Ceres man confirmed dead in Baja boat accident MEXICO TRAGEDY

Les Yee, retired San Francisco circulation manager, was among those who died on the pleasure-fishing boat swamped off the coast of Baja California. Les Yee, retired San Francisco circulation manager, was among those who died on the pleasure-fishing boat swamped off the coast of Baja California. Photo: Courtesy Yee Family Photo: Courtesy Yee Family Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Ceres man confirmed dead in Baja boat accident 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

SAN FRANCISCO -- A 65-year-old Stanislaus County retiree is the first person confirmed dead from a fishing boat excursion in Mexico that ended in tragedy early Sunday when a sudden, unexpected storm capsized the vessel and tossed dozens of Americans tourists, most of them from the Bay Area, into the turbulent water.

Leslie Yee of Ceres was identified by the Mexican navy Tuesday as the man whose body had been found on shore after the boat sank. Yee worked for The Chronicle for 37 years before he retired as a transportation manager in December 2009.

"His friends have been bugging him to go on this trip for the past few years, but he's always been busy with work and kids and that kind of thing," said Yee's daughter, Lauren Yee of San Francisco. At his retirement party, co-workers gave him fishing supplies because they knew it was his passion, said his former boss.

"I kind of encouraged him to go this year, because he's a workaholic and not one of the adventurous types," Lauren Yee said. "Life is too short, and I thought he should do everything and see everything. He was excited to go."

7 still missing

Seven other men remained missing Tuesday, including Brian Wong of Berkeley, who had gone on the fishing trip with three of his brothers, all of whom live in the Bay Area. The other missing men, identified by the Mexican navy, are the expedition's organizer, Don Lee of San Ramon, Russell Bautista of Penngrove, Mark Dorland of Twain Harte (Tuolumne County), and Al Mein, Gene Leong and Shawn Chaddock, all also from Northern California.

As of Tuesday night, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Mexican navy were continuing their search for survivors. The waters in the Gulf of California, where the boat sank about two miles off shore, are warm this time of year, and Coast Guard officials said it's possible someone could survive for days with enough drinking water.

Mandy Lee, daughter of missing boater Don Lee, said her father organized the trip of close friends, who were all experienced fishermen. She said she was told by the U.S. Consulate that the Mexican navy would call off the search by 2 a.m. Friday.

Holding out hope

"We're holding on to hope very closely right now," Lee said. "There's a few islands out there they could wash up on, and we're just hopeful that they'll find my dad and his friends, maybe on one of those islands."

The 27 passengers on the boat were American travelers who embarked from San Felipe, Mexico, on Saturday on an annual Fourth of July fishing trip.

Their trip came to a violent end about 2:30 a.m. Sunday when a surprise storm, and at least two large waves, capsized their ship, called the Erik. The ship sank quickly - survivors said it took only two or three minutes to go under - and passengers and crew members, most of whom had been asleep, scrambled for life jackets before they jumped or were thrown into the water.

Gary Hanson of Novato was able to get a life jacket and hang on to an empty ice chest before he was rescued after more than 12 hours in the water, said his wife, Patty Hanson.

"Gary is pretty sunburned, but he's OK," she said.

Murphy Ikegami of San Martin said she has been in regular contact with her husband, Lee Ikegami, who was on the boat. The Ikegamis have been friends with Don Lee's family for more than 30 years, she said, and her husband is "devastated" that his friends are missing or dead.

"Don and Lee, they go fishing all year. They go in the bay, they go in the delta, they go around Half Moon Bay. They just go out and play," Murphy Ikegami said.

35 rescued

She said her husband told her that the storm came up so fast that no one had time to send out an emergency distress call. In fact, Mexican authorities had no idea the boat had capsized until the first survivors dragged themselves to shore Sunday afternoon, 12 hours after the storm.

The boat was carrying 43 people, including 16 crew members, when it sank. In all, 18 men were rescued by the Mexican navy and 17 men were rescued by private fishing boats or local residents on shore. Many of the survivors suffered serious sunburns, and one man who has diabetes was taken to a military hospital for observation, but there were no serious injuries among them.

The boat was operated by Baja Sportfishing, a San Diego company that has a suspended business license, according to the California secretary of state's website. The Baja Sportfishing website states that the company has temporarily canceled all trips.

In an e-mail statement, the company said: "We are devastated by this horrible tragedy. Every effort is being made to assist the authorities in the search. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families."

Chronicle staff writer Justin Berton contributed to this report.