Wife of missing Baltimore sailor remains hopeful as Mexican officials wind down search
Video Above: Father of missing Baltimore sailor confident son will be found after vanishing off Mexican coast
BALTIMORE -- The search efforts for a sailor from Baltimore who has been missing for weeks after setting sail in Mexico are winding down, his wife said Wednesday.
Jacqueline Lawson, the wife of Captain Donald Lawson, said she traveled to Acapulco last week to meet with high-ranking members of the Mexican Navy and Mexican Rescue Coordination Center, who debriefed her on their search efforts.
"It was clear to me that the Mexican Navy and MRCC truly went above and beyond in their efforts to find my husband Donald and DEFIANT'S missing life raft," she said in a statement. "I am eternally grateful for their tremendous hard work and dedication as their search continued for well over a week."
Lawson said in a statement the search for Capt. Lawson is no longer considered in 'active' status, but rescue teams remain 'on alert' for any signs of the sailor or his life raft.
"I haven't given up, and neither have (Mexico officials)," she said. "I will be providing additional thoughts and details of my trip to Acapulco in the near future. Meantime, I want to thank all those who have followed our difficult journey over the past month. I hope everyone will join me in praying for Donald and his safe return."
His trimaran sailboat "DEFIANT" was located last month nearly 360 nautical miles off the coast of Acapulco last month. However, there was no sign of Lawson. There was also no sign of her husband's lone life raft.
MORE: Wife notified sailboat was located without missing Maryland sailor off Mexico's coast
"I view this as encouraging news," Jacqueline Lawson said last month. "I believe Donald used the life raft when DEFIANT became disabled, and that he is still out there somewhere."
Lawson, an American professional sailor, was working toward challenging records for circumnavigating the globe solo on a trimaran without stopping — a voyage that is estimated to take 74 days to complete.
He left Acapulco on July 5, 2023, bound for the Panama Canal and ultimately Baltimore, and on his trek, it is believed that he lost engine power and an operational wind generator.
Jacqueline Lawson said she last received a text from her husband on July 12.
He first communicated on July 9 that he had been experiencing problems with his hydraulic rigging and was without engine power, relying solely on a wind generator.
According to Jacqueline Lawson, he lost his wind generator due to a storm on July 12. His last known position was detected July 13.
The U.S. Coast Guard issued an AMVER report (Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System) on July 21 to alert vessels within a 300-nautical mile radius of Lawson's last known position.
Father of missing Baltimore sailor confident son will be found after vanishing off Mexican coast
On July 24, a search plane spotted what appeared to be the DEFIANT approximately 300 miles off the coast of Acapulco. Jacqueline Lawson confirmed on July 26 that the boat was the DEFIANT based on photos provided to her.
Lawson's trimaran set multiple records before Lawson acquired it, including a speed record for the 2017 Transpac Race between California and Hawaii, and it also acted as a training platform for the America's Cup.
Lawson was repositioning his boat from Mexico, where it underwent repairs, to Baltimore via the Panama Canal in order to prepare for his world record attempt, set tentatively for this fall.
