Donald Lawson set off from Acapulco, Mexico, in his 60-foot trimaran "Defiant" on 5 July 2023 to sail across the Panama Canal into the Atlantic and then set course for his hometown of Baltimore on the US East Coast. There he wanted to prepare for an ambitious record-breaking voyage: to be the first sailor with black skin colour to circumnavigate the world, and the fastest American to do so. In total, Lawson wanted to break no fewer than twelve records in the near future, which are registered with the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
On 9 July, Lawson communicated the failure of the engines and problems with his hydraulic systems. When the wind generator was also lost during a storm on 12 July, the solo skipper decided to sail back to Acapulco. His wife Jacqueline Lawson informed the authorities that her husband told her about this on 12 July and that contact with him was subsequently broken off.
"We are not giving up hope and continue to hope for his return," she said. "He is an experienced sailor who copes well with the difficult weather conditions in the Pacific. We continue to pray that Donald will be found and returned safely to his family, friends and sailing fans soon."
The Orma-60 trimaran "Defiant" was launched in 2004 under the name "Groupama 2". Skippered by Franck Cammas, the carbon racer achieved numerous successes, including winning the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2007. Team Oracle later trained on the boat for the 33rd America's Cup. The tri was then acquired by Howard Enloe in 2014 and christened "Mighty Merloe". The name became the programme, because from then on the tri was the fastest boat in every race on the US west coast and set several records.
As part of his "Dark Seas Project", Donald Lawson finally acquired the successful racer in April 2022. Lawson, who is also Chairman of the US Sailing Committee for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, also wanted to use the ship to make sailing accessible to everyone.
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Morten Strauch
Editor News & Panorama
