What might have led to Mexican tall ship crash

When a Mexican navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, it was maneuvering in turbulent waters.

- 

The tide had just turned, and a fast current was heading up the East River as a 10 miles per hour wind set in.

While such hazards are easily handled by an experienced captain, mistakes can be costly in the heavily transited New York harbor, where narrow, curvy channels, winds howling off the jagged Manhattan skyline, and whirlpool-like eddies can combine to make for difficult passage.