Tag Archives: Pat Lawless

A Killaloe Sailing Club member is on the crest of a wave preparing for the second time to become the first Irish person to complete an around-the-world race known as the “Voyage for Madmen”. Pat Lawless now has a driving desire more than ever to try and win the 2026 Golden Globe Race, after he had to retire from the 2022 race when his self-steering failed 1,200 nautical miles west of Cape Town. With a heavy heart, after repairs he sailed Green Rebel back home to Ireland. Without a self-steering system, he was unable to achieve his dream. He could have made repairs and continued the voyage under Chichester Class as a one-stop circumnavigation, but decided to retire. “I felt terrible shame because of all the support I received. You learn from shame because you don’t want to feel it again. I was heartbroken, I was trying to fix it. When I got into Cape Town everyone was so nice …

A KILLALOE Sailing Club member has set sail in his bid to become the first Irish person to complete an around-the-world race known as the “Voyage for Madmen”. Killaloe Sailing Club has wished one of its most well known members, Pat Lawless, the best of luck as he left Crosshaven in Cork on Tuesday to make his way to the starting point for the Golden Globe Race. The 66-year-old, who was born in Limerick, but lives in Kerry, is one of the solo sailors taking on this treacherous challenge. He told Virgin Media in Cork on Tuesday, that undertaking the challenge “was a dream that got hold of him when he was a young fellow”. “The human mind is funny, we all get hooked on something, different kinds of sport, reading, history, and I got stuck in sailing.” A great send off for Pat Lawless KSC member #GGR22⁦@RTESeascapes⁩ ⁦@AfloatMagazine⁩ ⁦@IrishCoastGuard⁩ @irish_sailing Kieran Concannon piping Pat out the gap 👏👏👏👏🇮🇪👍⁦@PatLawless17⁩ pic.twitter.com/77jlObqAoA …

KILLALOE Sailing Club’s newest member has raised more than €11,000 of his €20,000 target to participate in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, writes Dan Danaher. On September 4 next, Limerick sailor, Pat Lawless will commence on the ‘Race of his Life’, sailing solo around the world, non-stop and unassisted by technology other than a compass, sextant, the stars and the sun. Killaloe Sailing Club is thrilled to have an association with its newest club member on his worldwide voyage. The club undertook a successful fundraiser for Pat last year, and as a supporting organisation, the club logo will be engraved onto the bulkhead of his boat. Sailing in a 36ft Saltram Saga, no Irish person has managed to achieve this feat before now. The Golden Globe Race, which starts in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, is the longest, loneliest sporting event in the world. It involves nine months at sea alone in a small boat. (Get a flavour of what is involved …