James Nicholas Gray, 63, vanished on January 28, 2007, after leaving San Francisco alone aboard his 40-foot yacht Tenacious for a short trip to the Farallon Islands to scatter his mother’s ashes. He spoke by phone with family that morning; weather and sea conditions that day were reported as excellent. Gray’s wife reported him missing when he failed to return as scheduled.

An extensive search by the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies found no trace of Gray or his yacht. Tenacious was fitted with advanced communications and safety gear, including an emergency beacon, but no distress signals were recorded. Authorities believe an accident at sea is the most likely explanation and do not suspect foul play. Gray was a noted computer scientist with contributions to database systems; his disappearance remains unresolved.

Did anyone in the sailing community or nearshore observers see a small yacht headed for the Farallons on January 28, 2007?