U.S. Coast Guard crews have suspended a search late Wednesday for three people missing after a boat carrying 20 family members and friends as part of a memorial service capsized a day earlier in the cold, choppy waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said. U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jared S. Toczko said rescuers have cumulatively scoured 950 square nautical miles (3,260 square kilometers) and the search continued until sundown on Wednesday. Toczko would not dismiss the possibility that those missing could still be alive, though he also said some could have been trapped inside the three-deck, 49-foot (15-meter) cabin cruiser. “We do know individuals were in the main deck and potentially below deck,” he said. But now that the search has been suspended, the U.S. Coast Guard says recovering the boat is the next step in the investigation. Because of the depth of the water, that process could take time and may require an underwater drone before investigators can determine exactly what caused the boat to capsize. After the search was suspended, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie released the following statement: “The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search and rescue mission for the three missing people following yesterday’s boat accident in the San Francisco Bay. My heart goes out to their loved ones. This accident is heartbreaking, and we grieve alongside those affected. I want to recognize SFFD, SFPD, the U.S. Coast Guard, and our partners from Oakland, Marin, and across the region. Our first responders have conducted an intensive operation over more than 24 hours using all manner of resources and technology, even with support from private citizens, to try to find all individuals involved. Because of their dedicated work, 16 people were saved after the boat capsized. I want to again extend my gratitude to the San Francisco Human Services Agency and the American Red Cross for supporting the survivors.” One person was pulled from the water but later died, and 16 others were rescued Tuesday afternoon after the boat took on water, listed heavily to one side and then rolled over before sinking, Toczko said. The passengers on board were all close friends and family members, he said. A dog also died. Crews have identified the location the boat sank but have yet to determine how deep it sank, Toczko said. Once the boat is located, officials will send either divers or an underwater drone to determine if it’s feasible to salvage it, said San Francisco Police Commander Brien Hoo. If the boat is under 120 feet (37 meters) of water, it would be difficult for divers to get to it, he said. Witnesses reported “rough seas,” San Francisco Fire Department Chief Dean Crispen said, and rescuers said swells reached up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). Marine weather conditions, however, didn’t warrant a small craft advisory from the National Weather Service. Sudden immersion in water under 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) can lead to cold water shock, a condition where people lose dexterity in minutes. That can be dangerous or deadly when trying to escape a sinking watercraft. Man who died after boat capsized in San Francisco Bay identified The person who died was identified as Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, from rural Sutter County in the Sacramento Valley, the San Francisco medical examiner said. The Boisa family provided the following statement Wednesday to NBC Bay Area: “We and many families have suffered a horrific loss. We deeply appreciate the outpouring of condolences and prayers. At this incredibly difficult time, we ask that you respect our privacy so that we can process and grieve.” Clifford Boisa was a budget analyst for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and retired in 2001, according to Calpers. He also served as a Sutter County reserve deputy sheriff from 1987 until 2011. Clifford is the older brother of the man who owned the boat, John Boisa, who provided the following statement to NBC Bay Area: “I loved Clifford with all of my heart. In addition to being a brother, he was a mentor and role model to me growing up. I cherished him, and much of the person I am was formed by his example. The loss of him is a crushing anguish.” What we know about the boat that capsized in the San Francisco Bay Fire department spokesperson Lt. Mariano Elias said the 50-foot vessel, named Volare, was registered out of Stockton, which sits at the eastern edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Tockzo said there were life jackets onboard the boat and that some people were rescued wearing them, though witnesses said several people were in the water without them. “The wind was coming underneath the Golden Gate and blowing toward Alcatraz,” Lt. Joseph England of the Richmond Police Department, who responded to the scene, said Wednesday. “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.” England said no one was aboard the boat by the time his department’s marine unit got there. The crew found the vessel nearly submerged, with cushions, chairs and other debris floating nearby. Like a ‘Titanic’ scene, rescuer says Two rescuers who jumped into action while fishing for halibut said the boat that sank was more than capable of being out in the bay. Justin Marceline and Michael Montoya said they saw what they thought was smoke and arrived to find the vessel halfway submerged. “We just started yanking people out,” Marceline said. At least two people bobbed in the water without life jackets, while others clung to a windsurfer’s board. Marceline could see people trapped inside the rapidly sinking boat through its windows. He threw lead fishing weights to survivors in the water, hoping they could smash the glass, but they were too weak. “It was like Titanic in real life,” he said. “There was stuff everywhere. People were banging on the glass.” Montoya estimated they pulled eight or nine people aboard, including the captain, before first responders arrived. High-tech tools used in search The U.S. Coast Guard was leading the search effort with a cutter named the Barracuda, other vessels and a fixed-wing aircraft, Petty Officer Kenneth Wiese said Wednesday. The Coast Guard said it would suspend active search operations at sunset Wednesday. “We want to consider every single option,” Wiese said. Search teams were using thermal imaging, tide prediction and modeling to guide their efforts, the fire department said Wednesday. By Tuesday evening, authorities had been searching the open ocean west of the Golden Gate Bridge. Where was the boat coming from? A marine tracking site shows the Volare left the Village West Marina in Stockton on Saturday on its way to the Bay. It was not known how many people were onboard during that portion of the trip. The boat was also in McCovey Cove for at least part of the San Francisco Giants game on Sunday, according to a boat tracking website and a post on social media. The vessel also showed up in an image of the stadium during the broadcast. The boat days later departed near the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, 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. Angel Island, the largest natural island in the bay, is known for sweeping views of the city. “Our hearts go out to the friends and family of those on board the boat that sunk off the waters off Alcatraz Island,” the St. Francis Yacht Club said in a statement to NBC Bay Area. “While the boat did not embark from St. Francis Yacht Club, nor were there members on board, we share this Bay and therefore, understand the weight of this tragedy.” San Francisco 12 hours ago Man who died after boat capsized in San Francisco Bay identified San Francisco Jul 14 1 dead, 3 missing after 50-foot cabin cruiser capsizes near Alcatraz Dispatch audio of initial response to sinking boat near Alcatraz Island Initial callers reported what appeared to be smoke coming from the boat, but San Francisco police officers who first reached the vessel determined it was steam. San Francisco fire officials confirmed Wednesday that the boat that capsized on the Bay was equipped with life vests – although dispatchers quoted witnesses as indicating some people in the water may have been holding onto them instead of wearing them at the time they were spotted. Elias said dispatch records indicate that about 10 minutes after the initial call, a dispatch note indicates that a witness saw “a cluster” of four people in the water holding onto a sail board. The dispatch notation suggests that they were not using life vests for floatation, according to Elias. “We did hear that people were holding onto vests, instead of wearing them,” Elias said. The boat sank about 128 feet down, because it was in a shipping channel, Elias said. He noted that dive teams are typically only allowed to go down about 60 feet into the water, leaving the wreckage of the boat unsearched at this time. He said salvage crews will ultimately bring up the boat as part of the investigation. The maximum-security federal prison at Alcatraz Island, which closed more than 60 years ago, was infamously inescapable due to the chilly waters and strong currents that surround “The Rock.” Designed to hold the nation’s intractable criminals, including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, it is now a popular tourist attraction. The island is about a mile off San Francisco. Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Ed White in Detroit; Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles; and photographer Noah Berger in San Francisco contributed to this story. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less