Upper Pond - July 21, 2021

Boat Ramp at Marina Park

I will be leading a RICKA trip on Point Judith Pond this weekend, so I got up early to check out the put-in at Marina Park.

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 put in at the state boat ramp at Marina Park. Around the docks to the right is Silver Spring Cove where the Saugatucket River flows into the Upper Point Judith Pond.

Colorful boats in the Upper Pond

I paddled south through the marina and mooring fields before breaking out into more open water. After about a mile I paddled through the Narrows – a narrow channel that connects the Upper Pond to Point Judith Pond. The Narrows curve to the right and everyone has to squeeze through this narrow channel, so you need to careful for motorboat traffic.

Once through the Narrows I paddled across the top of Point Judith Pond to Billington Cove to check out the osprey nest. Then I paddled into Congdon Cove before heading back to the put-in.

Osprey nest at Billington Cove Marina

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North Kingstown Town Beach - July 20, 2021

Launching at the town beach

It was forecast to be the first day of sunny weather, so I took a ride over to Wickford to check out the site of this year's RICKA Picnic - the Cold Spring Community Center at the North Kingstown Town Beach.

Once a year, the entire club gets together for the RICKA Family Picnic. It’s a great time for everyone to get together for some fun. It’s also an important opportunity to recognize the dedicated volunteers that make our club possible.

Poplar Point 

An important consideration in planning the picnic has always been to find a fun location where everyone can participate in a paddle. This year flatwater paddlers will launch at Wilson Park and paddle the protected waters of Wickford Harbor. Sea kayakers will launch at the beach and paddle in Narragansett Bay.

The water was dead flat so I launched at the beach and padded around Poplar Point into Wickford Harbor. A layer of “smokey fog” from massive forest fires in the west gave the sky a gray-brown tinge that resulting in some interesting pictures.

Smoky Fog on Narragansett Bay

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The Islands in Point Judith Pond - July 19, 2021

Jonathan Island

It was another cloudy day, so I decided to paddle around the islands at the upper end of Point Judith Pond.

Point Judith Pond has three large islands – Great Island, Harbor Island and Ram Island. According to the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Hazard family of Peace Dale once owned Harbor Island and Ram Island. Great Island and Harbor Island (Foddering Place) have now been developed and are full of summer cottages. No one seems to know why Ram Island remains undeveloped, but I am glad that it is.

Egret at Buttonwood Point

Ram Island is the largest of a series of islands across the middle of Point Judith Pond including Jonathan Island, Beach Island, Gardner Island and Plato Island. Ram Island is posted no trespassing. Jonathan Island and Plato Island have houses on them. Beach Island is the best place to stop for lunch.

There was a slight breeze from the south as I headed over to Jonathan Island. The wind was blowing small rollers as I paddled past Beach Island and Gardener Island. I paddled up the west side of the Point Judith Pond past Crown Point and Buttonwood Point before stopping for a break at Cummuck Island. From there, I crossed the Narrows over to Pine Tree Point and headed back to the cottage.

Cummuck Island looking down Point Judith Pond

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Around Great Island - July 18, 2021

Horseshoe Point Cottage

For the past ten-years we have been spending our two-week summer vacation at a cottage at the tip of Great Island on Horseshoe Point in Point Judith Pond. I always start off my vacation with a trip around Great Island.

Point Judith Pond, or the Great Salt Pond, is the second largest of Rhode Island’s South County salt ponds. Separated in the south behind sand dunes and barrier beaches, Point Judith Pond is connected to the ocean through the Breachway at Galilee.

View down to the Breachway

Great Island is one of three large islands on the pond - the other two are Harbor Island and Ram Island. Great Island is about 2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide, and full of summer cottages. The day was cloudy and breezy as I headed out. I paddled down around Frank’s Neck and Ram Head before heading into Bluff Hill Cove and paddling under the 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. It was low tide so I was able to take a break on the sand bars that get reveled in the middle if the pond between Galilee and Snug Harbor. After snapping a few pictures I headed back up the east side of the inland to the cottage.

Taking a break on one of the sand bars

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Ten Mile River Greenway - July 13, 2021

I turned in my canoe for a bike tonight to ride with Bill along the Ten Mile Greenway.

The Ten Mile River Greenway is a 3-mile long bikepath that links the Kimberly Ann Rock Athletic Fields in East Providence to the Ten Mile River State Park in Pawtucket. It is a scenic ride along the Ten Mile River and the banks of the Turner Reservoir.

We met at the Pavillion at Slater Park. Slater Park was originally the Daggett Farm and was purchased by the City of Pawtucket in 1894. Around 1917, the park was renovated to include the Potter Casino and Bandstand under the direction of John C. Olmsted, nephew and former partner of Frederick Law Olmsted.

After the ride we stopped for ice cream at the classic car show at the Daggett Farm. Nice night.

Standing in front of the Looff Carousel

Knightville Section of the Westfield - July 10, 2021

Heading out

It takes a lot of rain to get the local whitewater rivers up to a decent level in the summer, and we had it this week. Evening thunderstorms saturated the ground, then Tropical Storm Elsa rolled through on Friday dumping 4-5 inches of rain in many parts of southern New England. I decided to join Paul D. for a trip in the Knightville section of the Westfield. 

The Westfield River arises in the Berkshires and flows generally southeast for 78 miles to its confluence with the Connecticut River in Agawam. The river has three main branches that join in Huntington to form the main stem - the North Branch (sometimes called the East Branch) including Pork Barrel; the Middle Branch; and the West Branch that includes the section we would be paddling today below the Knightville Dam. 

Eric and Amy

The road up to the dam was closed, so we put in at the gate and took out at the Gazebo on Route 20. The river was at a nice level starting around 1400 cfs, but dropping to around 1200 cfs before we finished. The river is mostly class II/II+ rock-dodging until you enter the Gorge in the Gardner State Park. 

There are two drops in the Gorge section. The first is an unnamed rapid that is about 25 yards long that I ran to the right. The second is a 3-foot ledge known as the Gorge Drop. It can be seen from upstream by a big rock in the middle of the river. You run this just to the right of the rock, and move left to catch the eddy, or at least avoid the big haystacks downstream.  From the Gorge Drop down to the take out there is more rock-dodging. The run took about 2 hours at a leisurely pace.

 
Gorge Drop on the Knightville section of the Westfield from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

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Knightville Gage

Providence – July 5, 2021

With the rain on Friday and Saturday, and my birthday party on Sunday, I decided to move the RICKA Providence River trip to Monday morning. The day was partly cloudy with a slight breeze as we headed out from Bold Point. It was low tide, so we made it up as far as the old US Rubber mill. I forgot to bring my camera, but fortunately Cheryl brought hers.