It can be a dangerous ocean between large waves and floating containers that have been washed off their ships. The Pacific moreso than the Atlantic. Let's hope all is well.
I've sailed this area for years. This guy went out during daylight, the sea was good, as was visibility. Even a collision, however unlikely, would have left some remnant of the boat. BTW, the Farallons are not at all that far from the SF bay inlet, so the search area was fairly well designated. I've never seen a floating container in this area.
Not finding the boat indicates he took the boat elsewhere.