Updated
Updated · KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco · Jul 15
Alcatraz Boat Sinking Leaves 3 Missing After 79-Year-Old Victim Is Identified
Updated
Updated · KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco · Jul 15

Alcatraz Boat Sinking Leaves 3 Missing After 79-Year-Old Victim Is Identified

3 articles · Updated · KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco · Jul 15

Summary

  • Three people remained missing Wednesday after the 40-foot pleasure craft Volare sank near Alcatraz Island, with rescuers continuing an overnight search in San Francisco Bay.
  • Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County, was identified as the man who died after being pulled from the water; 16 others were rescued and taken to CPMC Van Ness Campus, and a dog also died.
  • Twenty people were aboard for a memorial service when the vessel began taking on water around 3:37 p.m. between Fort Mason and Alcatraz, in rough, wind-whipped seas authorities say may have contributed.
  • Witnesses described people clinging to the overturned boat and struggling in frigid water as nearby boaters, police, firefighters and the Coast Guard responded; thermal imaging was used through the night.
  • Investigators are still trying to determine why the Stockton-registered boat flooded and capsized after a route that included passing under the Golden Gate Bridge twice and stopping at Angel Island.

Insights

Will the closure of a key fuel dock put more lives at risk in San Francisco Bay?
Why did a 50-foot cruiser capsize in seas that didn't even warrant a weather warning?