Boat Hits Bridge (Again)

A friend sent me a video of a yacht hitting the bridge on Sunday. Probably in the Herald. According to 721 news the booth suffered damage.

Here is a link to the video from the Herald. Link

And here is the offending watercraft

Full Herald LINK

Not the boat's fault!! Really pretty boat!

Temporary Closure to Motorized, Maritime Traffic and Pedestrians of Simpson Bay Bridge on Thursday at 4:00 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, January 10, 2022

PORT ST. MAARTEN – The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority (SLAC) would like to inform vehicle drivers that the Simpson Bay Bridge will be temporarily closed for motorized traffic, as well as pedestrians and maritime traffic on Thursday, January 12 at 4:00AM.

Anyone in the area at that time should exercise extreme caution as heavy equipment will be in operation.

Drivers can make use of the Causeway Bridge to reach their destination.

The closure is in connection with the removal of the damaged Operations Control Booth.

A Mega Yacht while entering the Simpson Bay Lagoon struck the SLAC Operations Control Booth on Sunday, January 8 which incurred severe structural damage.

There were no injuries to the bridge operator. Wires leading to the operations consoles were also damaged, but the bridge remains in operation for maritime traffic.

# # #

I saw the video. This is going to be a mess to fix! I feel really bad for all those businesses on Airport road from the bridge back to the Causeway!!

What do you think will be the impact on "all those businesses on Airport road from the bridge back to the Causeway"?

This is the second time it has happened. The bridge is working, and last time they just covered the booth with a tarp for months until it was replaced. This closure is just to remove the broken structure. So the interruption will most likely be limited to morning rush-hour traffic.

Todays Herald article. LINK

Eliane, coming from Beacon Hill/Maho to the roundabout they would have to drive in as far as they could. Then turn around. As is the traffic in that stretch is tight with cars pulling out of the parking spaces. Where as coming from the other side of the bridge through Cole bay, not so bad because there's no cars parked along the street in spaces. IMHO.

HUH? Who cares at 4 am in the morning?

Maybe the booth needs to be rebuilt a little farther from the edge?

Winner......winner.....chicken dinner....

Maybe the booth is where it is so that the bridge operator can see the boats entering or exiting? It would be pretty bad if he lowered the bridge while one was heading in or out.

The real Winner......winner.....chicken dinner....

And a couple of strategically placed mirrors would easily remedy that.

No, don’t move the booth. if you can afford a boat like that you can afford to hire a real captain who knows how to steer the boat away from damaging any structures. Boats like that have bow thrusters and probably a stern thrusters.

Thank you.

I'm sure the booth was originally built before TV cameras and monitors were so common and inexpensive. The booth does not need to have direct line of sight to function. Operator could be quite remote.

tony--with the way things work in SXM, if they did that, the cameras would go down and then they wouldn't be able to operate the bridge...

So true.

@Marie -
Those captains are among the best in the world. Even with bow and stern thrusters there is a limit when you have no steerage and wind. What people don't realize is that both the strong current and the wind can make an entry or exit through that narrow passage extremely difficult. Often those big yachts need a certain speed to make it through with sufficient steerage, but someone ahead of them is too slow and suddenly the boat is "behind the curve" and has absolutely no chance of not making contact. Even with a mortal-sized yacht, if the current is with you and the wind is across, you need a lot of speed and if the boat(s) ahead of you it is gnarly to go through. I've had that happen to me before; and I'm not even close to the tonnage/windage of those big boats.

Great analogy of difficulty in navigation

I arrived in SXM today after a long sail from Antigua, and after clearing C&I I walked to the SMYC. While at the ATM getting US$ I talked a megayacht officer and he told me that the ship in question has azimuth pods and a combination of equipment issues, strong current, side wind and a vessel stopping in front of them was what led to the incident.

Here's a picture of what they've replaced the booth with:

Looks pretty sturdy? But I think the operator is going to need an umbrella

I was raining today at the last 17:00 opening and as soon as the bridge was open he disappeared and headed for shelter.

Zanshin--thanks for your input from the 'ship' standpoint and for the pics. Are you in SXM until Regatta?

@Carol_Hill - I'll be here for a week or so (supplies & boat parts) and then plan on spending a week or two in St. Kitts / Nevis / St. Eustatius before returning. But I will be here for the Regatta.
The protection bars do look solid, but soon there'll be another hut protecting the equipment, if not the operator.

Thanks, Zanshin!