To continue the 20/20 hindsight comments...
I've been playing with the idea that maybe a touchdown closer to either shore would have been beneficial.
The thought behind this idea is that the most likely outcome of the ditching would have been that many passengers would have had to swim ashore. So it would pay off to minimize the swimming distance.
In the event the ferry boats were there almost instantly, which surely saved a great many lives.
On the other hand, aiming for a touchdown close to the riverbank creates a new set of significant risks. So I guess Sully's decision was the right one also in this matter.