the alcatraz boat capsize started as a family memorial service and turned into one of san francisco bay’s deadliest boating tragedies in years. one person is dead, three remain missing, and the coast guard has now suspended the search after combing more than 800 square miles of open water.
What Happened On The Bay
on tuesday afternoon, a 49-foot, three-deck cabin cruiser carrying 20 people left a san francisco marina, passed under the golden gate bridge twice, stopped at angel island, and was heading back when it was hit by a wave near alcatraz island. the vessel listed heavily, rolled over, and sank in one of the deepest parts of the bay, roughly 130 feet down. the alcatraz boat capsize happened so fast that some passengers barely had time to react.
A Memorial Service That Turned Into Tragedy
the group on board was mostly extended family, gathered for a celebration-of-life service to scatter a loved one’s ashes. everyone aboard was either related or a close family friend, and officials confirmed no children were on the vessel. instead of a quiet farewell on the water, the trip ended with rescuers pulling survivors from 60-degree water and a yellow tarp covering a body on the dock.
‘It Was Like Titanic in Real Life’
nearby anglers were among the first to reach the sinking boat. one of them said he could see people trapped inside through the windows and threw fishing weights toward survivors, hoping they could break the glass to escape. “there was stuff everywhere. people were banging on the glass,” he said of the scene. between the good samaritans and san francisco fire department boats, an estimated eight or nine people were pulled aboard rescue vessels before official responders even arrived a detail that’s made the alcatraz boat capsize one of the most talked-about rescue stories on the bay in years.
Trapped Below Deck
officials say some passengers were on the main deck when the boat went down, but others were likely below deck and may have been trapped as the cabin cruiser flooded and sank. the engine was reportedly still running and leaking fuel when crews arrived, and the boat was found almost fully submerged with only its upper deck visible above the waterline.
Who Died, Who’s Still Missing
the man who died was identified as clifford joseph boisa, a 79-year-old sutter county resident and former reserve deputy sheriff. he was pulled from the water alive but died shortly after. his dog also died in the sinking. the three still missing are his wife, his sister, and a family friend of his daughter’s. the boat’s captain, boisa’s younger brother, was among three people hospitalized with injuries and has since been released.
Why The Boat Went Down
investigators haven’t confirmed an exact cause, but a local sailor with a master mariner license said uneven weight distribution across passengers could have made the vessel unstable in choppy water. he noted conditions that day weren’t extreme no major gusts, no massive waves which has left investigators focused on stability and passenger positioning rather than weather alone as the likely factor behind the alcatraz boat capsize.
The Search That Covered 800+ Square Miles
coast guard crews, divers, helicopters and private boats searched through the night and into wednesday, eventually covering more than 814 square miles of water stretching past the golden gate bridge into the open ocean. cold water shock which can cause a person to lose dexterity within minutes in temperatures under 60 degrees made survival odds drop fast the longer anyone stayed submerged. by wednesday evening, commanders made the call to suspend the search at sunset “pending further developments.”
What Happens Now
once the official search wound down, the case moved to the san francisco police department to handle the boat’s recovery, with investigators planning to use an underwater drone to locate the sunken vessel before deciding whether to raise it. the cause of the alcatraz boat capsize remains under investigation, and the fate of the three missing passengers is still unknown.
Bottom Line
a family trip meant to honor someone they’d lost turned into a scene rescuers compared to a movie. the alcatraz boat capsize has already claimed one life, left three people unaccounted for, and reopened hard questions about how a routine bay outing on a well-equipped boat can go wrong so quickly.
sources: cnn.com, nbcnews.com, kqed.org, foxnews.com
