Skipper Dammeyer offers good advice concerning air clearance on fixed bridges: check local knowledge. Several factors – tide, wind, excessive rainfall – can affect clearance above the water surface and height boards may not always be accurate. The F. J. Torras Causeway, Mackay River Bridge crosses the ICW at Statute Mile 674, south of unlighted daybeacon #242.

Larry
At MM 674.5 we arrived at the Torras Causeway Bridge about an hour before High Tide to find the South Bound bridge board missing. A trawler reported that the N.B. Bridge Board read only 63′ so we circled with our 63′ 10″ air draft and went sight seeing for three hours.
When we finally went through the N.B. Board read 65′. The dock crew at Morningstar said there had been some confusion over clearance as one
of the boards had slipped, but we are not clear as to which one. Tall masts are advised to check local knowledge if approaching at or near high tide. We’ve waited for tide to fall at this bridge on previous trips.

Rick Dammeyer
Promise
Catalina 445

31 10.282 North/081 25.494 West