Around Great Island - July 12, 2026

Our new cottage

This is our 15th year taking a summer vacation on Great Island on Point Judith Pond. We had rented the same cottage on Horseshoe Point for the last 14 years, but the owner wasn’t renting it this year. Fortunately, we were able to find another cottage just down the beach.

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.

Fishing boats in the harbor

I always start off my paddling adventures with a trip around Great Island. Great Island is the largest island on Point Judith Pond. It is about 2-miles long and 1/2-mile wide, and full of summer cottages. I paddled down to Frank’s Neck 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. I paddled down into the harbor to snap a few pictures of boats going through the Breachway before paddling back to the cottage.

Back at the cottage

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Around Great Island - July 20, 2025

Horseshoe Point

We have been renting a vacation house at Horseshoe Point on Point Judith Pond for the last 13-years. I always start off my paddling adventures with a trip around Great Island. This year it was a little cloudy and a little windy, but not too bad.  

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 to Snug Harbor from Galilee

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. I paddled down to Frank’s Neck 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. I paddled down into the harbor to snap a few pictures of boats going through the Beachway 

The Breachway into the Harbor of Refuge

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Around Great Island - July 15, 2024

View of Horseshoe Point from Frank's Neck

We have been renting a vacation house at Horseshoe Point on Point Judith Pond for the last 12-years. I always start off my paddling adventures with a trip around Great Island. This year it was a little cloudy and a little gray, but the wind was calm.

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.

Boats and jet skis heading out 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. I paddled down to Frank’s Neck 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. I paddled down into the harbor to snap a few pictures of boats going through the Beachway before heading back up the west side of the island to the cottage.

That's me - houses along Bluff Hill Cove in the background

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Around Great Island - July 16, 2023

Our cottage on Horseshoe Point

On one of the paddling message boards that I follow, I am constantly telling people to get the right boat for the conditions. This morning I did just that. It was the first morning of my summer vacation at Point Judith Pond, and I went out for the traditional paddle around Great Island. A strong wind was blowing from the southwest. It would have been a slog in my canoe, but in my sea kayak it was easy.

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.

Ferry heading out 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. I paddled down around Frank’s Neck 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. I paddled down into the harbor to snap a few pictures of boats going through the Beachway before heading back up the west side of the island to the cottage.

Glad that I had the sea kayak today

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Around Great Island – July 17, 2022

Our cottage on Horseshoe Point

This year my summer vacation on Point Judith in Narragansett started out like all the others - with a trip around Great Island in Point Judith Pond.

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.

Fishing Boats in Galilee

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 hazy and warm as I headed out. I paddled down around Frank’s Neck 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. I paddled down into the harbor to snap a few pictures of boats going through the Beachway before heading back up the west side of the island to the cottage.

Harbor buoy in Galilee - Jerusalem in the background

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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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Around Great Island - July 19, 2020

Heading out into the fog

I woke up this morning to pea soup fog and a slight breeze, but that didn’t stop me from my traditional “first-day-of-vacation” trip around Great Island in Point Judith Pond. 

Point Judith 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.

Fishing boats in Galilee

Great Island is one of three large islands on the pond - the other two are Harbor Island and Ram Island. I put-in at our cottage and headed south into the fog past Frank's Neck, into Bluff Hill Cove, and under the Great Island 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. I paddled down to the last green buoy before the Breachway that connects Galilee to the Harbor of Refuge. From there, I headed back up the west side to the island to the cottage.

Boats heading out into the Breachway

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Point Judith Pond with RICKA – July 28, 2019

Through the Narrows

I was scheduled to lead the RICKA Meeting on the Water at Point Judith Pond last Monday, but I had to cancel due to the threat of thunderstorms (something that I rarely do). I decided to reschedule it for Sunday.

The weather was beautiful with a slight wind from the south that increased as the day went on. We had 8 boats with folks who had all done the trip before. We headed out into the Upper Pond from Marina Park, through the Narrows, and out into Congdon Cove. From there, we headed down to Gardner Island where we crossed the boat channel and headed over to Jonathan Island.  

The crew at Horseshoe Point

With a strong south wind and lots of boat wake, we decided to paddle down the east side of Great Island, which we hoped would be less busy and sheltered from the wind. That way, we would have the wind to our backs as we paddled back up the west side of Great Island. 

As we crossed over to the top of Great Island at Horseshoe Point, Michelle out and was able to get some pictures of the crew. As we paddled down Great Island we were sheltered from the wind until we got well into Bluff Hill Cove. We decided to stop for lunch at the boat ramp in Galilee.  

Through the Port of Galilee

After lunch we paddled under the Great Island Bridge and into the Port of Galilee. With lots of boat traffic, we stayed out of the main boat channels. We paddled around Little Comfort and up the west side of Great Island. With the wind at our backs, it was a quick trip past Harbor Island and back to the Narrows.  

The toughest part of the day is often launching or taking out at the boat ramp at Marina Park. There wasn’t a lot of traffic when we launched, but it was busy as we were taking out. We got out of the way quickly, but still managed to aggravate some motor boaters who think they own the launch, and the water.

Our route - 8-miles

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Marina Park from Rhode Island Blueways

Galilee Boat Ramp from Rhode Island Blueways

Around Great Island Again - July 26, 2019

After the long paddle yesterday, I decided to stay close to home and do something easy, so I did a trip around Great Island. The water was relatively calm, so I was able to get all the way down to the last buoy before the Breakaway - maybe someday I'll paddle through.

Around Great Island - July 21, 2019

Sunrise - time to start the day

I woke up at 5:30 to an amazing pink sky.  The sun was just starting to rise, so as I usually do, I decided to start my vacation with a paddle around Great Island in the Point Judith Pond. 

Point Judith Pond is the second largest of Rhode Island’s 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.

Horseshoe Point from Frank Neck

Great Island is one of three large islands on the pond - the other two are Harbor Island and Ram Island. I put-in at our cottage and headed south past Frank's Neck, into Bluff Hill Cove, and under the Great Island 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. Unlike other fishing villages that developed into tourist centers, Galilee retains the feel of a commercial fishing village.

Fishing boats in Galilee

It was a quiet morning, so I was able to paddle in around the boats. I paddled down close to the last buoy before the Breachway that connects Galilee to the Harbor of Refuge. I crossed over to Jerusalem and paddled up to the large marina at Snug Harbor.  

From there, I crossed back over to Great Island, and paddled past Thomas Point before returning to the cottage.

Snug Harbor Light

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Around Great Island - July15, 2018

View from the cottage

It was my first day of vacation, and I woke up early to enjoy the sunrise. As I usually do, I decided to start my vacation with a paddle around Great Island in Point Judith Pond. 

Point Judith Pond is the largest of Rhode Island’s salt ponds - 4 miles long, 1 mile wide, and about 20 miles in circumference. Separated in the south behind sand dunes and barrier beaches, Point Judith Pond is connected to the ocean through the Breachway at Galilee.

Horseshoe Point from Frank'sNeck

Great Island is one of three large islands on the pond - the other two are Harbor Island and Ram Island. Great Island is 2 miles long, 1/2 mile wide, and full of summer cottages. I put-in at our cottage and headed south past Frank's Neck, into Bluff Hill Cove, and under the Great Island 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. Unlike other fishing villages that developed into tourist centers, Galilee retains the feel of a commercial fishing village. 

Fishing boats in Galilee

It was a quiet morning, so I was able to paddle in around the boats. Eventually, I paddled down to the last buoy before the Breachway that connects Galilee to the Harbor of Refuge. I crossed over to Jerusalem and paddled up to the large marina at Snug Harbor.  

From there, I crossed back over to Great Island, and paddled past Thomas Point before returning to the cottage.

Last buoy before the Breakaway

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Around Great Island – July 16, 2017

Horseshoe Point

For the past five years, we have spent our summer vacation at a small cottage on Horseshoe Point at the tip of Great Island in Point Judith Pond.  As I usually do, I decided to start off my vacation with a trip around Great Island. 

Point Judith Pond is the largest of Rhode Island’s salt ponds - 4 miles long, 1 mile wide, and about 20 miles in circumference. Separated in the south behind sand dunes and barrier beaches, Point Judith Pond is connected to the ocean through the Breachway at Galilee. 

Fishing Boats in Galilee

Great Island is one of two large islands on the pond - the other is Harbor Island.  Great Island is 2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide, and full of summer cottages.  I put-in at our cottage and headed south past Franks Neck, into Bluff Hill Cove, and under the new Great Island 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.  Unlike other fishing villages that developed into tourist centers, Galilee retains the feel of a commercial fishing village. I checked out the lobster boats and large trawlers that call Galilee home

Snug Harbor Light

I stayed outside the main channel and paddled down to the Breachway that connects Galilee to the Harbor of Refuge.  I crossed over to Jerusalem and paddled up to the large marina at Snug Harbor.  A steady stream of boats was coming down the channel from marinas in upper Point Judith Pond.

From there, I crossed back over to Great Island, and paddled past Thomas Point before returning to the cottage.

Last Buoy before the Breachway

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Blueways Paddling Map

Point Judith Pond – July 18, 2016

Sailboats in the fog

Just like yesterday, the fog rolled in around 6:00 this morning, and rolled out around 8:00.  Today I decided not to wait, and paddled out into the fog at around 7:00.  I headed north along the west side of Ram Island and stayed close to the shore so I could see where I was going.  Visibility was 15 to 20 feet, and I would sometimes paddle very close to birds before they could even see me. 

By the time I reached the Narrows at Upper Point Judith Pond, the fog was starting to lift.  I paddled west into Congdon Cove and Smelt Book Cove before crossing back to Ram Island at Gardner Island. There were a couple of baby osprey in the nest near Smelt Brook Cove, and a couple of adults hunting nearby.  They definitely didn’t like me hanging around.  I paddled back down the east side of Ram Island to the cottage.

Osprey in the nest at Smelt Brook Cove

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Around Great Island - July 17, 2016

Franks Neck - looking back to Horseshoe Point

The day started off foggy, but it was starting to burn off by around 8:00, so I took my canoe out for a trip around Great Island.  It was still a little foggy and hazy as I headed south past Franck’s Neck and into Bluff Hill Cove.  By the time I reached the Port of Galilee, the skies were clearing.  There wasn't a lot of boat traffic, so I paddled down to the last buoy before you enter the Breachway.  From there, I paddled back up past the Snug Harbor Light.  I took a break in the middle of Point Judith Pond on one of the sandbars that appear at low tide before heading back to the cottage.

The last buoy before the Breachway

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One Last Trip around Great Island - July 31, 2015

Low hanging clouds hung on the water as I went out for one last trip around Great Island.  Unfortunately, our summer vacation in Galilee ends today.  Goodbye Horseshoe Point.

Horseshoe Point on Great Island

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Around Great Island – July 27, 2011

I got up early and headed over to the Galilee Boat Ramp to paddle around Great Island in the Great Salt Pond. It was high tide as I arrived, and lots of power boats were putting in at the boat ramp as well.

Charter boats in Galilee

I stayed out of the traffic and paddled over toward Snug Harbor. From there, I got some great views of the fishing boats in Galilee, the Breachway, and the lighthouse at Snug Harbor. As I headed up the west side of Great Island, the wind was in my face kicking up small waves, but it was still easy going.

I paddled round the tip of Great Island, and pulled my boat out on to Ram Island to enjoy the view. As I paddled down the east side of Great Island into Bluff Hill Cove the wind died down. There were lots of houses along the shore, and I was surprised that no one was out to enjoy this beautiful morning.

Lighthouse at Snug Harbor

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My website on Galilee