Elderly man first confirmed victim of San Francisco Bay boat sinking, with three other passengers still missing nearly 24 hours on

By RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:03, 15 July 2026 | Updated: 20:07, 15 July 2026 An elderly man has been identified as the first victim of a capsized boat in San Francisco Bay, as rescuers continue to search for three missing passengers. A boat with 20 people on board involved in a memorial service sank in the cold, fast-moving waters near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday, authorities said. Clifford Boisa, 79, was pulled from the water but later died, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said 16 others were rescued Tuesday afternoon, and the search for three missing people has continued into Wednesday. Officials said a dog that was on board also died, and the US Coast Guard has taken the lead on the search and rescue effort. Boisa's Navy veteran brother, John Boisa, 62, owned and captained the vessel, called the Volare, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. When approached by a reporter from the newspaper, John said, 'All of us are grieving during this time,' and declined to comment further.   First responders were initially called to reports of a fire on Tuesday, but the smoke was later determined to be steam from the sinking boat, the Coast Guard said. Clifford Boisa (left), 79, has been identified as the first victim of a capsized boat in San Francisco Bay on Tuesday A boat with 20 people on board involved in a memorial service sank in the cold, fast-moving waters near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday 'Coast Guard crews are working side by side with our local partners, and we have dedicated every available resource to this response,' said Captain Jarod Toczko, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. 'Our highest priority remains the safety of everyone involved and the continued search.'  Authorities have not said what caused the boat to sink. Search teams were using thermal imaging, tide prediction and modeling to guide their efforts to find the remaining passengers on Wednesday.  By Tuesday evening, authorities had also been searching the open ocean west of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The vessel was a 50-foot pleasure craft with a cabin and upper deck that departed at or near the St. Francis Yacht Club, passed under the Golden Gate Bridge twice and visited Angel Island State Park in the bay before the apparent return trip, according to the ship-tracking website VesselFinder. There was no small watercraft advisory in effect at the time, which would have warned boaters about weather hazards.  National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Gass told the Associated Press that conditions on the bay were typical, with winds around 17mph. 'There weren't any factors at play as far as the weather goes,' Gass said. Boisa's Navy veteran brother, John Boisa, 62, owned and captained the vessel, called the Volare Officials said 16 other people were rescued, and three passengers remain missing. A dog that was on board also died Some of the swells on the bay were up to 5 feet, according to Lt. Joseph England of the Richmond Police Department, who responded to the scene. 'The wind was coming underneath the Golden Gate and blowing toward Alcatraz,' England said. 'If you have a smaller vessel and you don't know what you're doing and you're hitting those swells sideways, it can lead to disaster.'