Donald Lawson Update and Statement from Wife “Tori”

Donald Lawson was en route from Acapulco to Baltimore when is his ORMA 60 Defiant encountered difficulties. His wife Jacqueline, who also goes by Tori, reported her concerns for his safety on July 14. His capsized boat was spotted from the air on July 23. Due to the sea state, the boat could not be reached until Thursday, July 27. At that time the Mexican navy said there was no one aboard the vessel.

In a statement released by Tori’s spokesperson Ray Feldmann yesterday, it was reported that Defiant’s liferaft is not with the boat. This gives a glimmer of hope that Captain Lawson is alive, and drifting, hopefully where he can be spotted or reach safety. In the statement, Tori expresses her thanks to the community “… for all the phone calls, emails, text messages, and social media posts that my family and I have received.”

The Baltimore Sun reports that Lawson’s drysuit was found on the boat on Friday. The search crews also found Defiant‘s small green dinghy, which was empty.