Two front runners of the Golden Globe Race have retired into Cape Town with wind vane failures this week. One of them is County Kerry's Pat Lawless on Green Rebel, who retired on November 10th after the failure of a critical bearing bush, and the Irish solo sailor was caught without a spare. Lawless did not wish to continue after repairs in port.
As Afloat reported previously, Lawless. who had been struggling with his failing Aries wind vane for days, arrived at Cape Town sailing sheet to tiller on the 10th of November.
Hailing from a family of seafarers, his father circumnavigated the globe solo in his 70s, while his brother Peter also attempted it. Pat’s goal was to become the first Irishman to sail solo, non-stop, unassisted around the world. 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 realised I wouldn’t be competitive without the self-steering; I could sail, but I wouldn’t be competitive. And then, in a storm, I would end up broaching, so it took a day or two to accept that I was out of the race. If this had happened in Hobart, I would have continued, but not here,” he said.
Pat had a life in the North Sea as a fisherman, a past that overshadowed his skill as a dinghy sailor and offshore racer. His experience became obvious as Pat remained in the lead pack all the way to Cape Town where he reached in 4th place.
Pat Lawless (IRL), 65 y/o, did not succeed in this attempt, but his father circumnavigated the globe in his seventies, so he may go again in 2026? Photo: JJ/ GGR2022
Meanwhile, he has been managing injuries, a knee infection in the North Atlantic and later a cracked rib and torn shoulder muscle, never departing from his infectious enthusiasm and happiness at sea!
Lawless’s Aries windvane had several thousand miles on her and was serviced before starting the race, but not a full rebuild of bearings and bushings. The headed bush on the spindle shaft that the servo pendulum rudder swings on failed. A fix at sea, while difficult, is possible, but only if you have the spares. He did not have them.
He is planning to sail back home as soon as repairs are completed. The Irish competitive sailor is looking forward to cruising time going north, with the opportunity this time to visit the islands and archipelagos he just sailed by on the way south to Cape Town.
