Newport/Kings Beach and Gooseneck Cove Marsh - July 28, 2017

Looking out from the put-in

I’ve been working my way through the Newport launch sites on Rhode Island Blueways, and today I got up early to paddle among the rocks at Kings Beach off Ocean Drive. 

Kings Beach is is typically a sea kayak put-in since conditions can change quickly due to tides and weather. To the west is Brenton Point and the East Passage of Narragansett Bay. To the east is the rocky coast along Ocean Drive and the Cliff Walk. 

Cormorants on the rocks

The sea was relatively calm when I arrived with 1-2 foot rolling waves. Unfortunately, fog was rolling in as I launched, and visibility eventually dropped to zero, so I was forced to return to the put-in. With my original trip cut short, I decided to paddle Gooseneck Cove Marsh at Green Bridge, to the east of King’s Beach on Ocean Drive.

Gooseneck Cove Marsh is a wetland that has undergone a 10-year restoration by Save the Bay. A dam was removed and culverts installed along Ocean Drive to improve the flow of sea water into and out of the marsh. I put in at Green Bridge and paddled up the marsh as far as Hazard Road. Green Bridge would also be a good place to put in to paddle the ocean since it would avoid the paddle around Price Neck to the west of Kings Beach - I may try that next time.

Old boat in Gooseneck Cove Marsh

Links:

My Pictures – Kings Beach

My Pictures – Gooseneck Cove Marsh

Kings Beach from Rhode Island Blueways

Erik64’s Pictures of a RICKA Trip from Kings Beach

Newport/Fort Adams - July 27, 2017

Fort Adams

It was another nice morning, so I headed back to Newport to check out the put-in at Fort Adams. 

Fort Adams was established in 1799, and the current fort was built from 1824 to 1857. During World War II, Fort Adams was part of a network of coastal forts that protected Narragansett Bay including Fort Greble on Dutch Island and Fort Wetherill, Fort Hamilton on Rose Island, and Camp Cronin on Point Judith.

Newport Folk Festival Stage

In 1965, the fort and most of the surrounding land was given to the State of Rhode Island for use as a state park. The park is best know for hosting the Newport Jazz Festival and Newport Folk Festival.  The park was preparing for the Newport Folk Festival the day I paddled by.

I paddled out past the fort and into the east passage before paddling back to check out the harbor.

Newport Harbor

Links:

My Pictures

Fort Adams from Rhode Island Blueways

Newport/Rose Island – July 26, 2017

Newport Harbor (Goat Island) Light

After several rainy days the sky finally cleared, so I headed over to Newport to paddle out to Rose Island.

I put-in at the Washington Street Boat Ramp, paddled out through the Goat Island Marina, and past the Newport Harbor (Goat Island) Light. The first lighthouse was constructed on Goat Island in 1823, but it was moved to Prudence Island in 1851 where the structure still remains as the Prudence Island Light. The current Newport Harbor Light was constructed in 1842.

Rose Island Light

I paddled out into the channel for the 1-mile crossing to Rose Island. With its strategic location on the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, fortifications were constructed on Rose Island as early as the American Revolution. In 1798, the U.S. government began constructing Fort Hamilton on Rose Island. Like Fort Adams, Fort Greble on Dutch Island, Camp Cronin on Point Judith and Fort Wetherill, Fort Hamilton was a coastal defense battery during World War II, and was also used store explosives as part of the Naval Torpedo Station.

With increased shipping traffic around Newport in the mid-1800s, Rose Island seemed like an ideal place to build a lighthouse. The Rose Island Light was completed in 1870. The lighthouse stands atop a bastion of Fort Hamilton, which was built in 1798-1800. The wooden keeper's dwelling features a mansard roof with an integrated 35-foot light tower.

Barracks from Fort Hamilton

The government stopped using Rose Island as a military base after World War II. After the Newport Bridge was completed in 1969, the lighthouse was also abandoned and fell into disrepair. 

In 1984, the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation was established to restore the lighthouse. The lighthouse now functions as a bed & breakfast, and the island is a wildlife refuge. 

Newport Bridge

Links:

My Pictures

Washington Street Boat Ramp from Rhode Island Blueways