The tide in the East river is not easy to navigate if done at the wrong time. The ship had backed out of a pier on the Manhattan side and once clear of the dock was supposed to head south out of the East river. With the tide coming in at that hour the captain didn't have enough engine power to fight the tide. Compounding the problem is that just upstream from the bridge the East river converges with the Harlem River and Long Island Sound. The tides at that triangle can be tough to navigate at high tide and they were rising at that time. He picked the worst time to leave and I'm surprised the harbor master allowed for it. I worked on Circle Line one summer and sailed around Manhattan 2-3 times a day.
The picture shows him backing into the bridge since he couldn't get the ship underway to head south.
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