Okay, so the search [1] function isn't implemented, or is broken entirely [2] I decided to sigh up for Google's free search engine [3]. Spring [4] signed up for the service [5] and I decided to give it a try.
The hard part was integrating the search field over to the left into the site. Google requires the use of their logo, which I have nothing against but the only background colors they provide are white, grey and black and not the shade of blue I use. Another irksome quirk: while you can brand the output Google expects you to have a banner image to use. I don't. I wish they had the option to specify a text based banner but hey, it's a free service; I shouldn't complain all that much.
[1] https://boston.conman.org/refs/search.html
[2] http://www.conman.org/refs/search.html
[3] http://www.google.com/services/free.html