Friday, August 2, 2019

Green Hill, Ninigret and the Charlestown Breachway – August 1, 2019

Green Hill Pond
I’m not big on paddling in salt ponds, but decided to head down to Charlestown to check out the Charlestown Breachway and the two salt ponds that it feeds – Ninigret Pond and Green Hill Pond.  

I parked at the Charlestown Beach put-in, but I was a little concerned since the signage is vague about parking without trailers, and I was told that some RICKA members had recently received tickets there. Never the less, I headed east under the Creek Bridge on Charlestown Beach Road into Green Hill Pond.

Charlestown Breachway
Green Hill Pond is located primarily in South Kingstown with the western edge in Charlestown. Like Potter Pond it is does not have direct access to the ocean, but is linked through an inlet from Ninigret Pond. The sun was rising, and there were great views to the east. The pond is shallow, and it was low tide, so I didn’t venture far into the pond.

From there I paddled west through the slat flats at the eastern end of Ninigret to the Charlestown Breachway. Like the Breachway in Galilee, the Charlestown Breachway was constructed in 1904 to provide a consistent flow of seawater in and out of Ninigret Pond, and to provide access from Ninigret to the ocean for boats. The current though the breachway is strong, and even motorboats can have difficulty getting through.  

Ningret Pond
On the way back I explored the salt flats at the eastern end of Ninigret Pond. Ninigret is the largest of Rhode Island’s South County Salt Ponds. It is protected on the south by the barrier beach that forms East Beach. Usually we put in at the Ningret National Wildlife Refuge and paddle west, so it was nice to explore the eastern end. At low tide it was shallow and tough to paddle, but there were plenty of birds.

I was back to the cottage by 9:00 – another nice paddle.

Charlestown Breachway
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