Irish sailor's round-world dream inspired by dad's health

A Dublin sailor has been inspired by his dad's battle with Parkinson’s disease to undertake a solo, non-stop, unassisted race around the world to raise money for charity.

Karl Smith will become the first Irish person to complete the Global Solo Challenge if he is successful.

He has set himself a goal of raising €1 million for Parkinson’s charities by taking part in the challenge.

"More people have been to space than have done this," Karl told RTÉ News.

"It's one of the most challenging things you can do in sailing and when you're at sea for four to five months, the outcome is uncertain for everyone."

Karl said his dad is "really excited" to see how he gets on when the challenge kicks off.

"This whole adventure is inspired by him. It's for him, but it's also for the 10 million people around the world with Parkinson's," Karl said.

"At the moment, this campaign is funded by me but we're going to need some extra support to get the boat to the start line."

Watch the video to hear more from Karl.