Upon the sultry waves of the sea
The mighty ship is tossed
To and fro, afore and aft
Until the moon crests the watery ridge
Here it remains, tossing, and lost.

The captain decrees to lower the masts
And surrender to the powerful sea
The mighty ship will ride the waves
Akin to a whale in the deep
Like Ishmael defeated by Moby Dick.

Night advances as moonlight wanes
Across the watery veil of the sea
Casting its eerie shadows in the night
Upon the hull and it's crew
Who huddle in moonlight, night and mist.

The mighty sea beats upon the breast
Of the ship cast out on the deep
As in the belly of the whale, she fights
To balance o'er the waves, as men sleep
Surging, tossing, she sails, wild yet free.

Poem Copyright ©2002 Cheryl Gardner

This poem is dedicated to those lost at sea. Reprints possible with written permission from the author, for memorial ceremonies and tributes. Contact themidnightwriter1@gmail.com for permissions.

Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/30/gray_sea_hunt/

Microsoft researcher Jim Gray lost at sea
Pacific search

By Chris Williams

Posted in Software, 30th January 2007 14:52 GMT

California coastguards are searching for Microsoft researcher Jim Gray, who was reported missing at 8.30pm on Sunday after failing to return from a solo boat trip.

An experienced yachtsman, Gray sailed early Sunday from a marina near Fort Mason in San Francisco, The San Jose Mercury News reports. He had told family he planned to scatter his mother's ashes on the Farallon Islands, 27 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge. He called home at 10.30am, saying he would soon be passing out of cell phone range.

Coastguards were alerted when he did not make a promised call when back in range, and a dispatched a spotter to search a 4,000 square mile area.

Coastguard Lieutenant Amy Marrs said: "There has been no sightings of Jim Gray or the vessel. Based on his experience and the reports of the good condition of his boat, we have no clues." The sailing conditions around San Francisco were reportedly good.

Gray, 63, founded and managed Microsoft's Bay Area Research Centre. In 1998 he bagged the Turing Prize for his work on databases and transaction processing. Microsoft spokesman Doug Free said: "Our thoughts are with Jim and his family as we hope for his safe return."

More on the search here (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/16578350.htm), and you can read Reg Developer's interview with Gray from last year here (http://www.regdeveloper.co.uk/2006/05/30/jim_gray/). ®

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