http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/tides-tempers-rise-after-supermoon-1349270.html

Tides, Tempers Rise After 'Supermoon'

Barry Connor and his wife Penelope aboard their 46-foot sailboat at the Lake Park Harbor Marina on Friday, March 25, 2011. The Connors were sailing from the Bahamas to Palm Beach when they had engine trouble and called for a tow. The boat requires a clearance over 64 feet. The Blue Heron Bridge has a clearance of 65 feet, but on this particular day, due to the super moon, the water level was higher.
By Laura Green Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Updated: 7:56 p.m. Friday, March 25, 2011

WEST PALM BEACH — A Bahamian couple are blaming the "supermoon" and a Palm Beach County towing company for snapping the mast of their boat during a towing operation Sunday morning.

Barry and Penelope Connor could not make it to port when the engine died on Lady Penelope, their 46-foot sailboat. So on Saturday night near Bimini, they called BoatU.S., a membership organization akin to AAA.

A rescue boat met them Sunday morning near Fort Lauderdale and began towing them to the Lake Worth Inlet.

Everything went fine, they said, until the boat approached the Blue Heron bridge . The bridge ordinarily has a 65-foot clearance, about a foot more than they needed, Barry Connor said. But the high tide caused by the moon - which appeared larger and brighter Saturday night because it was closer to Earth - had cut the clearance to about 62 feet.

By the time Connor realized the boat would smash into the bridge, it was too late.

"I literally only had time to say a prayer," he said.

Connor faults the captain from TowBoatU.S. Palm Beach. He said the captain never asked the couple how much clearance the boat needed and should have been aware of the tides.

A man identified as the owner of the tow company, but who would not give his name, said: "There's two sides to every story." He declined to elaborate.

Connor said the captain took responsibility for the accident Sunday morning and promised that his company would pay for the damage. But on Tuesday, Connor said, the company owner told him it was not the company's fault and that he would not pay to repair the boat. Connor said the company never reported the accident, which is required under maritime law.

Connor has taken his outrage to the Palm Beach International Boat Show with a small group of protesters carrying "warning" signs and wearing T-shirts accusing the company of failing to take responsibility.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that it is investigating to determine who was at fault, whether proper reporting protocols were followed and what caused the accident, said Mario Teixeira, a spokesman for the Miami sector. If the company did not properly report the incident, it could face a fine of as much as $10,000.