Search Ends For Missing Baltimore Sailor Donald Lawson: Report

BALTIMORE, MD — Mexican authorities have ended their search for missing Baltimore sailor Donald Lawson nearly three weeks after his capsized racing yacht was found about 300 nautical miles southwest of Acapulco, according to a report citing Lawson's wife, Jacqueline Lawson.

In a statement obtained by The Baltimore Banner, Jacqueline Lawson said the Mexican Navy and the Mexican Navy Rescue Coordination Center informed her last week they could not locate her husband.

"During their lengthy informational briefings with me, I had the opportunity to review written reports describing their vigorous efforts to locate Donald. I also viewed numerous photos, both from the surface and underwater, of our de-masted and capsized SV/DEFIANT that were taken by MRCC divers," Jacqueline Lawson wrote in the statement.

• RELATED: Missing Baltimore Sailor's Capsized Yacht Found Off Mexico Coast

While the search for Lawson is no longer considered active, officials said they would remain on alert for any sign of the sailor or his life raft, the Banner reported.

Lawson departed from Acapulco on July 5 on the 60-foot racing yacht Defiant, which could reach speeds of 40 knots, more than five times faster than a conventional sailboat, according to reports. He was headed for the Panama Canal en route to Baltimore, reports said.

Lawson spoke with his wife on July 9 and told her he had no engine power and was relying on a wind generator, WBAL reported. He was also having trouble with the yacht's hydraulic rigging, reports said. Three days later, Lawson hit a storm and lost his backup generator. Reports said he and Jacqueline then decided he should turn back to Acapulco.

Lawson was last heard from on July 12, reports said.

On July 26, Jacqueline Lawson confirmed a boat found by Mexican authorities belonged to her husband, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Lawson, a Black professional sailor, served as chairman of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for U.S. Sailing, the national governing body of the sport, according to a separate Banner report.

Lawson was planning to attempt to break a world record this fall by sailing around the world in 74 days, the Banner reported.