Pat Lawless Departs Dingle for Golden Globe Race Start

3rd August 2026

Afloat.ie Team

Farewell Voyage: Pat Lawless (right) with Irish Sailing President Dave Cullen before departing Dingle aboard Silvermines Hydro for the 2026 Golden Globe Race

Kerry solo sailor Pat Lawless has received an emotional send-off from Dingle Harbour as he begins the final voyage before the start of the 2026 Golden Globe Race.

Lawless departed aboard his Saltram Saga 36, Silvermines Hydro, escorted by a flotilla of local boats and well-wishers as he set course for Les Sables-d'Olonne in France. There he must complete the event's mandatory inspections before the race starts on 6 September.

Among those on the quayside to wish him fair winds was Irish Sailing President Dave Cullen, who joined supporters in marking the departure from the Co Kerry harbour.

Final Wave: Pat Lawless acknowledges supporters from the stern of Silvermines Hydro as he departs Dingle for his second attempt at the Golden Globe Race.

The departure follows recent Afloat coverage of Lawless's preparations and Tom MacSweeney's podcast interview, in which the experienced offshore sailor spoke candidly about returning to the race after the disappointment of 2022.

Lawless retired from his first Golden Globe campaign after a failure of his Aries self-steering system around 1,200 nautical miles west of Cape Town. Four years later, he returns with what he describes as "unfinished business", carrying both a redesigned boat and a spare Aries windvane in an effort to complete one of sailing's toughest challenges.

His 30,000-mile solo, non-stop circumnavigation will be sailed using only technology available to competitors in the original 1968 Golden Globe Race, with no GPS, electronic navigation or autopilot permitted.

Escort Flotilla: Local boats accompany Silvermines Hydro from Dingle Harbour as Pat Lawless begins his passage to France ahead of the 2026 Golden Globe Race.

Lawless is also sailing in memory of his late father, who completed a solo circumnavigation in 1996, and is using the campaign to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson's Ireland in support of his wife Rita.

With Irish flags flying from escort boats and crowds lining the harbour walls despite damp conditions, Dingle provided a fitting farewell before Lawless heads south to France and the start line of one of the world's most demanding offshore races.

Published in Golden Globe Race

Golden Globe Yacht Race Live Tracker 2026

Track the progress of the 2026 Golden Globe Race fleet on the live tracker above and see all Afloat's Golden Globe Race coverage in one handy link here

Published in Golden Globe Race

Tagged under

Golden Globe Race

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven't put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full-time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

About the Golden Globe Race

The Golden Globe Race is the original round the world yacht race. In 1968, while man was preparing to take his first steps on the moon, a mild mannered and modest young man was setting out on his own record breaking voyage of discovery. Off shore yacht racing changed forever with adventurers and sailors, inspired by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, following in his pioneering wake. Nine men started the first solo non-stop sailing race around the World. Only one finished. History was made. Navigating with a sextant, paper charts and an accurate and reliable time piece, Sir Robin navigated around the world. In 2018, to celebrate 50 years since that first record breaking achievement, the Golden Globe Race was resurrected. It instantly caught the attention of the worlds media as well as adventures, captivated by the spirit and opportunity. The original race is back.

The Golden Globe Race: Stepping back to the golden age of solo sailing

Like the original Sunday Times event back in 1968/9, the 2018 Golden Globe Race was very simple. Depart Les Sables d'Olonne, France on July 1st 2018 and sail solo, non-stop around the world, via the five Great Capes and return to Les Sables d'Olonne. Entrants are limited to use the same type of yachts and equipment that were available to Robin Knox-Johnston in that first race. That means sailing without modern technology or benefit of satellite-based navigation aids.

Competitors must sail in production boats between 32ft and 36ft overall (9.75 10.97m) designed prior to 1988 and having a full-length keel with rudder attached to their trailing edge. These yachts will be heavily built, strong and steady, similar in concept to Robin's 32ft vessel Suhaili.

In contrast to the current professional world of elite ocean racing, this edition travels back to a time known as the 'Golden Age' of solo sailing. Suhaili was a slow and steady 32ft double-ended ketch based on a William Atkins ERIC design. She is heavily built of teak and carried no computers, GPS, satellite phone nor water-maker, and Robin completed the challenge without the aid of modern-day shore-based weather routing advice. He had only a wind-up chronometer and a barograph to face the world alone, and caught rainwater to survive, but was at one with the ocean, able to contemplate and absorb all that this epic voyage had to offer.

This anniversary edition of the Golden Globe Race is a celebration of the original event, the winner, his boat and that significant world-first achievement. Competitors in this race will be sailing simple boats using basic equipment to guarantee a satisfying and personal experience. The challenge is pure and very raw, placing the adventure ahead of winning at all costs. It is for 'those who dare', just as it was for Knox-Johnston.

They will be navigating with sextant on paper charts, without electronic instruments or autopilots. They will hand-write their logs and determine the weather for themselves.

Only occasionally will they talk to loved ones and the outside world when long-range high frequency and ham radios allow.

It is now possible to race a monohull solo around the world in under 80 days, but sailors entered in this race will spend around 300 days at sea, challenging themselves and each other. The 2018 Golden Globe Race was a fitting tribute to the first edition and it's winner, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

Background on Don McIntyre (61) Race Founder

Don is an inveterate sailor and recognised as one of Australia s greatest explorers. Passionate about all forms of adventure and inspiring others, his desire is to recreate the Golden Age of solo sailing. Don finished 2nd in class in the 1990-91 BOC Challenge solo around the world yacht race. In 2010, he led the 4-man Talisker Bounty Boat challenge to re-enact the Mutiny on the Bounty voyage from Tonga to West Timor, in a simil