The search for three people missing after a memorial outing on San Francisco Bay ended Wednesday night, with authorities preparing to move from a rescue operation to a recovery mission.
The 49-foot private yacht Volare capsized at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after it was hit by a large wave roughly 600 yards off Alcatraz Island.
The vessel overturned and sank in approximately 130 feet of water.
On board were 20 relatives and friends from Stockton who had come together for a memorial service to scatter a loved one’s ashes.
Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, died after rescuers pulled him from the cold bay waters.
Sixteen other passengers were rescued, while three remained missing and are feared to be trapped inside the yacht’s submerged cabin.
Fishing boats nearby rushed toward the capsizing vessel, and Good Samaritans pulled eight to nine survivors from the freezing water before emergency crews arrived.
U.S. Coast Guard teams searched a combined 950 square nautical miles for more than 24 hours before suspending the operation on Wednesday.
Capt. Jared S. Toczko said investigators could not rule out the possibility that the missing passengers survived, but acknowledged they may have been trapped inside the vessel.
“We do know individuals were in the main deck and potentially below deck,” Toczko said.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie called the tragedy “heartbreaking” and said the city “grieve[s] alongside those affected.”
He also praised first responders for carrying out “an intensive operation” using every available resource and technology, alongside private citizens, helping save 16 people from the sinking vessel.
Authorities have identified the location of the wreck and will determine whether divers or an underwater drone can safely inspect it as the mission transitions into recovery efforts.
