Open Boat, Moving Water - A Paddler's Journal: Potter Cove

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Potter Cove - May 27, 2023

The crew - Erik, Cat, Tony and Mike

Last spring, I had a lot of trouble with an arthritic knee, and thought that I would need to give up kneeling in my canoes. If I was going to sit anyway, I decided that I would get a sea kayak so I could do some ocean trips. I ended up purchasing Capella 166 RM, but didn’t get to take it out on many trips last year.

After a pretty good spring of whitewater paddling this year, I was looking for something a little different to do on Memorial Day Weekend. When I saw that Cat was leading a RICKA level 2 trip from Potter Cove on Saturday, I decided that I would join. I’ve paddled out from Potter Cove in my canoe to get pictures of the Newport Bridge, but I have never paddled up along the shore.

Cat at the North Light

The RICKA Sea Kayak group assigns levels to trips, not to paddlers. Trip levels range from Level 1 (no previous skill required) to Level 5 (long distances in extremely challenging conditions). It is recommended that newer paddlers start off with Level 2 before moving up to Level 3. Level 2 trips tend to be protected coastal paddling, while Level 3 trips tend to be open water with swells and more limited options for landing.

For this trip we would be putting in at Potter Cove for an up-and-back around the northern tip of Conanicut Island – about 12-miles. Expected conditions were seas of less than one foot, but we'd be paddling against both an incoming tide and a 10 kt headwind on the return leg. The distance and the wind on the return leg may have pushed this trip up to level 3.

Mike at the Newport Bridge

As we headed out I began to feel more comfortable in the easy 1-foot waves. Coming from a canoeing background, I tend to have a high-angle stroke, which is not the most efficient for long-distance cruising. I got some great tips from Cat along the way on a low-angle cruising stroke. The first leg of the trip was uneventful with the tide coming in and the wind to our backs. Putting down the skeg made it easier - duh. We paddled around the northern end of the island at North Light, and took a break for lunch just east of Sand Point.

The trip back was a bit of a slog. After rounding the northern end of the island, we paddled back against the tide and into a headwind. I was glad to the have practiced the more efficient cruising stroke on the way up. We took a break to check out the Park Dock Waterfront Access, so I also had a chance to practice an easy surf landing. We slogged along for the last 5-miles back to Potter Cove, but enjoyed the great views of the Newport Bridge along the way.