Ouch...

LYONS, N.Y. -- Officials say a sailboat remains on the bottom of the Erie Canal in central New York after sinking when it hit a bridge abutment.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office tells local media outlets that said the 74-year-old man operating the 39-foot boat was steering around some floating debris Saturday when his view was blocked by a passenger.

Deputies say the boat then hit the center pier on a bridge spanning the canal in Lyons in Wayne County, 30 miles east of Rochester. The collision put a gash in the hull that caused the boat to sink.

The man and his passenger managed to get into a dinghy and made it to safety.

The boat was a 39' Bavaria, I imagine the guy was headed south for the winter, what a shame... Lyons is out in the western reaches of the canal, it's virtually all man-made canal sections out there, not much margin for error... Gotta believe his visibility from the helm was also restricted by having his mast on deck, all that crap can really get in the way...

Still, a bridge, you usually spot those from a ways off...

best regards,

Jon