A family's trip to scatter the ashes of a loved one ended in heartbreak when their boat capsized in San Francisco Bay, leaving one man dead, three relatives and friends missing, and witnesses comparing the desperate final moments to "Titanic in real life."
The group had gathered aboard the 49-foot cabin cruiser Volare to honor the memory of a friend of Ralph Boisa's daughter when disaster struck near Alcatraz. The vessel was hit by a wave, took on water and rolled over before sinking.
Clifford Boisa, 79, died after being pulled from the frigid bay. His dog also perished. Still missing are Ralph Boisa's sister, Carol; Clifford's wife, Jackie; and the friend whose ashes the family had set out to scatter.
"We've gone through a lot of tragedy over the years," Ralph Boisa said. He had remained home in Washington and was not on the boat. He said the family had already endured devastating losses, including the death of another daughter in 1995.
As the Volare slipped beneath the surface, fishermen Justin Marceline and Michael Montoya raced toward the sinking vessel after spotting what they first believed was smoke.
Instead, they found chaos.
"It was like Titanic in real life," Marceline told The Associated Press. "There was stuff everywhere. People were banging on the glass."
Marceline said some passengers were trapped inside the rapidly sinking boat, pounding on windows as others desperately tried to save them. He and fellow fisherman Michael Montoya threw heavy lead fishing weights toward the windows, hoping survivors could smash the glass and escape, but those trapped appeared too weak.
"We just started yanking people out," Marceline said.
The two fishermen estimated they pulled eight or nine people from the cold water, including the captain, while others clung to a windsurfer's board or struggled to stay afloat without life jackets until emergency crews arrived.
In all, 16 people were rescued.
The U.S. Coast Guard has since suspended its search after covering more than 814 square miles, saying the operation has ended "pending further developments."
Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that some of the missing became trapped inside the three-deck vessel before it sank.
"We do know individuals were in the main deck and potentially below deck," investigator Toczko said.
Officials have located the wreck but have not disclosed its depth. San Francisco Police Commander Brien Hoo said recovering the vessel could require an underwater drone if it rests deeper than 120 feet.
Witnesses described rough seas with swells reaching about five feet, though weather conditions were not severe enough for the National Weather Service to issue a small craft advisory.
Experienced mariner Kirk Miller suggested the boat's stability may have been affected by the way passengers were positioned on board rather than by unusually dangerous weather.
The Volare is owned by John and Miriam Boisa of Stockton, California. Ralph Boisa said his brother John, who captained the vessel, is an experienced sailor and Navy veteran who frequently took family members out on the bay.
Clifford Boisa, who lived on a prune orchard in Sutter County and served as a volunteer sheriff's deputy for more than a decade, was due to celebrate his 80th birthday next month.
"He was a happy guy, jovial," Ralph Boisa said. "We're pretty broken up here."
