Sailboat Mast Hits Roosevelt Island Bridge On East River This Afternoon - Watch That Height Clearance Sailors

At about 2:30 this afternoon, the NYPD Harbor Patrol and FDNY responded to a sailboat

Image From Rebecca Knell

that struck the Roosevelt Island Bridge on the Queens side of the East River.

Image From Rebecca Knell

Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department John McManus Director explains what happened:

The mast of this sailboat, which was traveling at an extremely slow rate of speed, barely touched the lower part of the bridge. No injuries, no damage to either the boat or the bridge. There was a slight disruption of service.

Offshore Blue describes navigating the East River:

Making the trip on the East River either from Upper New York Bay to Long Island Sound or in the opposite direction, from Long Island Sound to The Battery in New York City, can be an enjoyable experience or it can be one of those things where you wish you were somewhere else... Anywhere Else!

So what’s the problem? In one word "Currents." It can be pretty frustrating watching strollers and power walkers along FDR Drive pass you by while you are motoring along at 7 or 8 knots thru the water...

... A secondary channel to the east of Roosevelt Island has an additional lift bridge with 40’ vertical clearance in the closed position. This bridge is generally not a problem since the preferred channel is to the west of Roosevelt Island. Keep in mind that the main channel can be closed when the United Nations requests it for security purposes requiring the use of the secondary channel....

Here's what it's like sailing on the West Channel past Hell Gate and Roosevelt Island.



Can get pretty bumpy.