Tragedy Strikes Memorial Gathering With One Dead and Three Missing After Boat Sinks on San Francisco Bay
Story Updated 2:07 p.m.(PT)
One person has died, and according to latest reports, three are missing, after a boat took on water and sank on San Francisco Bay on Tuesday afternoon. San Francisco fire chief Dean Crispen told reporters they received a call at 3:35 p.m. Tuesday alerting them to a boat on fire, approximately 600 yards off Alcatraz. San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) were the first authorities on the scene. There was no evidence of a fire; however the boat was sinking.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the man who died has been identified as Clifford Boisa, 79, of Sutter County. Cliff was the elder brother of Volare’s owner John Boisa, 62.
Authorities are focusing on finding the three missing people, though it us unknown whether they are trapped in the sunken vessel or have been swept away. It is reported that officials planned to use sonar to locate the boat and explore whether it can be raised.
Chief Crispen told CBS News the SFPD found one person in the water in “severe distress.” They took him aboard and gave CPR, but he was pronounced deceased upon arrival at Gashouse Cove. Reports have been mixed about the number of people aboard the boat, but latest reports say there were a total of 20 souls aboard, one deceased, 16 rescued, and three remaining missing. A dog that was aboard also died. Lt. Mariano Elias of the SFPD told reporters that three of the 16 rescued had severe injuries (possibly impact from hitting the water) and required hospital treatment. It’s also hard to understand how injuries might have resulted from impact with the water, though perhaps the impact of waves pushing people up against the boat might have caused injuries.
The boat is believed be Volare, a 1981 50-ft Marine Trader, homeported in Stockton, CA. According to reports, Volare was carrying a group who had gathered for a memorial, to scatter the ashes of a deceased loved one.
“The reports we’ve had from witnesses [are] that there [were] rough seas, and apparently the vessel began to take on water and was turned over in the Bay,” Crispin told CBS. Eleven crews worked to enact the rescue and search for the missing passengers.
As all Bay Area sailors know, the waters in the Central Bay in the summer can be very challenging. While this was first reported to be a pontoon boat, it is now known to be a robust trawler, which we imagine should be up to the conditions on the Bay yesterday. Including the mystery of whether there was a fire involved, there remains a lot unknown about how this tragedy might have unfolded. One could imagine that, with 20 passengers on the top deck, rolling sideways in the Bay chop might have caused her to roll too far so that water started to get into the hull. Or it could have struck something in the water. There will certainly be lots to learn from this terrible accident.
This video published by KTVU FOX 2 shows the boat sinking on the Bay.
First responders, emergency workers and rescue vessels operated off the Gashouse Cove fuel dock and the parking lot reserved for emergencies like this. Many of California’s fuel docks were built in the 1960s to help manage this kind of crisis.
While many news reports did mention rough seas, they certainly weren’t any rougher than most sailors, wingfoilers and other boaters regularly experience while sailing San Francisco Bay. We are experiencing king tides, which could account for some additional chop, but realistically, it feels as if something unusual happened to cause this tragic accident. These were “normal” Bay conditions, so some other explanation is probably needed to understand why a solidly built 50-ft trawler somehow faltered on the Bay.
The story is unfolding so we will add to it as we learn more.
I don’t know anything just like everybody else, but little Alcatraz was not too far away from their location.
I guess it wasn’t possible to Lassoo the back support to the bridge deck to keep her from sinking. Looks like it probably happened pretty fast. Those waves can roll in pretty steep with a good wind and tide.
Interesting as the video shows a big bimini and I’d be amazed inot sure how a Marine Trader would float that long with the superstructure under water. The behavior seems much more like a pontoon boat, and I can envision a group of 20 going to one side to observe spreading ashes and causing it to flip. All supposition on my part after watching the video. Unless the boat awash in the video was a potential rescue craft and not the Volare.
Thoughts with the survivors and hoping they find the 3 missing people alive. A true tragedy.
I think that they had already spread the ashes outside of the Gate and were heading back to SF.
“One could imagine that, with 20 passengers on the top deck, rolling sideways in the Bay chop might have caused her to roll too far so that water started to get into the hull.”
I think this is exactly what happened. Reminds me of the fly bridge 34 footer that capsized off of Long Island in 2012. 27 people on board, many of whom where on the bridge. The boat rolled over and trapped three children below. They blamed the capsize on “maneuvering, wake from another vessel, and a gust of wind”. The key issue was too many people too high on the vessel, changing its stability.
I am guessing that 15 or so of the 20 people were on the top deck under the bimini. Tragic, and preventable.
That does seem likely and, once heeled, the very large bimini on the top deck could become a sail pulling it to leeward once heeled over.
My guess is that the boat rolled for a number of reasons, lost stability, and after people fell off the upper deck the boat righted itself, but it was too late. It swamped, and sank in an upright attitude. Just guessing…
I transited The Slot on Tuesday (northbound), passing just east of Alcatraz at 1430. Winds were steady 22-23 knots with gusts up to 25 knots. Moderate degree of ebb chop but not unusual or excessive. IMHO a well-maintained 50′ trawler should have been able to handle these conditions unless poor weight distribution (as noted above) or mechanical issues that impaired maneuvering.
Some mention of seeing smoke, the fire department states no fire. It makes me wonder if there was a runaway diesel incident. Cloud of smoke then engine parts punching a hole in the hull?
How did we get from a pontoon boat to a 50ft trawler?
Alcatraz reef?
Modern trawler style boats with a CE plate will have A, B, C, D ratings that list the total passengers and weight allowance for ocean, coastwise, etc.. The plate will also state the maximum number of passengers allowed on the upper deck. It is possible that for a vessel of this age such stability calculations were never required, since it was never intended to be an inspected vessel. The
likely scenario is that there was too much weight on one side of the upper deck. It is a very sad day.
My husband sails the bay a lot and mentioned that there is a rock off Alcatraz that is under the water most of the time. Wonder if that was involved. He says it might ba called little Alcatraz. He’s seen boats stuck on it in the past. Anyway so sorry for the poor family. What a tragic thing.
I am a former SF Bay sailor and naval architect familiar with all regulatory body requirements. This trawler type (not pontoon) was conceived too early or outside the purview for/of CE certification requirements. However, and other regulatory rules notwithstanding (CFR Coast Guard, ABS, etc.), basic positive (righting arm,) stability was overcome by too much weight on the upper level exacerbated by that weight shifting to one side (crowd movement) coupled with wind generated vessel sail area. Negative arm caused the capsize and downflooding of the hull through engine air intake created negative buoyancy (unsurvivable floodable length). Regulatory requirements, had there been any applicable for this vessel and, above all, the captain (licensed or not) exercising prudence for proper personnel distribution might have been mitigating.
Braswell’s route analysis appears correct as it is illegal to dispose of ashes inside the Gate. And Hawley’s accounting of this mishap the most plausible. Barring environmental conditions, however, highly placed personnel overcrowding to one side can capsize any vessel as demonstrated many years ago in one of the most famous vessel stability case studies.
One more comment: it wouldn’t require that everyone crowd to one side of the “third story” to cause this, but rather than the boat be rolled over by wind waves (short and steep in that area), or possibly a big steering correction, that started the capsize. Trawlers are designed not to have ultimate stability, but that they combine stability with an easy rolling motion. Too much ballast can make a trawler have a “snappy” roll rate that is uncomfortable. I think Voyaging Under Power by Beebe and the Unstots has a section on too much righting moment.
Weird story. Latitude, please keep covering this until we figure out what happened – mainstream press is not very helpful. Captain experienced, and a Navy veteran. Some reports indicate that one wave capsized this 50 foot trawler that had recently cruised to San Diego. Seemed to happen remarkably quickly – typical summer SF Bay weather – passengers were apparently on different decks – some blunt trauma injuries – no life jackets – seems odd.
Experienced sailors know that the area South of Alcatraz packs up with some strong standing waves when the current is flowing quickly. It seems unlikely that a typical large wave or wake was traversing across the bay and upset the Volare. I believe we will find standing waves played a part in this outcome.
There is a video showing a long plume of steam (10-20 boat lengths) behind the boat while traversing the bay. Shouldn’t be the case with normal engine operation. Could this be caused by an exhaust hose that failed? It would gradually fill the engine compartment and sloshing water would contribute to instability and eventual flooding/sinking. Answers may be had if they are able to raise the boat. Otherwise, cause will have to be based on interviews of skipper and passengers aboard the boat. The reporting is not clear if John Boisa (owner) was skipper at the time or among the survivors or missing.
That boat looks top heavy, especially with alot of people on the upper deck.
If the above noted exhaust hose failure/ taking on water were to be correct, one would have expected a call for help would have been made.
John, minor correction, the image I sent was from MarineTraffic.com. I have created a few maps of the AIS tracks, last known position and possible location of wreck based on AIS data and SFPD info reporting in “depth of 120′ on rocky seabed” that you can feel free to use, at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kkHiwU7CmVELApjN6 https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/news/sfpd-continues-search-missing-and-recovery-effort-sunken