Boat of missing sailor Donald Lawson found off Mexico, authorities say

Jacqueline Lawson said she remains hopeful her husband is safe after unconfirmed reports Mexico’s Maritime Search and Rescue unit located Donald Lawson’s 60-foot sailboat.

Two weeks after he went missing at sea, Mexican authorities announced that the vessel carrying Baltimore sailor Donald Lawson had been located.

Jacqueline Lawson remains hopeful her husband is safe, she said in a statement, after “unconfirmed reports that Donald’s sailboat, Defiant, may have been spotted by the Mexican Navy,” NBC News reported.

Lawson’s trimaran was found 275 nautical miles from Acapulco, Mexico, though it is unclear if the 41-year-old was on board. Authorities have reportedly been unable to reach his vessel, blaming terrible weather during the Pacific’s hurricane season.

“We are not giving up hope, and we are remaining hopeful of his return,” Jacqueline Lawson said Tuesday night. “He is an experienced sailor who is well-equipped to expertly handle these types of challenging weather conditions in the Pacific.”

Quentin Lawson Sr. said Tuesday his brother aspired to make sailing history by being the first African-American to complete a solo circumnavigation in a boat no longer than 60 feet.

Lawson intended to sail his 60-foot racing trimaran from Acapulco, Mexico, to Central America’s west coast, through the Panama Canal, then home to Baltimore. Quentin Lawson said the seasoned seaman left Acapulco on July 5 but headed back after a “storm knocked out one of his engines” four days later.

Mexico’s marine secretary’s office reported Tuesday that it had begun looking for Lawson on Friday after his wife provided a report to the U.S. Coast Guard. She told authorities her husband stated on July 12 that he was “experiencing electrical/mechanical issues with his sailboat and was headed back to Acapulco.”

Quentin Lawson said data from his brother’s boat showed that late on July 12, while he was moving at a pace of about 11 knots against the wind, he substantially slowed it. He then altered his course and started sailing against the wind, which caused his speed to drop to 2.9 knots.

The worried sibling said he believes “something happened at that moment,” noting that it “doesn’t make sense” to turn into the wind while on an emergency route to turn back.

Family members last communicated with Lawson on July 13.

The Coast Guard reported that Mexico’s Maritime Search and Rescue division leads the search and rescue efforts. They’re hoping for clear weather soon so that its teams can get to the missing man’s boat.

“We are continuing to pray that Donald will be found,” Jacqueline Lawson said, according to NBC, “and will soon return home safely to his family, friends, and sailing supporters.”

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