Sunken Boat Located: Cause of Fatal Capsize Under Investigation
Officials from the San Francisco Police Department on Friday located the submerged wreckage of the Volare — a 49-foot cabin cruiser that capsized earlier this week, leaving two people dead and two still missing, department officials said.
Since Tuesday’s fatal boat sinking in the San Francisco Bay, initial explanations by officials pinned the cause on a wave that rolled the boat, throwing some of its 20 passengers into the water and possibly trapping others below deck.
The official cause of the capsizing is still under investigation.
“I don’t know the cause of that at this point in time,” said Capt. Jarod Toczko, sector commander for the U.S. Coast Guard, during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
In order to drive a recreational boat the size of the Volare in California, state law requires the person operating the vessel to hold a California Boater Card, and for the boat to possess basic safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers and lifejackets for everyone on board.
San Francisco Recreation and Parks has confirmed the Volare was captained by John Boisa, 62, who is a former naval officer. A person under the name John Boisa was issued a California Boater Card, according to Angelica De La Peña, a spokesperson with California State Parks.
To Matt Juanes, who has captained his own boats as a commercial fisherman and charter boat captain in the Bay Area for the last 12 years, Boisa’s decision to take the Volare out on a cruise toward Angel Island with 20 people on that particular Tuesday wasn’t a safety risk.
“It’s nothing out of the ordinary. It doesn’t throw a flag for me,” Juanes said.
He said that, in his personal opinion, the fact that a kiteboarder and a fisherman in a 22-foot boat were able to aid in the rescue pointed to relatively calm conditions — not the kind that would swamp the much larger Volare on its own.
Initial reports by first responders and rescuers described a plume of smoke emanating from the vessel, leading officials to initially suspect the Volare was on fire.
Toczko said reports of a fire were unsubstantiated.
“After talking to survivors and folks on scene, there is no evidence of a fire of any kind,” he said.
James Smith, who has captained boats for close to 40 years and owns the Berkeley-based charter fishing boat California Dawn, was among the local fishermen who responded to the Coast Guard’s report of a vessel in distress.
Smith believes whatever happened was a “catastrophic failure.”
Coming into the bay from a salmon fishing trip, he said he could see a plume of smoke emanating from the boat, adding that it may have been caused by water hitting the engine.
“ If you have a hot motor, and if the engine’s running and the water goes into the oil, the first thing it’s going to do is make a pile of smoke,” Smith said.
The only way to know for sure would be to take statements from the passengers on board and to inspect the boat, Smith said.
After locating the Volare on Friday with boat-mounted sonar, officers in SFPD’s Marine Unit are now using a remotely operated vehicle to assess the wreckage, officials said in a statement. The department is working with partner agencies to evaluate recovery options and determine “whether it is safe and feasible” to recover the Volare.
“ They have to potentially raise the boat to get the answers, which is going to be extremely difficult, because that thing is rolling around on the bottom and is probably going to be smashed into a million pieces in a few days,” Smith said.
On Friday, a friend of Mary Ann Boisa, whose father, Clifford Boisa, died in the sinking, started a GoFundMe for the grieving daughter.
“These funds will allow Mary Ann to focus on honoring her father and celebrating the incredible person he was. Let’s remind her she is not alone in facing this overwhelming heartbreak and is surrounded by a community that deeply cares for her,” Michelle Fales wrote.
Mary Ann’s mother, Jackie Boisa, and an aunt, Carol Boisa, are still among the missing, and Cliff and Jackie would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in November, according to the GoFundMe.
Officials from the SFPD said Friday the department will continue its investigation into the cause of the sinking vessel while continuing the recovery efforts for the remaining two individuals missing.