Search suspended for missing man after boat capsizes in Tomales Bay

Authorities have suspended their two-day search for a Sacramento-area dentist who vanished in the waves on a doomed fishing trip out of Tomales Bay on Monday morning.

The missing boater, identified by family and friends as Roseville resident Sergey Golubyatnikov, 52, was on the trip with two longtime fishing buddies, one of whom died after the boat capsized off Tomales Point, dumping the trio into frigid water.

Ananiy Malinovkiy, 55, also of Roseville, was found lifeless on the ocean surface a short time after the vessel overturned, according to Marin County Coroner's Office.

Friends said Malinovkiy leaves a wife and eight children, including at least three who still live at home. Golubyatnikov is a father of five.

The surviving fisherman, whose name has not been released by authorities, made his way to some offshore rocks near Tomales Point where he was trapped by pounding waves until a rescue crew plucked him to safety via Coast Guard helicopter, fire personnel said.

The survivor reportedly spent more than two hours in the frigid ocean, treading water and trying to swim to shore, fire rescue personnel said. He suffered severe hypothermia and, apparently, other trauma, as he reportedly remained hospitalized Tuesday, Point Reyes National Seashore spokesman John Dell'Osso said.

The trio was part of a tight-knit community of Russian immigrants and often fished out of Tomales Bay — frequently on Mondays, to avoid weekend crowds, friends said.

They reportedly launched from a location in Tomales Bay around 7:30 a.m. Monday but hit large waves a short time later in a tricky section of crossing currents at the mouth of the bay. It appears none of the men had on a life jacket when the boat capsized. The survivor told Bodega Bay Fire paramedic Marco Barros that he saw his companions after the boat overturned, but then a wave separated them without another glimpse.

A passing boater first saw signs of trouble Monday morning when he spotted Malinovskiy's body floating in the water around 9:40 a.m., emergency personnel said.

The report triggered a day-long search by land, air and water that turned up the boat and the lone survivor, but no one else.

Golubyatnikov's family, meanwhile, spent a restless night Monday waiting for word and checking on the status of the search, his daughter, Sania, said by telephone.

'They're calling us and updating us,' she said.

About 40 search and rescue personnel from Marin County, with help from Sonoma and Contra Costa counties, searched the surrounding shoreline through the day Tuesday to no avail, said Search and Rescue Team Commander Michael St. John, a battalion chief with Mill Valley Fire.

Several rescue watercraft and Coast Guard vessels and a helicopter participated, as well, he said, with less fog and far greater visibility than a day earlier. 'Unfortunately, we didn't have any clues or leads,' St. John said.

All searches in what now appears to be a recovery operation were called off by late Tuesday afternoon, with only limited resources expected to participate Wednesday, Dell'Osso said.

'This is very heartbreaking, to ever have to report these things out,' he said, 'but that's where we are now.'

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story said the boat launched from Lawson's Landing, citing an account from one of the survivors. Public safety personnel are not certain yet where the boat was launched from.