‘Unfinished business’, Pat Lawless says of returning for the 2026 Golden Globe Race
Pat Lawless returns for the 2026 Golden Globe Race after a self-steering failure forced him to retire in 2022. Here's how he's preparing.
For Pat Lawless, the 2026 Golden Globe Race has been a long time coming.
Lawless grew up sailing on Limerick’s River Shannon. As a young man, he followed the OSTAR and the original Sunday Times Golden Globe in 1968.
When McIntyre Adventures relaunched the race in 2018, he studied the boats, and followed their progress day by day.
By the time 20222, when Lawless entered the race himself, he had already sailed 68,000 miles. He was determined to fulfil his dream of becoming the first Irishman to sail around the world solo and nonstop.
He names fellow legendary Irish seafarers like Brendan the Navigator and Conor O Brien as influences, and his own father, also called Pat Lawless, as his greatest sailing inspiration.
He will sail in the spirit of his father, who completed his own solo circumnavigation onboard a 30ft Seadog at the age of 70, after several previous attempts. Pat Lawless (Jr.) was on the support committee for the project, and will be 70 himself by the time the 2026 Golden Globe Race departs from Les Sables d’Olonnes in September.
He finds his own pull towards the undertaking inexplicable.
‘I have tried and tried to figure out [why I am doing the race], but I can’t come up with a logical answer. It’s just a need I have to fulfil; it is a beautiful need, more romantic than dramatic,’ he told Yachting Monthly ahead of the 2022 edition.
‘I can’t answer the question of why I would spend all this time getting ready, which has been a great part of the journey, and then why I would leave my family and grandchildren [to do the race]. It doesn’t make sense, but I am delighted I’m doing it.’
Of returning for the 2026 GGR, he says, ‘I still have the dream, and also unfinished business.’
Although preparation is essential, Pat Lawless believes your need luck too to finish the Golden Globe Race. Credit: Nora Havel/GGR
Lawless, a cabinet maker and a deep sea fisherman, had prepared extensively for the challenge of the 2022 Golden Globe Race. After departing from Les Sables d’Olonnes, he remained in the leading pack until a self-steering failure 1200 miles West of Cape Town forced him to retire.
‘Fairly quickly I realised I wouldn’t be competitive without the self-steering,’ he told Yachting Monthly at the time. ‘I could sail, but I wouldn’t be competitive, and in a storm I would end up broaching.’
Though he could’ve opted to make the repair, ‘It was solo nonstop or nothing for me. If I was home bound I would go into the Chichester class [for entrants who make one stop], but I would rather put the effort in trying to get into the next race.’
Damien Guillou also retired due to the failure of his Hydrovane, and like Lawless, is will return for the 2026 race.
Lawless says he learned a lot from the abrupt end to his circumnavigation attempt, including the importance of avoiding wind pollution by keeping the deck free of unnecessary items (in line with his stated preference for sprayhoods over doghouses), and of prioritising a balanced storage plan, reducing weight by removing unnecessary items and avoiding overstocked food and supplies.
When it comes to self-steering, Lawless writes on his website, ‘I still believe the Aries is the best self-steering system, and will use it again in the GGR26, but this time fully serviced and with a full set of necessary spare. I have learned to my cost that the key challenge of this race is not the lack of technology, but the long time alone out in the deep without being able to get parts when needed.’
The race preparations themselves came with their own lessons. ‘We can’t stop time,’ he says of his current approach. ‘The race start comes faster than expected. If jobs go against me (and they did), everything after suffers. You need to have everything done as early as possible.’
Pat Lawless onboard his Saltram Saga 36, once called Green Rebel. Credit: Eitenne Essikommer/GGR
Preparations are well underway for Lawless’s Saltram Saga 36, previously known as Green Rebel, now called Silvermines Hydro for his new main sponsor.
Lawless has also received support within his community, and is partially funded by local businesses and local artists.
With the finances in place, ‘I can concentrate on raising funding for Parkinson’s Ireland from now on,’ Lawless says. His wife of 43 years, Rita, is affected by the condition.
He initially chose the Saltram Saga because he felt its double end design, deeper keel, and shorter mast promised more safety over the speedy Rustler 36s, as well as better downwind performance. Fellow 2026 entrants Mara Løvenskiold and Andrew Ritchie will also race on Saltram Sagas.
Ahead of the 2022 Golden Globe, Lawless reinforced the mast and installed a folding propeller. He added the mandatory collision bulkheads in the bow, more handgrips below deck, a Solent stay, a Perspex partition between the galley and saloon to prepare for potential water ingress.
He also added a translucent zip-door between the accommodation and one unexpected onboard feature: a wood burning stove.
Since these major interventions, he’s been refining the boat inside and out. For 2026, Silvermines Hydro has new sails and rigging, and will soon be lifted out so Lawless can work on her silver hull.
He plans to sail back to Dingle, Ireland for the end of March. With the boat in top condition and all qualifying passages checked off, all that’s left is a last round of fine tuning.
Pat Lawless believes his Saltram Saga 36 will be faster downwind than the Rustler 36s in the fleet. The top three finishers in the 2018 race all sailed a Rustler 36. Credit: Getty.
With the bulk of the preparations out of the way, Lawless is focusing on keeping fit and healthy.
He’s looking forward to setting off in September, and to finishing what he started in 2022,
‘Plenty of great sailors in the race,’ he says of the 2026 cohort. ‘But I’m racing to try and win.’ This time around, ‘It’s all about survival and arrival.’
Quick facts: Pat Lawless / Silvermines Hydro
Sail plan?
Cutter, with two furling sails out front.
Furler or hank on?
3 furling. Genoa, Yankee and staysail.
Self-steering set up?
Aries. In my mind it’s way ahead of anything else. Especially once the wind is over 60 knots. I’m also bringing a spare.
Antifouling?
SeaJet 038 self-polishing. Was great the last time
Three unexpected items you’ll take onboard:
- Art paint and brushes
- Photos of family and friends
- Books and cassette tape music
Enjoyed reading this profile of Golden Globe Race skipper Pat Lawless?
A subscription to Yachting Monthly magazine costs around 40% less than the cover price, so you can save money compared to buying single issues.
Print and digital editions are available through Magazines Direct – where you can also find the latest deals.
YM is packed with information to help you get the most from your time on the water.
-
-
- Take your seamanship to the next level with tips, advice and skills from our experts
- Impartial in-depth reviews of the latest yachts and equipment
- Cruising guides to help you reach those dream destinations
-
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
The post ‘Unfinished business’, Pat Lawless says of returning for the 2026 Golden Globe Race appeared first on Yachting Monthly.