\n\t\t\t\t\t\tU.S. Coast Guard crews combed a massive area for three people missing nearly a day after a boat carrying 20 family members and friends as part of a memorial service capsized in the cold, choppy waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said Wednesday.U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jared S. Toczko said rescuers have cumulatively scoured 950 square nautical miles (3,260 square kilometers) and will continue searching until sundown Wednesday before ending rescue efforts.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.\u201cWe do know individuals were in the main deck and potentially below deck,\u201d he said.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. The person who died was identified as Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Rio Oso in Northern California’s Sutter County, per NBC Bay Area. The Boisa family provided the following statement on 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.”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\u2019s 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 \u201crough seas,\u201d 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\u2019t warrant a small craft advisory from the National Weather Service.Fire department spokesperson Lt. Mariano Elias said the vessel, named Volare, was registered out of Stockton, California, 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.Kirk Miller, an experienced local sailor with a master mariner license, said an uneven distribution of passengers could have caused the Volare to tip.\u201cAs it rocks in the waves, it leans over a little bit,\u201d Miller said. \u201cAnd as it leans over, the stability would decrease. If you had weight down below it acts as ballast. There was nothing in the conditions that were extreme in any regard. There was no massive gust of wind, no huge wave.\u201dLike a \u2018Titanic\u2019 scene, rescuer saysTwo 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.\u201cWe just started yanking people out,\u201d Marceline told The Associated Press. At least two people bobbed in the water without life jackets, while others clung to a windsurfer\u2019s 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.\u201cIt was like Titanic in real life,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was stuff everywhere. People were banging on the glass.\u201dMontoya estimated they pulled eight or nine people aboard, including the captain, before first responders arrived.Initial callers reported what appeared to be smoke coming from the boat, but San Francisco police officers who first reached the vessel said it was steam.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.The person who died was identified as Clifford Boisa, 79, from rural Sutter County in the Sacramento Valley, the San Francisco medical examiner said.The owners of the boat are John Boisa and Miriam Boisa of Stockton, Coast Guard records show. They did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.Boisa declined to answer questions from reporters about the victims or why they were on the boat.\u201cAll of us are grieving during this time,\u201d he told the San Francisco Chronicle.High-tech tools used in searchA Coast Guard cutter named the Barracuda, other vessels and a fixed-wing aircraft were involved in the search, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Petty Officer Kenneth Wiese said. Teams were using thermal imaging, tide prediction and modeling to guide their efforts, the fire department said.The boat departed a San Francisco marina, passed under the Golden Gate Bridge twice and visited Angel Island State Park, the largest natural island in the bay. It was on its way back to San Francisco when it sank near Alcatraz, according to the ship-tracking website VesselFinder.\u201cThe wind was coming underneath the Golden Gate and blowing toward Alcatraz,\u201d said Lt. Joseph England of the Richmond Police Department, who responded to the scene. \u201cIf you have a smaller vessel and you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing and you\u2019re hitting those swells sideways, it can lead to disaster.\u201dThe 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 \u201cThe Rock.\u201d It is now a popular tourist attraction, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) off San Francisco.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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