A major search-and-rescue operation continues in San Francisco Bay after a 50-foot vessel carrying 20 people capsized and sank Tuesday afternoon near Alcatraz Island. The maritime disaster, which occurred approximately 600 yards off the coast of the historic landmark, resulted in one confirmed death, left three passengers missing, and saw 16 others pulled from the water by emergency responders. The vessel, a three-deck pontoon boat named Volare, was registered out of Stockton and had departed from the St. Francis Yacht Club earlier that day.
The deceased passenger has been identified by the medical examiner as 79-year-old Clifford Joseph Boisa of rural Sutter County. Officers with the San Francisco Police Department’s Marine Unit were first to arrive at the scene, locating Boisa in the water in “severe distress”. Despite immediate CPR efforts aboard the rescue boat, he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Gas House Cove in the Marina District.
Investigators believe the passengers, who were mostly relatives, had gathered on the water for “some kind of memorial service” when high winds and swells overwhelmed the craft. “The reports we’ve had from witnesses is that there were rough seas, and apparently the vessel began to take on water and was turned over in the bay,” said San Francisco Fire Department Chief Dean Crispen. Local officials also confirmed that a family dog aboard the vessel did not survive the sinking.
Of the 16 individuals rescued from the bay, 13 were brought safely to shore while three were transported to local hospitals in stable condition, primarily suffering from impact injuries sustained when jumping into the water. First responders initially rushed to the coordinates after receiving a 3:37 p.m. distress call reporting a vessel on fire, though arriving crews found no evidence of flames and instead encountered the boat already heavily submerged.
The unified search for the three missing adults remains active, utilizing dive teams, helicopters, and 11 response vessels. Agencies including the U.S. Coast Guard are employing advanced modeling software to project drift patterns in the bay’s notoriously challenging currents. Addressing the community, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie emphasized the gravity of the ongoing operation, stating, “This is an all-hands-on-deck search and hopefully rescue”.
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