One person has died and three remain missing following a recreational boat sinking near Alcatraz Island on San Francisco Bay during a memorial service. Seventeen passengers were rescued from the 49-foot vessel, named Volare, which began taking on water in choppy afternoon conditions before sinking approximately 600 yards offshore.
The group of 20, comprised mostly of family and friends, had chartered the boat for a memorial service to honor a loved one. After departing from a local marina, the vessel proceeded under the Golden Gate Bridge and towards Angel Island before encountering difficulties on its return journey. The sinking occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with some passengers clinging to the boat's submerged top deck while others were left in the rough waters.
A significant rescue operation was initiated following multiple distress calls, involving the U.S. Coast Guard, San Francisco Fire Department, and other partner agencies. Several private citizens also assisted in pulling individuals from the vessel. Rescuers managed to save 17 passengers, but one was pronounced dead upon arrival ashore, and three were hospitalized with injuries sustained from entering the water.
The search for the three missing individuals was hampered by high winds, rough seas, and the incident's location in a deep channel of the bay, reportedly around 130 feet deep. San Francisco Fire Department divers typically cannot operate below 60 feet, making recovery efforts in the area impossible. Officials initially theorized the missing persons might be trapped within the vessel, a possibility U.S. Coast Guard sector commander Jarod Toczko stated had a "high probability," based on survivor accounts of passengers being on decks below the main level when the boat began to founder.
After an extensive search covering 950 square miles over 54 hours, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its active search efforts on Wednesday night, citing the thoroughness of the operations and the diminishing likelihood of locating survivors. Commander Toczko expressed condolences to the families involved, noting the difficulty of such decisions.
The memorial service was reportedly held to scatter the ashes of Maria Boisa, a nurse who died by suicide in 2015 at age 32. The deceased, identified as 79-year-old Clifford Joseph Boisa of Sutter County, was the elder brother of the vessel's owner and captain, 62-year-old John Boisa. A dog accompanying the passengers also perished in the incident.
The San Francisco Police Department is collaborating with state emergency services to locate the sunken vessel. Commander Brien Hoo indicated that authorities are evaluating the feasibility of recovering the boat, which would involve using an underwater drone to assess its structural integrity before determining the capacity for a salvage operation.
