West Baltimore man missing at sea after boat experiences engine problems, wife says

BALTIMORE -- A West Baltimore man on a mission to promote sailing has gone missing during a sailing trip.

Donald Lawson is a professional sailor and the founder of the Dark Seas Project, a nonprofit that focuses on the diversification of sailing. He has not been heard from in over a week.

Lawson left Acapulco, Mexico, on July 5, and was planning to sail to Baltimore after going through the Panama Canal, according to a news release that lists his wife, Jacqueline, as the media contact.

Lawson messaged his wife on July 9 that he had been experiencing difficulties with his hydraulic rigging. This had prompted him to rely solely on a wind generator given that he lacked engine power, the news release states.

She last heard from him on July 12, which is when he told her that he had lost the wind generator due to a storm, according to the news release.

Lawson is traveling aboard a 60-foot Ocean Racing Multihull Association-class trimaran boat, the news release states. 

The boat had undergone repairs in Mexico. It set multiple records before Lawson acquired it, according to the news release.

In fact, Lawson was working towards making a single-handed world record attempt for circumnavigation on a trimaran in the fall of 2023, the news release states.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a report to alert vessels within a 300-nautical mile radius of Lawson's last known position, which was detected on July 13, according to the news release.