Saugatucket River - July 30, 2014

I paddled up the Point Judith Pond today to check out the Saugatucket River.  

The Saugatucket flows 8 miles from its origin in North Kingstown until it flows into Upper Point Judith Pond in at Silver Spring Cove in South Kingstown.  Like Pettaquamscutt Cove on the Narrow River, Point Judith Pond is a classic estuary where the Saugatucket River empties to the sea. Rhode Island’s other major salt ponds (Ninigret Pond, Green Hill Pond, Quonochontaug Pond, Maschaug Pond) are coastal lagoons. 

I was able to make it up the Saugatucket about a mile to the Mews Tavern before low water and trees blocked my path.

Cormorant at the mouth of the Saugatuckett River

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Harbor of Refuge - July 29, 2014

Fishermen on the Breakwater

I didn't get to paddle yesterday, so it was nice to get out today at the Harbor of Refuge.  

Construction of the Harbor of Refuge, which protects the Breachway and the Port of Galilee, began in 1890 with the construction of the east and west jetties.  The breakwater was not completed until 1910 with the completion of the center jetty. The Breachway that connects the Harbor of Refuge with the Point Judith Pond was completed in 1910, and the harbor at the mouth of the pond was dredged and a dock constructed in 1935 to create the Port of Galilee.

Even in the protected part of the harbor the waves were 2 to 3 feet.  I could see big waves breaking over at Point Judith, so I decided to go over and check them out.  The surfers were out in force.



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Port of Galilee - July 27, 2014

Lobster Boats

I decided to stay local this morning, so I paddled down Point Judith Pond to the Port of Galilee.  

With the Blessing of the Fleet yesterday, it seemed that most of the fishing boats were in port this morning. It’s an eclectic collection of large fishing trawlers, smaller lobster and shellfish boats and charter boats. Generations of fishermen have worked the waters of the Point Judith Pond, the Rhode Island and Block Island Sounds and beyond at the edge of the continental shelf. With the construction of the Harbor of Refuge and the stabilization of the Breachway, Galilee became the home port to this large, ocean-going fishing fleet.

I snapped some pictures before the clouds moved in and the rain began.

Fishing Boats in the Port of Galilee

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Sunrise at Pier 5 - July 26, 2014

I decided to go down to Narragansett this morning to catch the sunrise at Pier 5.  The colors seem to change by the minute.  

Sunrise at Pier 5 in Narragansett

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Narrow River and Pettaquamscutt Cove - July 25, 2014

Kayaks at the point

The sun rose bright and clear as I headed out to paddle the Narrow River and Pettaquamscutt Cove.

It was high tide as I put in at the Sprague Bridge and headed down into the Narrows.  A small group in SOT sea kayaks had pulled over on the beach, but I decided to paddle out to check out the waves.  The water was calm immediately behind rocks, but one-foot waves were breaking over on the beach.  I paddled out to Cormorant Point before heading back up the river to Pettaquamscutt Cove.  

The osprey were in their nest at the bridge, but there weren’t many birds out in Pettaquamscutt Cove – probably because it was high tide.

Waves breaking at the mouth of the Narrow River

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URI Bay Campus – July 24, 2014

Put-in at the URI Bay Campus

The sea kayakers seem to run a lot of trips from the URI Bay Campus, so I decided to check it out. 

The Bay Campus is at the site of the old South Ferry Village.  In the eighteenth century, this was a small port involved the trade of local marine and agricultural products.  By the nineteenth century, it had grown to be a thriving village.  All that remains of the old South Ferry Village today is the stone remnants of the old pier.

I put in around sunrise and paddled north toward the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge.  Across the West Passage, I could see the Dutch Island and Beavertail Lights, and the Newport Bridge.  My original objective was to get a picture of the Plum Beach Light, but I wimped out when I saw how far out in the channel it was.

Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge

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Around Ram Island – July 23, 2014

Wind surfer

The day started off cloudy and windy, so I decided to skip the early morning paddle to do some reconnaissance.  I drove up Route 1A to check out the put-in at the URI Bay Campus.  By the time I got back to the cottage the clouds were starting to burn off, so I decided to take my canoe out for a short trip around Ram Island. 

The water was calm and still as I headed up the east side of Ram Island.  As I rounded the tip the wind picked up, and I was paddling into a strong headwind with easy rolling waves.  A sailing class and small group of windsurfers seemed to love it.  For me, it wasn’t too bad until I turned to head back to the cottage across the pond.  With the wind now at my back, I did my best to quarter the waves, but it still took a while to get home.

Sailing class

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