Why Pat Lawless retired from the 2026 Golden Globe Race, ending his dream

Viveka Herzum

Pat Lawless officially retires from the 2026 Golden Globe Race after a Solent stay failure. He will not continue in the Chichester Class

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Pat Lawless has announced his decision to retire from the Golden Globe Race after the failure of the bottom fitting of his Solent stay and furling assembly.

‘Sad news, especially for the Irish,’ says Race Organiser Don McIntyre in a daily race update, wearing a green Pat Lawless t-shirt in support of the skipper.

After six weeks of sailing neck-and-neck with race leader Damien Guillou, at 01:51:00 UTC on 18 October Lawless texted race organisers:

‘PAT here Solent rig broken. rig ok now sailing North out of the game.’

‘That’s typically Pat,’ says McIntyre. ‘He didn’t ring, just sent a simple message.’

The following day he wrote: ‘The bit that is broken at the bottom of the Solent stay can’t be fixed and I can’t remove it on top.’

What’s next for Pat Lawless?

Pat lawless

The Solent jib on Pat Lawless’ Saltram Saga Silvermines Hydro. Photo by Don McIntyre / GGR2026

Race management is providing the solo skipper with weather information and remains in contact as Silvermines Hydro sails safely north towards softer winds.

Lawless, who at 70 is the race’s oldest contestant, will not continue in the Chichester Class.

He has yet to declare whether he intends to leave the boat in Cape Verde and fly home.

Lawless’ departure from the race leaves Ertan Beskardes in second place, speeding towards Guillou at 6.3 knots, making approximately 149 miles of daily progress.

What went wrong?

pat lawless

The Solent jib on Pat Lawless’ Saltram Saga Silvermines Hydro. Photo by Don McIntyre / GGR2026

At the time of retiring, Lawless was sailing southeast in north-easterly winds of 20–25 knots and seas of three to four metres, approximately 2,000 nautical miles west of Cape Town .

He was just over 100 nm behind race leader Guillou.

Race management reports that after the failure of his Solent forestay, the loose furler assembly swung outside the boat’s guardrails before Lawless could bring it back under control.

Lawless was able to remove the sail from the damaged furling system and lash the assembly securely to the bow, narrowly avoiding injury.

The chainplate was not impacted, and the mast remains standing.

As Lawless is still able to use a partly rolled genoa and reefed mainsail and does not require assistance, no Code Orange was declared.

He had reported a problem with the Solent stay earlier in the race and gone up the mast to make a repair, but it remains unclear whether the current failure is related to the previous issue.

The rudder problem

In addition to the Solent stay, Lawless had another problem.

While early in the race he had made a temporary repair to his rudder, he didn’t feel it was a long term solution.

‘It’s a dodgy repair not suitable for the Southern Ocean,’ explains McIntyre. ‘And it’s not the rudder itself, which is working perfectly.’
The problem lies instead with a fitting that clamps over the top of the rudder head to connect it to the tiller. Two rivets had corroded internally, while the heads remained pristine.
‘Pat described that he put two bits of timber either side with screws into the wooden rudder, top and bottom, but there’s no through bolt through the metal fitting that holds the rudder. There’s a lot of leverage there, and it’s not safe enough for the Southern Ocean.’
McIntyre adds, ‘I know he’s pulling his hair out by the roots because it’s all because of two little bolts five inches long. If he had two good five inch bolts, he might still be in the race.’
For failures of this kind, McIntyre advises carrying an all-thread rod. On his own vessels, he carries a spare 12mm (a half inch) and a quarter inch, along with 10 nut and bolts screw onto the all-thread rod.
‘You just put them in the bilge or a locker and forget about it, but it’s nice to know that if you ever need a weird-size boat and you haven’t got the right one, you can cut it and make the bolt.’

Could Pat Lawless have continued?

Pat Lawless just after leaving his mooring to start the 2026 Golden Globe Race. Photo by Viveka Herzum

Comments across the race’s official channels have questioned whether Lawless could have continued with just one jib.

‘The short answer is yes, the boat could do that, but for whatever reason Pat’s decided he’s had enough,’ McIntyre says in a livestream update.

‘And Pat’s good. He’s a seaman. So if he says it’s gone and he says he’s out, then that’s exactly the case.

He’s made his decision based on various factors, and I’m not disputing his decision. You know when it’s right to go on and when it’s not.’

However, McIntyre specifies that most offshore yachts sail without the additional forestay.

‘The solent stay is an addition. It’s not needed to hold the mast up.’

‘In calmer waters, he could disconnect the wire, lower it all down, take the aluminium foil off, put the wire back up, and reconnect it to the chainplate so he can have a wire there. But he still wouldn’t have the furling gear.

Either way, he’s not up for the Southern Ocean with the repairs he’s made, and it’s his choice, since he’s staring down the barrel at four months in the southern ocean with all kinds of weather.’

While Saltram Sagas like Silvermines Hydro don’t come with a Solent stay, McIntyre had previously expressed appreciation for Lawless’ redesign.

‘Pat’s rig looked very good. I believe in that sort of style,’ he says. ‘To have two big headsails up there and two big reefing gears, it’s a really good thing for the Southern Ocean.’

Support from other contestants

Supporters of Pat Lawless at the 2026 Golden Globe Race start. Photo by Viveka Herzum

Pat’s retirement has ushered in a wave of support from friends, fans, and family, as well as from the other GGR skippers, who sent the following messages:

Mara Lovenskiøld, Showgirl: ‘Pats retirement is such devastating news. he has been an inspiration and help from the very beginning. it really breaks my heart.’

Guido Cantini, Hannah of Cowes: ‘REALLY REALLY SORRY FOR PAT!’ and the next day ‘All my thoughts and simpathy for Pat today. :(‘.

Guy deBoer, Spirit: ‘aw shit about pat all good here still have wind’

Etienne Messikommer, Bernard: ‘just heard about PAT misfortune. im SOsoSO Sorry for him. all my thougts toward you dear pat. love’

Matt Woodside, Tipi Haere: ‘My best wishes and sympathy to Pat’

 

 

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