Capsized Boat Found Near Muir Beach Belongs To East Bay Man [UPDATE]

MARIN COUNTY, CA – UPDATE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 7 p.m.

The male owner of a small boat is believed to have been on board when it capsized off Muir Beach this morning, Marin County Fire Department Battalion Chief Bret McTigue said late this afternoon.

The U.S. Coast Guard spoke to the boat owner's East Bay family, McTigue said. The missing boat owner launched the boat around 7 a.m., McTigue said.

Someone on board "The Zodiac" vessel notified the Coast Guard around 11:30 a.m. about the capsized boat, and debris, including a chest containing ice and fish, were found nearby, McTigue said.

The Marin County Fire Department was able to re-right the boat, which did not have identifying markings on it, McTigue said.

The boat is a 10-foot boat, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Marcia Medina.

The water near the shoreline where the boat was found is about 30-40 feet deep, McTigue said.

The U.S. Coast has not released the boat's owner's name, McTigue said.

The Marin County Fire Department will continue the search, still regarded as a rescue mission, until sunset, but the Coast Guard will search until 2 a.m. Thursday, McTigue said.

The search area two miles offshore is between Duxbury Reef State Marine Conservation Area a mile west of Bolinas south to Fort Cronkhite, McTigue said.

The National Parks Service, Southern Marin Fire Protection District, Muir Beach and Stinson Beach fire departments and helicopters from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in San Francisco participated in the search this afternoon.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2:23 p.m.

The Marin County Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are searching an area of Muir Beach where a small boat was found capsized this morning.

A chest containing ice and fish and other debris was found in the water after someone aboard "The Zodiac" vessel reported the capsized boat, about 14 feet long, on a marine radio channel to the Coast Guard around 11:30 a.m., Marin County Fire Battalion Chief Bret McTigue said.

"There's strong evidence someone was on board," McTigue said.

The response is still considered a rescue operation, he said.

The National Park Service, Southern Marin Fire Protection District, Muir Beach and Stinson Beach fire departments and helicopters from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol and Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco are participating in the search.

The Marin County Fire Department was able to re-right the boat, which did not have identifying markings on it, McTigue said.

The water near the shoreline where the boat was found is about 30-40 feet deep and dive teams are standing by, he said.

Three Coast Guard boats, six Jet Skis and an inflatable boat are at the scene, McTigue said.

Firefighters were attending a Jet Ski rescue training class nearby when the report about the capsized boat was received.

"We were able to put rescuers in the water in 12 minutes," McTigue said.

• ALSO SEE: Small Plane Bound For Petaluma Goes Missing After Departing From Truckee Airport

-Bay City News/Images via Marin County Fire‏ @marincountyfire