Narrow River – July 29, 2018

What do you do after spending two weeks at the beach in South County? Go back to the beach in South County! I could gone to trips at the Pemi/Woodstock in NH (too far to drive), or Tville in CT (do it all the time), but I decided to stay close to home and paddle the RICKA trip at the Narrow River instead.  We put in at the Pollock Avenue boat ramp and paddled down to the beach at the Narrows.  I surfed a couple of waves, and did a pretty good job of staying upright and leaning into the waves when I got turned sideways, but the boat still filled with water making it impossible to paddle.

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Pollock Avenue Boat Ramp from Rhode Island Blueways

Pea Soup Fog - No Paddling for Me - July 27, 2018

Pea soup fog this morning (even thicker than the usual pea soup fog that we have had), so no paddling for me this morning. That’s OK, it has been a great couple of weeks. Thanks to Jerry Vandiver for another great paddling song.

Scenes from a South County Vacation from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Wickford Harbor – July 26, 2018

Smith's Castle (c. 1678)

The morning was cloudy, but the water was calm as I put-in to Wickford Harbor at Wilson Park. Wickford is located on the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, and is built around a large, well-protected harbor.

Wickford was established in the early 17th century when Roger William purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established a trading post. In 1637, Williams sold the land to Richard Smith who constructed a large fortified house on the site, giving the house its nickname the “Castle”. That house was burned during King Philip's War, and the structure that can be seen from the put-in today was built in1678.

Wickford Cove with St. Paul's Church

While the backwaters around Rabbit Island and Cornelius Island looked interesting to explore, I headed out into Wickford Harbor as far as the breakwater, and then into Wickford Cove. With the exception of a couple of fishing boats, the marinas were quiet.

I continued down the cove toward the Boston Neck Road (Route 1A) Bridge. Wickford grew to become a major port and shipbuilding center, and today contains a large collection of 17th and 18th century homes that can be seen along the Cove. 

Cormorant at Poplar Point

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Wilson Park from Rhode Island Blueways

Around Ram Island – July 25, 2018

Horseshoe Point Cottage

I slept late (woke up around 6:30), and by the time I had my first cup of coffee pea-soup fog was rolling in. It was thick enough to set off the fire alarm in the cottage! Fortunately, it rolled out as fast as it rolled in, but it was still too late and too windy to try to paddle anything too ambitious, so I decided to take a trip around Ram Island. Paddling up the west side was easy, but paddling back down the east side into the wind was a bit of a slog. Always lots of birds to see along the way.

Cormorants at Moonstone Oyster farm

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Jamestown Harbor and the Newport Bridge – July 24, 2018

Newport Bridge from the Dumplings

It was foggy as I put in at the East Ferry Boat Ramp in Jamestown. I headed south and hoped that that fog would lift by the time I reached the Dumplings so I could get some pictures of the Newport Bridge, and it did.  

The Newport Bridge was completed in 1969 and is the longest suspension bridge in New England. It spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay from Newport to Jamestown. The main span is over 1,600 feet long, and the road deck is more 200 feet above the water. The towers themselves are over 400 feet tall.

Clingstone - the "House on a Rock"

I was surprised at all the birds gathered on the Dumplings - a grouping of rocks just off Bull Point. The most prominent of the Dumplings is Clingstone or the "House on the Rock". This massive post and beam home was built in 1905 and has been recently restored.

In spite of the fog, the winds were light and the waves for only 1 to 2 feet - turned out to be great conditions for the trip.

The Wildfire poses for the picture from the Dumplings

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East Ferry Boat Ramp from Rhode Island Blueways

Point Judith Light – July 23, 2018

Point Judith Light and Coast
Guard Station from Camp Cronin

It was too windy to paddle, so I headed over to Camp Cronin to get some pictures of the waves. I ended up walking up the beach to the Point Judith Light.  

The Point Judith is located on the west side of Narragansett Bay and the eastern end of Block Island Sound. The confluence of these two waterways makes this a busy area for boat traffic, and there have been many shipwrecks over the years due to a treacherous ledge and frequent fog.

Point Judith Light with the oil house
and fog signal house

The first lighthouse was built on Point Judith in 1810. This wooden tower was destroyed in a severe hurricane in 1815. A 35-foot stone lighthouse was erected in it's place the following year. The new tower had a revolving light, which differentiated it from the nearby Beavertail Light.

In 1857, a new 51-foot octagonal brownstone tower was built. The upper half of the tower was painted brown and the lower half white. The oil house was added in 1917, and the fog signal house was added in 1923. 

Wave breaking on the East Jetty
of the Harbor of Refuge

Even with the light, wrecks continued to occur with regularity in the vicinity of Point Judith. In 1890, work was begun on over 3-miles of stone jetties to provide a secure breakwater refuge for ships. The east and west jetties were completed in 1890, and the Harbor of Refuge was completed in 1910 with the construction of the V-shaped center jetty.

The old lifesaving station was destroyed in a 1933 fire, and the existing Coast Guard station building was constructed in 1937. The station’s boats are kept in the Port of Galilee.

Point Judith Coast Guard Station

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Waves at Beavertail and Point Judith - July 22, 2018

No paddling today.  A storm came through with wind, rain and fog - the "no-paddling" trifecta. The storm did kick up some amazing waves.  We took a ride over to Jamestown to see the waves at Beavertail.


Waves at Beavertail from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

We could also see huge waves breaking across the West Passage at the Narrows, and across the East Passage at Brenton Point. We also went down to Camp Cronin around sunset to see the waves at Point Judith and the Harbor of Refuge - beautiful and scary at the same time.


Waves at Point Judith from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

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My Pictures - Jamestown/Beavertail
My Pictures - Sunset at Camp Cronin

Upper Point Judith Pond - July 21, 2018

The kids are down for the weekend, so I stayed close to the cottage and paddled to Upper Point Judith Pond. Unlike Rhode Island’s other large salt ponds (Ninigret, Green Hill, Quonochontaug and Winnapaug) that are coastal lagoons, Point Judith Pond is an estuary where the Saugatucket River empties to the sea. I paddled up past Ram Island and Harbor Island, through the Narrows into the Upper Pond, and into the Saugatucket River at Silver Spring Cove.

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Point Judith Pond from Rhode Island Blueways

The Narrows – July 20, 2018

Entering the Narrows

It was another beautiful morning, so I decided to head over to the Narrow River to paddle out to the Narrows. The Narrow River, also known as the Pettaquamscutt River, originates in North Kingstown and flows south into Narragansett Bay at the Narrows above the Narragansett Town Beach. I put in at the Sprague Bridge on Boston Neck Road, and paddled down to take some pictures at the rocks at Cormorant Point before heading back.

Rocks at Cormorant Point

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Sprague Bridge Put-in from Rhode Island Blueways

Dutch Island and the Dutch Island Light – July 19, 2018

Dutch Harbor

The winds died down and the waves didn't look too bad, so I took a ride over to Jamestown to paddle out to Dutch Island and the Dutch Island Light. Dutch Island is located in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay and took its name from the Dutch East India Company that established a trading post here around 1636. In 1654 English colonists purchased the island from the Narragansett Indians.

For many years, the island was fortified to protect the West Passage from invasion by sea. In the 1890’s the Army established Fort Greble here. Like Fort Weatherill on the East Passage, Fort Greble was active through World War II and was part of a series of heavily fortified artillery placements that protected Narragansett Bay.

Dutch Island Light

The first lighthouse was completed on the southern tip of Dutch Island in 1826.  The original tower was replaced with the current tower in 1857. The lighthouse remained in service until 1979 when it was replaced with a flashing buoy.  It then fell into disrepair until 2007 when it was restored by the Dutch Island Lighthouse Society.

I put in at Dutch Harbor, and paddled out into the calm water toward the Dutch Island Light. After snapping a few pictures, I continued around the west side of island before retuning to the take out.

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Dutch Island Lighthouse Society

Harbor of Refuge – July 18, 2018

East Jetty at the Harbor of Refuge

After a few days of paddling in Point Judith Pond, I decided to head over to Camp Cronin to paddle the Harbor of Refuge. The tide was low but coming in, and the wind was from the north blowing across the harbor.  

Despite the construction of the Point Judith Light (c. 1810/1857), conditions remained treacherous around Point Judith, and a Federal project was initiated to construct over 3-miles of jetties to provide a secure breakwater refuge for shipping. Work began in 1890 with construction of the east (3,640 feet) and west (2,240 feet) jetties, and was completed in 1910 with construction the V-shaped center jetty (6,970 feet).  A 1,500 foot opening was left for the east passage, and a 1,200 foot opening was left for the west passage.

Breakwater to the Harbor of  Refuge

While the jetties were originally constructed to provide a refuge for ships traveling between Boston and New York during bad weather, they also protected the newly constructed Port of Galilee. In 1910, the Town of South Kingstown and the State of Rhode Island dredged the current Breachway and stabilized it with stone jetties. 

Then, in the 1930's, the State of Rhode Island dredged an anchorage basin just inside the Breachway and built wharves to create a port for large, ocean-going fishing vessels. This allowed the Galilee to become one of the largest fishing ports on the east coast

Breaks in the rocks on the East Jetty

During World War II, much of the land on Point Judith was part of Fort Greene - named for Revolutionary war hero Nathanael Greene. Huge sixteen inch guns were located in the area now known as Fisherman's Memorial State Park to protect the west side of Narragansett Bay. Smaller fortifications were located along the shoreline. Fort Greene was part of a network of forts protecting Narragansett Bay including Fort Adams in Newport, Fort Greble on Dutch Island, Fort Weatherill in Jamestown, and Fort Hamilton on Rose Island.

There were surprisingly few fishermen on the east jetty as I headed out. The sea was relatively calm behind the breakwater with small wind-blown waves, but I crossed the east passage in 1-2 foot rolling waves – always the most stressful part of the trip.

Waves breaking on the East Jetty

The east side of the center jetty is in much worse condition than the west. Huge boulders were pushed aside leaving large gaps in the seawall. It's hard to imagine that water can move those huge rocks, but seeing the waves crash on the rocks give you some idea of the power. I paddled by the cormorants and other shore birds resting on the seawall, and got some pictures of the waves breaking on the rocks. Surprisingly, I found a small sandbar about a mile offshore in the tip of the “V” in the center jetty, and stopped for a picture.

It was easy to paddle down the west jetty into the wind, but a little more difficult paddling in the crosswind across the beach back to Camp Cronin.

Taking a break on the sandbar a mile from shore

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Camp Cronin from Rhode Island Blueways

Close to home – July 17, 2018

It was foggy, windy and cool, so I decided to skip my early morning paddle, and work on the August issue of the Paddler instead.  I got out to do some flatwater drills near the cottage in the afternoon. 

Islands on Point Judith Pond - July 16, 2018

Julie takes an early morning spin

Julie woke up early, and asked to take my canoe out for a spin – how could I say no. As a result, I stayed close to the cottage, and  paddled around the islands in Point Judith Pond.

Point Judith Pond has three large islands – Great Island, Harbor Island and Ram Island. Great Island and Harbor Island (Foddering Place) have been developed and are full of summer houses and cottages. Ram Island has not. 

View down through the islands

According to the Rhode Island Historical Society, Harbor Island and Ram Island were once owned by the Hazard family of Peace Dale, and were eventually put into trust. No one seems to know why Ram Island remains undeveloped, but I am glad that it is. 

There are two other named islands – Jonathan Island and Plato Island, and a couple of unnamed island – including one that was an old gun emplacement.

Managed to get a selfie

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Around Great Island - July15, 2018

View from the cottage

It was my first day of vacation, and I woke up early to enjoy the sunrise. As I usually do, I decided to start my vacation with a paddle around Great Island in Point Judith Pond. 

Point Judith Pond is the largest of Rhode Island’s salt ponds - 4 miles long, 1 mile wide, and about 20 miles in circumference. Separated in the south behind sand dunes and barrier beaches, Point Judith Pond is connected to the ocean through the Breachway at Galilee.

Horseshoe Point from Frank'sNeck

Great Island is one of three large islands on the pond - the other two are Harbor Island and Ram Island. Great Island is 2 miles long, 1/2 mile wide, and full of summer cottages. I put-in at our cottage and headed south past Frank's Neck, into Bluff Hill Cove, and under the Great Island Bridge into Galilee.

The fishing village of Galilee was developed in 1935 when the State of Rhode Island dredged out a harbor suitable for commercial fishing vessels. Unlike other fishing villages that developed into tourist centers, Galilee retains the feel of a commercial fishing village. 

Fishing boats in Galilee

It was a quiet morning, so I was able to paddle in around the boats. Eventually, I paddled down to the last buoy before the Breachway that connects Galilee to the Harbor of Refuge. I crossed over to Jerusalem and paddled up to the large marina at Snug Harbor.  

From there, I crossed back over to Great Island, and paddled past Thomas Point before returning to the cottage.

Last buoy before the Breakaway

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RICKA SUP Night - July 10, 2018

We had a good time trying out paddleboards last night with EMS at Lake Pearl. This is the third year that the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club has sponsored a SUP Night with EMS. We had lots of boards to try, great staff to get us started, and a perfect night. We used every board that they had!

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Pawcatuck – Richmond to Bradford – July 7, 2018

The kayaks are coming

I got an email from Jonathan asking if I would be interested in paddling tandem on Saturday - of course I would! I was leading a RICKA trip on the Pawcatuck River. For Jonathan it would be a bit of a homecoming since he had done a camping trip here 20 years ago – camping at the Carolina Canoe Campsite.  

It turned out to be a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 80’s. The river was low, but still fluid – 2 feet, 50 cfs on the Wood River Junction Gage. We had 18 boats on the 8-mile section of the Pawcatuck from Richmond to Bradford. 

One of many blow-downs

We ran the shuttle and put in at the Jay Cronin Access at around 10:30. For the first half of the trip the river was narrow, and we had to maneuver around 8 blow-downs in the first 3 miles – most we were able to paddle around, a couple we had to lift boats over. It took us longer that expected to run that section, so we stopped for lunch at the bushwhack site across from the Wood River in Alton rather than at Burlingame as was the original plan.

Below Alton, the river gets bigger with the increased flow from the Wood River. About half of us ran the Burdickville Dam (two swims) and the rest portaged. From there, it is an easy paddle down to Bradford. Fun day, and always good to paddle with Jonathan. 

Running the Broken Dam at Burdickville

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Wood River Junction Gage

Chocolateville to Valley Falls - July 3, 2018

Every time I look at the RICKA website it seems that I am leading another trip. Last night it was the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club trip from Chocolateville to Valley Falls.  

We put in at the Chocolateville Landing just upstream of the Roosevelt Avenue Bridge and the Elizabeth Webbing Mills Dam. Parking is a pain, and the put-in is down a steep, poison ivy covered hill, but other than that it is great. The river was low, but fluid - 1.5 feet, 200 cfs on the Woonsocket gage. It’s only about a mile up to Valley Falls where we explored the remnants of the old Valley Falls mill complex. Fun night.  

The crew in the mill race between the Valley Falls Mills

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Bring on the heat - Lower Deerfield - June 30, 2018

When it is 90° and muggy, there is no better place to be than paddling. We did a RICKA Flatwater/Whitewater trip on the Lower Deerfield – six boats (2 canoes and 4 kayaks). The release was scheduled at 800 cfs, but the gage showed that they were releasing over 1,000 cfs. Bill and I paddled the beast - my Mohawk Whitewater 16.  

The river was mobbed with tubers, but we still managed to have a good time. More than a few swims – most intentional, a couple not. 😎

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Lower Deerfield from American Whitewater

Charlemont Gage