Providence River/Pomham Rocks Light - December 13, 2025

A couple of weeks ago I took a ride down to Sabin Point Park in Riverside to paddle out to the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. It ended up being a wasted trip since I brought pieces from two different paddles that didn't fit together. I decided to give it another try today.

Sabin Point is a 4-acre park juts out into the Providence River at end of Shore Road in Riverside just across from Pawtuxet Village. The Providence River is almost a mile wide here so wind, waves, tidal currents, and large boat traffic are common. There was a strong wind from the south as I launched from the boat ramp and headed north along the shore toward the Ponham Rocks Lighthouse.

Pomham Rocks Light (aka Pomham Lighthouse) was built in 1871 and is one of a several lighthouses that uses the same plan by award-winning architect Albert Dow. A nearly identical lighthouse stands on Rose Island in Newport. I paddled out into the wind and small chop toward the lighthouse to take some pictures. Unfortunately, my camera lens got fogged, and I had no way to clean it. This is the only picture that I got.

Pomham Rocks Light

Santa Paddle at Wickford Harbor - December 6, 2025

Its that time of the year when Santa visits cities and towns around the country to get kids excited for Christmas. Usually he arrives by fire truck, but in the coastal village of Wickford he arrives by fire boat, and RICKA elves escort him down the harbor into town. This year, Michelle decided to come along to watch and take some pictures from shore.

Wickford is located on the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, and is built around a large, well-protected harbor. It was settled in the early 17th century when Roger William purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established a trading post. Wickford grew to become a major port and shipbuilding center.

Today, Wickford is a picturesque village whose waterfront streets are lined with shops, restaurants and colonial-era homes. Each year the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce organizes a Festival of Lights with holiday themed actives. Since 2010, RICKA has participated in this event by escorting Santa down the harbor for his big arrival at the Town Dock.

We arrived at the put-in at the end of Main Street next to Gardners Wharf Seafood at around 11:30 to decorate our boats and get our elf hats and candy canes. At around 12:00, Michelle walked down to the dock and the rest of us headed over to meet up with Santa for the paddle into town. I am always amazed at the crowd that gathers for this event.

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Rapids, River Features and River Running Techniques

There was a post on CanoeTripping.com about running holes. It got me thinking about how rapids are formed, and what features you will encounter, and skills you will need to run a typical class II/III rapid.

How do Rapids Form

There are four main factors that combine to create rapids: water level, gradient, constriction and obstruction. Gradient, constriction, and obstruction are dependent on streambed topography.

Water Level

Water level is dependent on seasonal variation in precipitation and snowmelt, or on release rates of upstream dams. Combine the right water level with right streambed topography, and rapids will form. Too little water the rapids can be "boney". Too much water and the rapids "wash out".

Gradient

The gradient of a river is the rate at which it changes elevation along its course. This determines the river's slope, and to a large extent its rate of flow or velocity. Shallow gradients produce gentle, slow rivers, while steep gradients are associated with whitewater rapids. First Trestle, Mile-Long and the Gorge on the Upper Millers are examples of rapids where a significant drop in gradient increases the length and complexity of the rapids.

Constriction

Constrictions can form a rapid when a river's flow is forced into a narrower channel. This pressure can also cause the water to flow more rapidly increasing its velocity and its reaction to riverbed objects like rocks and drops. Zoar Gap on the Fife Book Section of the Deerfield and and the Funnel on the Lower Millers are examples of rapids where constriction greatly increases the flow and difficulty of the rapid.

Obstruction

Rocks and ledges in the river will obstruct the flow of the river creating river features like eddies, pour overs, holes and waves. The more water and the faster it flows, the larger these features become. Boulder type rapids are typical here in the northeast.

It is the combination of the water level and streambed topography that determines the types of rapids you will find on the river. The rapids on the Kennebec are formed when water gets funneled through narrow gorges creating long, towering wave trains. Seeboomic runs over a series of ledges creating pool drops. The Dead has boulder-type rapids with lots of holes and pour-overs.

Zoar Gap at dam release level. The river constricts and velocity increases as it drops over rocks and ledges creating eddies, pour overs, holes, shoots and waves.

River Features

Understanding the features of the river and how they will affect your boat is critical to running whitewater safely.

Rocks

You will find rocks on almost every river. Depending on the water level, some rocks may be above the water creating eddies, and others may be submerged creating pour-overs, holes and waves.

Eddies

Water moving downstream that hits an obstruction and goes around it rather than over it forms an eddy in the space downstream. Eddies can form in the middle of the river behind rocks, or on the sides due to changes in the shore line.

Located between the eddy and the main current is the eddy line. Eddy lines vary in size based on the level and speed of the water, and the size of the obstruction causing the eddy. Eddies have current that flow in the opposite direction of the main flow, but they are usually calmer than the surrounding current making them good places to wait and regroup before the next rapid.

Pour Overs/Holes

Water moving downstream that flows over a rock can cause a pour over. It resembles a small waterfall and often creates a hole on the downstream side of the rock. A hole can be friendly and make for a great surfing spot, or very unfriendly and a place to avoid.

The nature of a hole depends on the shape of the drop, the depth of the pool below it, and the speed and volume of the current. Water falling downstream over an obstacle will push downward until it hits the bottom. While the main current is pushing to the river bottom, the surrounding water slides upstream toward the foot of the drop to fill in the depression. This is called the backwash. Where the current surfaces again is called the boil line.

If the hole is big enough, things that float (like boats or people) get pulled back up into the seam between the drop and the boil line. These are known as hydraulics or reversals. If the boil line is a long distance from the pour over, it is more likely that floating objects will not escape, but cycle back into the hole repeatedly.

The shape of the hole will also determine its retentiveness. Smiley holes with the corners further downstream than the drop are generally safer than frowning hole with the corners upstream than the rest of the hole. Some of the most dangerous types of holes are formed by river wide ledges or low-head dams since the width make getting out of the hole very difficult.

Pour Overs/Waves

Waves are formed in a similar manner to holes – fast moving water runs over or down an obstruction forming a wave known as a breaking wave. If the breaking wave is big enough it can stop you (known as a “stopper”), fill you up, or and flip you over.

One notable difference between a wave and a hole is that the wave is less likely to be retentive and will generally flush a swimmer or boat after a flip. Riding the current into the face of a crashing wave, the current going under the backwash is exiting at surface level on the backside of the crest.

The Downstream V

When running rapids you generally want to follow the dark water through the rocks and other features. Dark water means there is a deep channels and no obstructions. It will often will resemble a tongue or a shoot.

Running the "dark water" or downstream V's is the principal strategy for safely navigating class II and III rapids. It marks the path of least resistance where the river bed is deepest, helping you avoid hitting rocks or getting stuck in shallow areas. Downstream V's often lead into "haystacks" or "standing waves".

Haystacks (Standing Waves)

Sometimes, when fast moving water runs into slower moving current, a long series of waves develops known as haystacks or standing waves. These standing waves or wave trains can be smooth, or particularly the larger ones, can be breaking waves or whitecaps.

Unlike ocean or wind-blown waves that move across the face of the water, haystacks do not move downstream. They stay fixed and the river moves through the wave. When running standing waves it is crucial to stay centered in the boat as you move up and down the face of the waves, and maintain a steady paddling cadence to maintain downriver speed and avoid getting stalled in the waves.

Picking a line through the rocky drops on the Wonalancet River 

River Running Techniques

Avoiding Rocks - Sideslips

One of the common mistakes that new paddlers make in rapids is trying to avoid rocks by turning broadside in the current. With enough space and enough forward momentum this can be successful, but often the canoe ends up getting pushed broadside on to the rock.

If you do end up broadside on the rock, lean into the rock ("love the rock") which will reduce the risk of wrapping the boat, and hopefully the current will eventually push you off.

A better approach to maneuvering around rocks is to sideslip around them. To sideslip your boat, you will use either static, active or sculling draws and pries to move the boat laterally across the river without turning broadside to the current.

A sideslip is efficient since it maintains forward speed and avoids the drag associated with turning or back paddling the boat. A back ferry (discussed later) can also be used to move the boat laterally, but is more difficult to set up and does slow the boat's momentum.

Eddy Turns and Peel Outs

Eddy turns and peal outs are other important river running skill. An eddy turn allows you to move from the main current into an eddy, and a peal out allows you to move from the eddy back into the main current. To do an eddy turn or peal out, you need to know your good friend "SAL" – Speed, Angle and Lean.

Speed - every eddy turn and peel out needs a bit of speed to get you across the squirrelly eddy line separating the downstream current in the main flow from the upstream current in the eddy.

Angle - you need to cross that eddy line at an angle – 45 degrees is typical, but you made need to increase or decrease the angle depending on flow.

Lean - when we say lean, we are talking about edging or a J-lean, not body lean. As always in a whitewater boat, you need to lean (or edge) the boat into the turn as you cross the eddy line, and maintain that lean as you complete the turn.  This is often called raising the "side of opposition". 

To do an eddy turn, you will accelerate your boat at around a 45 degree angle to the eddy line. Once the bow crosses the eddy line, you plant a Dufek (turning high brace) in the eddy and lean the boat into the turn. With the bow planted in the eddy, the stern will swing around, and you will now be in the eddy facing upstream.

To do a peal out the process is similar. Accelerate your boat at around a 45 degree angle to the eddy line. Once the bow crosses the eddy line, plant a Dufek (turning high brace) in the main current and lean the boat into the turn. With the bow moving downstream in the current, the stern will swing around and follow, and you will be moving back downstream in the current. 

The faster the current is moving, the more acceleration you will need to cross the eddy line, and the steeper the lean.

Ferrying

Another critical skill in safely running rapids is the ferry. Ferrying is the act of moving laterally across the river with minimal downstream drift. It can be done facing upstream or downstream, and allows you to slow your downstream motion to choose a path, and move laterally across the river to set up above a downstream V or deepwater channel. 

The ferry is initiated by paddling your boat at an angle somewhere between directly upstream and perpendicular to the main current in the direction that you want to move. The speed of the current will determine the amount of that angle.

As a general rule, the less angle you have (the closer you are to pointing directly upstream), the slower you'll move laterally and the more your paddle strokes will be working to keep you from drifting downstream. On the other hand, the more angle that you have (the closer you are to pointing directly across the main current), the more quickly you'll move across the river and the less your strokes will be working to keep you from drifting downstream. With experience, you'll learn what angle is most effective for what you are trying to do.

Running Holes and Waves

As methodical as you are trying to pick your way down a rapid, eventually you are going to have to run a drop or punch though a hole or wave. While small holes/waves can easily be run, large holes/waves can be your most formidable challenge when running rapids.

To punch a hole you need speed, and a well-placed stroke. Speed is important because you're going to be hitting a wall of aerated water at the bottom of the drop that will try to stop you dead. Take your last stroke just as you enter the hole/wave and use it to pull yourself through the aerated water. It's a good idea to punch a hole with your boat tilted slightly towards your paddle side. This will raise the "side of opposition" and help avoid a surprise flip to your non-paddle side.

Running the Gorge Drop on the Knightville section of the Westfield River

Paddling in Wind and Waves

Paddling in the Wind

What Causes Wind

Winds are caused by differentials in air pressure that cause air to move from high pressure to low pressure. Prevailing winds here in North America are generally west to east due to the earth's rotation, but local wind direction is more often determined by storms as they pass.  

Large bodies of water can also create their own wind, which develops when air over the land becomes warmer than air over the water. As warm air over the land rises it gets replaced by cool air from the water creating an on-shore breeze. This effect is most profound on the ocean, but can also be factor on a large lake. Winds caused by temperature differentials generally start several hours after sunrise, and dissipate in the early evening as the sun begins to set.  

Paddling in Wind

While wind can effect your paddling anywhere, it's effect is most profound in open water where can be tiring and make it difficult to maintain course.

When paddling in a headwind or tailwind, the trim of the canoe is important. Whenever possible, keep the canoe trim heavy up-wind. That means bow heavy in a headwind, and stern heavy in a tailwind.

In a beam wind paddle position is important. In a solo you will usually paddle from the downwind side so the boat's tendency to turn away from the paddle side is offset by the effect of the wind.  In a tandem the bow paddler usually paddles on the downwind side for the same reason. If the beam wind is strong enough, both bow and stern can paddle on the down wind side.

When paddling in the wind momentum is your friend, which often results in groups getting spread out on windy crossings. Groups need to make an extra effort to stay together in the wind.

Crossing the top of Umbagog Lake

Paddling in Waves

While paddling in the wind is relatively easy, the waves that wind creates can be more difficult and dangerous. The size of wind-blown waves is a function of wind speed, the distance across the water (fetch), and the depth of the water. 

Wind-blown waves progress from small chop to larger rollers to breaking waves. Bigger waves need time and distance to develop, so early morning or the leeward side of a lake may be calm, but waves often build later in the day, and can be significantly larger on the windward side of the lake. As you are planning your trip, you need to anticipate how conditions will change over the course of the day.

Wind-blown waves tend to be relative short period (distance from crest to crest) making it more likely that a canoe will swamp while going into or coming up from the trough. It is easy for the bow to submarine coming down the face of the wave, or the stern to swamp as the boat slows climbing the face of the next wave. 

The usual tactic for dealing with waves is to quarter the canoe in to the waves at a 30-45 degree angle. This reduces the length of the canoe and presents more of the hull to the wave making it less likely that it will dive in.

When quartering waves the challenge is to keep the canoe from broaching in the trough as it moves down the wave face. The bow paddler needs to paddle hard to maintain momentum, and the stern paddler needs to be ready to rudder to keep the stern from slipping down the face of the wave into the trough parallel to the waves. 

Paddling parallel to the waves is challenging since the boat will naturally roll as it travels up and down the face of the waves. Paddlers need to remain upright and between the gunwales with J-leans.

Staying upright while paddling parallel to the waves can be very challenging in large rollers, and impossible in breaking waves. Rather than trying to paddle parallel to the waves it often makes sense to adjust your course, tacking so you can quarter the waves. 

This may take longer, but is often a safer route.

Small chop on Umbagog Lake

Strategies for Dealing with Wind and Waves

Here are a few time-tested strategies for dealing with wind and waves;

• Stay close to shore - rescues are easier, and conditions are usually more manageable close to shore.
• Paddle early/late in the day - winds are strongest and waves are biggest from mid morning until late afternoon. Paddling earlier or later can avoid the worst of these conditions.
• Plan lay-over days - sometimes when conditions are difficult is is best to plan a lay-over day, or just paddle another time.

Dead calm on Baskahegan Lake

Sudbury River - Lincoln to Concord - November 30, 2025

Approaching Egg Rock

I usually try to do a "Day After Turkey" (Thanksgiving) paddle, but this year my daughter and grandkids were visiting. Instead, I got out today for a trip with Conrad on the Sudbury River.

The Sudbury is a National Wild and Scenic River that arises in Westborough and flows generally northeast for 41-miles to its convergence with the Assabet at Egg Rock in Concord. From there the river continues as the Concord, which flows generally north for about 16-miles until its convergence with the Merrimack River in Lowell.

Conrad and Erik

We would be doing the section from the Lincoln Canoe Launch to the Lowell Road Boat Ramp – about 5-miles. The forecast was for rain in the afternoon, so we met at 9:00 to run the shuttle and were on the water around 10:00. There was ice at the boat launch, but the river itself was clear.

Just downstream of the boat launch is Fairhaven Bay, a wide-open section of the river that was written about by Henry David Thoreau. While mostly marshland upstream, this section is lined with big beautiful houses. We ended the trip at Egg Rock, where the Sudbury and Assabet Rivers converge to form the Concord River. We were on our way home before the rain started.

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Sudbury River Padders Trail

SUASCO Watershed Association - OARS

Borderland State Park - November 15, 2025

I didn’t see any paddling trips today, so I decided to join Papa Joe and the crew for a hike at Borderland State Park. We started at the main entrance and hiked 5-miles up into the woods on the West Side, French and Granite Trails before looping back around Leach Pond on the Pond Walk and Swamp Trails.

The Borderland Estate was established in 1906 when Oakes Ames, a Harvard botanist and his wife Blanche purchased land on the border of Sharon and Easton. There they built a mansion and created a nature preserve with woodland paths, roadways and man-made ponds. The estate remained in the family for 65 years until it was acquired by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1971 and opened as a state park. Today the park includes 1,843 acres with more than 20 miles of trails including sections of the Bay Circuit Trail.

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Tville - November 8, 2025

Below the First Drop

We got a little rain this week and Tville came up to a low, but still fun level – 1.5 feet, 500, cfs. I contacted Paul D. and he was up for a morning run. I didn’t want to scratch up my Millbrook Outrage, but it was a perfect opportunity to try out my Mad River Outrage with the slightly higher (9”) pedestal.

We met at the Mill at 10:00 and ran the shuttle down to the take-out. We skipped the rapids at the top that would have been boney, but there was plenty of water at Cathy’s Wave and Brown's Ledge. I ran the Bridge Abutment Rapid first, but my camera was messed up so I missed Paul coming through.

Running the Second Drop

I ran the rapids above the Play Hole to the left – a little too far left. I caught my bow in one of the eddies above the Play Hole and got spun around. I just caught the edge of the Play Hole going through backwards, but made it through fine.

The removal of the Spoonville Dam in 2012 revealed a series of three class III drops below the Play Hole. I ran the first down the ledges on the left, but ferried over to river right to get a couple of pictures of the bigger drop on the right.

Below the Third Drop

I ran the second drop to the right – once again a little too far to the right. This time I ended up in the rocks above the drop. I worked my way out, ran the drop, and caught the eddy on the right. After ferrying to the left, the third drop is easy.

After practicing ferries below the third drop we headed down to Typewriter. I caught the eddy on the left, and then ferried across, but got sucked downstream in the big current. We practiced eddy turns and peal outs in Vortex before heading down to the take out. I was on the road home by 1:30.

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River Description on American Whitewater