An elderly man has been identified as the first victim of a boat that capsized in San Francisco Bay, with rescuers continuing to search for three other missing passengers.
Clifford Boisa, 79, was among 20 people aboard a vessel that sank in the bay's cold, fast-moving waters near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday. He was pulled from the water but later pronounced dead by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. A dog that was also on board died in the incident.
San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen stated that 16 other individuals were rescued Tuesday afternoon. The search for the remaining three passengers extended into Wednesday. The U.S. Coast Guard has taken the lead in the search and rescue operations.
Boisa's brother, John Boisa, 62, a Navy veteran, owned and captained the vessel, named the Volare. When approached by a reporter, John Boisa stated, "All of us are grieving during this time," and declined further comment.
First responders were initially alerted to reports of a fire on Tuesday, but the U.S. Coast Guard later clarified that the smoke observed was steam emanating from the sinking boat.
Captain Jarod Toczko, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, confirmed that crews are working collaboratively with local partners and have committed all available resources to the response. "Our highest priority remains the safety of everyone involved and the continued search," Toczko said.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the sinking. Search teams were employing thermal imaging, tide prediction, and modeling to guide their efforts on Wednesday. By Tuesday evening, searches had also extended to the open ocean west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
According to the ship-tracking website VesselFinder, the 50-foot pleasure craft, which featured a cabin and upper deck, departed from or near the St. Francis Yacht Club. It had passed under the Golden Gate Bridge twice and visited Angel Island State Park before the apparent return trip when the incident occurred.
There were no small watercraft advisories in effect at the time of the sinking, which would have warned boaters of potential weather hazards. National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Gass noted that conditions on the bay were typical for the area, with winds around 17 mph. "There weren't any factors at play as far as the weather goes," Gass said.
Lt. Joseph England of the Richmond Police Department, who responded to the scene, reported that some swells on the bay reached up to 5 feet. "The wind was coming underneath the Golden Gate and blowing toward Alcatraz," England explained. "If you have a smaller vessel and you don't know what you're doing and you're hitting those swells sideways, it can lead to disaster."