A Limerick man will set sail from Kilrush this weekend to sail solo around the world.
Peter Lawless will circumnavigate the globe via the 5 great capes using a sextant and paper charts as his primary navigation tools. His journey will begin and finish in Kilrush.
Peter was forced to abandon a previous effort last year after suffering mechanical problems initially off the Portuguese coast. After successfully resolving those issues, he suffered another setback north of the Canary Islands. He again had no choice to pull into harbour in effort to fix the issues.
Unfortunately, while Peter managed to carry out the necessary repairs the work took several weeks and he missed his window to sail safely into the southern oceans. He was advised by family and supporters not to continue as to do so would pose considerable risk to his safety. Peter knew he had no choice to make the heart-breaking decision to call it a day.
Peter opted to return to Ireland and immediately began making plans to achieve his long-time dream of sailing around the world.
Peter will set sail from Kilrush Marina this Saturday at 10.30am on the first leg of his epic adventure.
Peter said: “This Saturday I will set sail from Kilrush co Clare in Ireland on my solo circumnavigation. To sail around the world has been a lifelong dream. My aim is to stop and talk with schools, organisations and people along my route and share my story with them about Ireland and my experiences along my voyage so far.”
“For me that would be beautiful, to meet all these people and possibly show them a different look at life and I in turn will learn so much from them too. I can only imagine the beautiful people and places I will visit. Maybe I will encourage them to travel, learn to sail, or even teach them to sail. The possibilities are endless.”
Born in Limerick, living in Kerry but based in Kilrush for the past year, Peter has been preparing for this epic journey for quite some time.
Growing up, Peter sailed with his parents, brothers and sister. He started in an Optimist dinghy at the age of four. The yacht he will sail around the world is a Rival 41, a standard production offshore cruising yacht that has been meticulously upgraded for the challenge, making her perfect for this circumnavigation challenge.
Click here track Peter on his journey around the world
Follow Peter on Facebook & Instagram.