the ditching was fine
I've piloted LGA-CLT often. And while turning over the GW Bridge looked south upon the river and thought what a nice place to land...if I had to.
The actual skill set in a water touchdown is practiced on every normal landing. Nose up, wings level...touchdown above stall while plane is fully controlable.
I would like to think that every ATP in the country would have had as good a result as flt 1549.
Ditching closer to the shore was a thought I am sure...but a ditching near the boats was vital. Sailors are trained for ''man overboard'' drills all the time.
I really think that all pilots should be warned that they must always look for a place to land...no matter how many engines their plane has. Instead of sitting there complaining about something...start the process of always looking for a place to land.
One that you are over right now, one within gliding distance for your altitude ahead of you along your course. In this way, there are at least 2 in mind. Airports of course are high on the list, open field, and contrary to one thought above, FREEWAYS. Every 50 miles on the interstate highway system in the USA, there is at least 5000' of straight road that might be useful for a landing.
When I drove along I80, just west of the GW bridge (after/west of the huge half circle) the area struck me as a perfect place to land...of course traffic would complicate that. So, dive down low with speed and hopefully drivers would see you and stop, giving you a fighting chance.
Fields directly below you might be reached by that old standby, the steep spiral into a traffic pattern.
So many of the skills that you learned , or should have learned, as a private pilot, or commercial pilot do come in handy...but you must practice them , IF ONLY IN YOUR MIND.
I also frequently flew out of DCA and knew that I might have to put my two engine jet right down into the Potomac river.
Now is the time for you to consider your options around the routes you fly. I hope it never happens, but if YOU, the PILOT isn't ready...who will be?
And so what if your simulator time isn't used for power off landings...use your mind...act like a pilot.
AND READ THE DAMN SECTION IN THE AIM about ditching!