Posted on 01/29/2007 7:41:32 PM PST by LurkedLongEnough
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a prize-winning computer scientist who failed to return from a quick trip to the Farallon Islands on Sunday.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Amy Marrs, said Jim Gray, 63, was reported missing by his wife at 8:35 p.m. A ten-year veteran of Microsoft and winner of the prestigious A.M. Turing Award, Gray is a technical fellow whose work focuses on databases and transaction processing systems.
Gray set out from San Francisco alone on Sunday morning in his 40-foot sailboat named ``Tenacious.'' The conditions were good, and Gray was expected back Sunday evening.
Gray's wife alerted the Coast Guard after her husband failed to return and did not answer cell phone calls.
``Our thoughts are with Jim and his family as we hope for his safe return,'' said Doug Free, a spokesman for Microsoft.
Marrs said Gray is an experienced sailor and that his boat was fully outfitted with emergency gear, including a radio and life raft.
The Coast Guard mobilized a C-130 Hercules fixed-wing airplane, an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, an 87-foot patrol boat and a 47-foot motor life boat for an all-night search, but did not find any sign of the missing vessel and did not pick up any distress signal.
On Monday, two more boats were added to the search, which was extended 78 nautical miles west of the Farallons for a total of about 4,000 square miles. ``We are searching a huge area,'' said Marrs. The Farallons are 27 nautical miles off the San Francisco coast.
In 1998, Gray was awarded the A.M. Turing Award by the Association for Computing Machinery for seminal contributions to database and transaction processing research.
Recently, Gray had been working to create a world-wide telescope -- a distributed database of the entire world's astonomy information. He was also helping to build a digital library that would include all the world's scientific literature and data.
That's what I was wondering - whether several whales could accidentally ram a 40-footer and do enough damage to sink it.
They seem to be kind of used to the sight-seeing boats, but this one was different - or maybe some different whales. Not sure *who* is there this time of year, whalewise. Some are year-round and others are transient visitors.
I'm also a local, long time sailor. There's been quite a few instances of big ships ramming small craft and no debris remaining. I don't know what the visibility has been offshore but here in Alameda there has been periods of low visibility (read fog) over the last several days.
The area between the gate and the Farallons is a major shipping lane with ships coming from north, south and west. They don't always stay in the lanes and they don't always keep a good look out. I've had some close calls with the bigguns myself over the years, and that's standing a constant watch. A single hander can easily get distracted or become ill and not see what is coming right for him.
As to taking the boat somewhere else, there's only a few places places within a reasonable distance: Half Moon Bay or Drakes Bay. I imagine the CG has covered those bases.
Unless the guy got a total wild hair and decided to go off voyaging without telling anyone, he's on the bottom.
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=46026
SF approach buoy data for the last week. Highest windspeed 14 knots. No 17 knot boatspeed for this guy!
I have to set this straight: I sailed there from 1967-'73. I haven't sailed in that area since then. I am sure freight traffic is intense by now---it was not a great worry back in the late '60's.
We used to do the race to Encinada every year for about 4 straight, and, out of Newport Beach, to Catalina quite often. No Sea Lions then to harass your transom.
I know where Half Moon Bay is...still trying to recall Drake.
It's still difficult for me to imagine a boat-destroying accident on such a good day and with such an experienced skipper, who has (had?) lifetime knowledge of the area.
I still suspect self-induced skullduggery.
Anyone know what sort of a sailboat the 40 footer was?
You're welcome. The main reason I tend to think that it was a ramming and quick sinking is that there was no received mayday call. The guy was experienced and I imagine his navigation and radio equipment were in good repair. Even without good VHF radio reception or transmission, he probably had an EPIRB and life raft. Plus lot of contact with the CG nowadays is done by cell phone.
If the boat was taking on water he would have ample time to contact the CG.
I would imagine that the CG has by now contacted all inbound and outbound ships that were in the area at the time. More information will probably be coming in the next few days.
Other options are, of course, as you say. He may not have gone to the Farallons at all. He may be holed up in an anchorage on the bay somewhere and just doesn't feel like talkin'.
Drakes Bay is about 25 nm north of the gate. Tucked in right behind Pt. Reyes. Not a usual destination at this time of year because while it's protected from westerlies and northerlies, it is open to storm-generated southerlies.
Oh yeah, I know Point Reyes...I'd never sail up that area...too treacherous and no reward.
Last time I was in Drake's Bay was 1964, on a Fletcher Class DD. The skiper ran flank for several hours at sea to get ahead of schedule, because he wanted to put in & wet a line, before docking at Treasure Island.
Captain on the fantail, with a telephone talker to give orders to the bridge, while trolling dead slow; then entered anchored in Drake's Bay for flounder.
I always preferrred Tomales Bay.
Ahhh...Brisbane...the "Poor Mans Sausalito."
Great place and it used to be one of the best kept secrets of the area. I used to live over the "hill" (San Bruno 'Mountain') in South City.
prayer bump
That's a helluva story...
Is it possible he was depressed over Vista?
No, he's not Vistable, he's been lost at C.
(sorry, and I hope this guy's OK, but I couldn't resist)
I also hope the guy is ok. The Farallons is a treacherous place.
Did this guy pack one of those $500 radio rescue beacons? He sure can't claim lack of funds. These expensive rescues are pissing me off when at least some of those who are lost SHOULD DEFINITELY had radio beacons
Thanks for the tip. You get the best book suggestions on FR. The one I'm reading now is about the last days of the USSR from the insider perspective.
Final Days is the name of it. Just fascinating stuff. I was surmising on what the break up must have been like. I've often imagined that if DC got hit hard, the country would breakdown into regional sovereign states more than likely, and that it would be very strange at first.
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