote his name in the history books as the youngest Thai to win a world title.

Keerati's success early this month marked a remarkable 10 years of sailing excellence at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club (RVYC) in Pattaya. In 1997, veteran Vinai Vongtim, widely known as the Old Man of the Sea, showed his prowess at the helm to become the first-ever Thai sailor to capture a world crown in the Topcat class. Keerati emulated Vinai's feat with his stunning success.

Keerati, who hails from Nakhon Phanom but now lives in Chon Buri, is not a greenhorn to sailing. He proved his sailing talent by winning the Laser class in the 2005 and 2006 Children's Day Regatta.

He donned the Thai colours for the first time at the 2003 Asean Optimist Championships in Sattahip, Chon Buri. However, the mission turned out to be disappointing for the rookie, who finished a lowly 20th.

"When I saw Keerati sail for the first time, I realised that he had great potential. Something told me he could be successful in water sports," his uncle Suthon Thamsoontorn, a naval officer, told The Nation.

"He started sailing in 2002, just one year ahead of the Asean Optimist Championships. Before getting into the sea, he attended some juvenile sailing courses. Then, I started sending him to domestic Optimist competitions and he proved that he was going to be a future star. He did not let me down," Suthon said of his nephew, a strongly-built lad who stands 178cm tall and weighs 62kg.

"He should have won a place in the national team for the Asian Games Optimist competition in Doha last year. Unfortunately he didn't. If he was there, he could have returned with a gold medal because it was very windy in Qatar at that time and I thought Keerati, who is quite strong, could have controlled his boat and won the gold.

"My son Navee is too small. He is just 151cm tall and weighs 36kg and he finished second in the Asian Games, while China's Ni Wei, also a small-made sailor, claimed the gold."

Keerati's eyes light up as he recalls his achievement in the seventh Byte World Championships at the RVYC from April 4 to 8. "I just tried to do my best in every race I competed in."

Keerati scored 22 points from the 10-race series (with two discards), seven points better than second-placed Herman Nurfendi. The Singaporean won four of the 10 races but had a bad third race which put paid to his chances, while the young Thai sailor won two races but was quite consistent throughout the tournament.

Racing in the searing sun with temperatures hovering at 35 degrees Celsius plus, Keerati and 30 other sailors from seven countries, including England, Brazil, Canada and Singapore had to confront diverse conditions on Pattaya waters.

"There were strong tides and enormous wind shifts on the first two days and then the sea turned flat and calm on the next two days. Strong winds of more than 13 knots picked up again on the final day, which caused trouble to everyone, especially those who were old.

"Not only youngsters took part in the world championships, but also someone I can call grandma and grandpa," said Keerati, a Grade 9 student at Singha Samut School in Sattahip.

Like other young kids of his age, Keerati, or Top as he is called by his friends, enjoys watching movies and listening to songs. Leisure time is spent playing ping-pong with friends. His favourite soccer team is Liverpool and he is a Steven Gerrard fan club member.

"I am young and inexperienced. I still need more time to learn and think about sailing. I haven't made any plans about my choice of a career. The Asian Games and the Olympics are too far away to think about now. The only thing certain is that I will be sailing in the international 420 in the SEA Games in December. I won't let my supporters down," he said.

Teerapot Taweewanabul

The Nation