A MUM has praised the yachtsman who taught her autistic son how to sail.

Carley Chamberlain, 26, was full of praise for Micky Early, 27, for his “time and patience” in helping her seven-year-old son David to develop. Now, just months after starting sailing at the Tees and Hartlepool Yacht Club, David has gained the confidence to get in a boat on his own. Carley said David, who has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, began sailing at Easter. She said the help he had received from Micky, who is the training principal at the yacht club, had made a real difference. She said: “He did not socialise well so I started bringing him to the yacht club and he has been a completely different child ever since. He gets really into the sailing. He gets really focused on it. “Micky has taught my son for the past few months how to sail which isn’t easy as he is autistic.” “He has had the time and patience to give him one on one tuition for free. He has also done a lot for Tees and Hartlepool Yacht Club as a volunteer,” added single mum Carley, from the King Oswy area of Hartlepool and who works as bar staff at the yacht club. She was so impressed, she has nominated Micky in the coach of the year category of the Hartlepool Mail Sports Awards. Micky, a member at the yacht club since he was ten, has loved helping David as well as dozens of other fledgling sailors. He said: “David’s progression is outstanding every week. He has gone from being scared of sitting in a boat with lots of people to getting in a boat by himself. He pushes himself every week.” Micky’s help has extended to all sections of the public. He’s held courses for students from High Tunstall, Dyke House, and Owton Manor Schools and said: “Hopefully, we are getting more primary schools in.” And when told he’d been nominated for an award, he said: “It’s nice to be recognised but I don’t really think about awards. I just do what I do.” Club commodore Barry Hughes said: “Micky is one of the best coaches on the North- East coast.” He said Micky had organised a family open day at the club which had been a huge success and another one was planned on September 14.