RedactedNarrative: On july 29, 2017, at approximately 7:15 pm, officer picked me up from morehead city access area.  He informed me that we were going to go to new bern, nc to investigate a possible boating incident.  Officer  and i patrolled to union point park in new bern where we met with sgt.  From union point park, we were able to observe a sailboat drifting underneath the hwy 17 bridge.  The sailboat was accompanied by a tow boat us vessel.  It appeared from our position that the mast of the sailboat was no longer intact.  The mast and the sails appeared to be resting on the vessel.  I observed the tow boat us vessel tow the sailboat to bridgeton marina.  
  
  Officer drove our patrol vehicle to bridgeton marina to make contact with the vessel occupants.  We arrived at bridgeton marina at approximately 9:15 pm.  Upon arrival, Sgt, Officer, and i spoke with the operator of the sailboat.  
  
  Operator reported he and his son left out of bridgeton harbor marina sometime after 3:00 p.m. to go sailing on the neuse river.  Operator reported there was a decent wind and his vessel reached the neuse river bridge area without incident.  He reported he had not planned to be out long so he and his son turned the vessel around to head back toward bridgeton marina.  Operator reported that they were near marker 32 near the drawbridge and the us 17 bridge.  While heading across the river back toward bridgeton, the vessel ran aground.  
  
  The wind had started to pick up with greater intensity, preventing operator from getting his vessel off the bottom.  Operator reported he and his son proceeded to take down the main sail and when they tried to roll in the roller furling they were unsuccessful.  Operator reported that apparently the roller furling line had gotten tangled in some way such that it would not draw the headsail back into position.  Eventually an individual in a grady white motor boat came by and agreed to pull them off the bottom.  Operator reported when his vessel got pulled off the bottom, it was somewhere north of the us 17 bridge close to the boatworks in bridgeton.   
  
  Operator reported he was unable to take down or put the headsail up.   He reported the wind would catch the headsail and then spin the vessel around.  Operator reported he and his son fought the wind and the current for as long as they could.  The wind finally pushed the vessel broadside.  Operator reported he could not control the vessel to move upriver.  Operator reported the wind was so strong that it pushed the vessel toward the us 17 bridge where the mast collided with the bridge.  The wind was pushing the vessel sideways under the bridge but the mast was keeping the vessel from going under the bridge.  Operator reported that eventually the mast bent and broke free from the bridge.   Operator reported he threw out an anchor south of the bridge and called tow boat us.  Tow boat us helped operator get the mast out of the water and then towed operator's vessel back to bridgeton marina where i met with him.  
  
  I was able to photograph and observe where the mast of the sailboat appeared to break.  The damaged area appeared to be at the base of the mast.   I took several other photographs of the vessel.  Operator agreed to email a completed form mb4.1.   Operator was not charged with any violations.   Nothing further at this time.
  
  
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