Ornaith Murphy - SF Bay Area mystery

Today is the six-year anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Bay Area single-handed sailor Ornaith Murphy. This is what the Oakland police department web site has to say about the mystery:

"Ornaith was last seen in Oakland on December 16, the day after her estranged husband's disappearance. She owned a 1980 39-foot fiberglass auxillary sailboat named Sola III. The vessel has dark blue circular emblems with one gray swirl painted on both of her sides. Ornaith normally berthed the boat at the Oakland Marina in the Jack London Square area of the city. The vessel disappeared on the same day as Ornaith; it has never been located. The boat was captured on a video surveillance camera pulling out of the Oakland Marina at 8:36 p.m. on December 15. It had about one week's worth of food on it when it disappeared, and no safety or foul weather gear.

Kieran and Ornaith planned to meet on the day of his disappearance to discuss legal issues. Ornaith was seen working on her boat that day. A man fitting Kieran's description was seen near the boat on the evening of his disappearance, but it was never established that the man was in fact Kieran. Witnesses reported hearing loud banging sounds coming from near the Sola III the evening he disappeared. The witnesses could not be sure that the sounds were gunshots, however.

The next day, December 16, Ornaith called her niece from the Sola III. She said she was in a marina in Berkeley. Ornaith's niece invited her to breakfast, but Ornaith declined the invitation. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Ornaith and Kieran are described as a witty, intelligent couple who enjoy reading classic literature. They amassed a small fortune through real estate speculation and have two sons together. Their marriage crumbled after Kieran had an extra-marital affair. Kieran was living in an apartment in the Nob Hill area of San Francisco when he disappeared; Ornaith resided with her niece near Jack London Square in Oakland, near her boat. Both were the defendants of a lawsuit at the time of their disappearance; one of the buildings they owned had caught fire and a child had been badly burned.

Ornaith's family reported her as a missing person from Oakland. The estranged couple may be traveling together aboard the vessel. Another theory is that Ornaith shot Kieran and committed suicide shortly afterwards. There has been no evidence to support this, however, beyond the noises heard by witnesses.

Kieran was supposed to vacation in Mexico shortly after he disappeared. He and Ornaith's sons say it would be uncharacteristic of them to leave without warning. The Sola III was not equipped for an extended cruise and Kieran did not know how to sail it. The United States Coast Guard has been involved in the search for Kieran and Ornaith, but no evidence has been discovered. Neither of the couple's credit cards or bank accounts have been used since their disappearances. Their cases remain unsolved, but their disappearances are considered suspicious."

Ornaith was very well-respected by the local (and international) sailing community for her able seamanship and her ability to handle tough situations. She was known for assisting other sailors in trouble and for her single-handed trip around Cape Horn where she lost her rudder but managed to pull through. I only met Ornaith once or twice but my friend Synthia was a pretty good friend of Ornaith's. Ornaith was instrumental in Synthia's own single-handed sailing career and she went so far as to loan Synthia her Cal 39 Sola III so that Synthia could sail it in her first single-handed Farallones race. I was on the race deck for Synthia's finish and proudly watched Synthia and Sola III cross the finish line.

Sometimes I think of Ornaith and wonder what happened to her and her soon-to-be-ex husband Keiran, will we ever know what happened to them? I suspect this mystery is one that may never be solved.