Kerry sailor forced to drop out of round-the-world race after three years' preparation

Pat Lawless was two months into the race when a fault in his boat’s steering equipment brought his journey to a sudden end

Pat Lawless hoped to become the first Irish person to sail solo non-stop around the world. Picture: Darragh Kane

Broken equipment has forced a solo sailor from Kerry to pull out of the round-the-world Golden Globe Race for which he spent three years preparing.

Pat Lawless, who was a carpenter and a fish-trawler owner during his working life, had ambitions to be the first Irish person to complete the tough 33,000-mile journey.