Our annual summer vacation at the beach ended today, so packing up to go home trumped paddling. It didn’t seem like I got out in open water as much this year as I have in the past. Maybe it was the great sea kayak trip that I did with Tony last week, maybe it was the weather (a little windy), or maybe I’m just getting lazy. For whatever reason, I never got out to some of my favorite spots like the Harbor of Refuge, Wickford, Jamestown Harbor or Newport. When you have a great paddling location like Point Judith Pond just outside your door that is not so bad…
Showing posts with label Vacation 2019. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation 2019. Show all posts
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Friday, August 2, 2019
Point Judith Pond Again - August 2, 2019
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| Outside the Narrows |
I stayed local again today and paddled the upper half of Point Judith Pond. From Horseshoe Point I paddled to Jonathan Island, then to over to Gardner Island, up through Smelt Brook Cove, Congdon Cove and into Billinton Cove, across the Narrows to Pine Tree Point and back down along Harbor Island and Ram Island. There were lots of birds out, a couple of boats and not much else.
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| Horseshoe Point From Ram Island |
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Green Hill, Ninigret and the Charlestown Breachway – August 1, 2019
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| Green Hill Pond |
I parked at the Charlestown Beach put-in, but I was a little concerned since the signage is vague about parking without trailers, and I was told that some RICKA members had recently received tickets there. Never the less, I headed east under the Creek Bridge on Charlestown Beach Road into Green Hill Pond.
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| Charlestown Breachway |
Green Hill Pond is located primarily in South Kingstown with the western edge in Charlestown. Like Potter Pond it is does not have direct access to the ocean, but is linked through an inlet from Ninigret Pond. The sun was rising, and there were great views to the east. The pond is shallow, and it was low tide, so I didn’t venture far into the pond.
From there I paddled west through the slat flats at the eastern end of Ninigret to the Charlestown Breachway. Like the Breachway in Galilee, the Charlestown Breachway was constructed in 1904 to provide a consistent flow of seawater in and out of Ninigret Pond, and to provide access from Ninigret to the ocean for boats. The current though the breachway is strong, and even motorboats can have difficulty getting through.
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| Ningret Pond |
On the way back I explored the salt flats at the eastern end of Ninigret Pond. Ninigret is the largest of Rhode Island’s South County Salt Ponds. It is protected on the south by the barrier beach that forms East Beach. Usually we put in at the Ningret National Wildlife Refuge and paddle west, so it was nice to explore the eastern end. At low tide it was shallow and tough to paddle, but there were plenty of birds.
I was back to the cottage by 9:00 – another nice paddle.
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| Charlestown Breachway |
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Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Knowlesway Extension Public Access – July 30, 2019
It was foggy this morning, and I needed to finish the August Paddler, so I stayed close to home and paddled down into Bluff Hill Cove to check out the access at the end of Knowlesway Extension.
Knowlesway Extension Waterfront Public Access Point, is located at 220 Knowlesway Ext, Narragansett, RI 02882 on Google Maps. Coming down Point Judith Road (Route 108) you take a right at the Cumberland Farms across from St. Mary Star of the Sea Church. There is no public parking, but street parking seems to be permitted. There is a picnic table, and stairs leading down to the water.
This is a nice option for those looking to paddle the lower end of Point Judith Pond around Great Island and Galilee. The State Boat Launch in Galilee limits parking to vehicles with trailers. Marina Park in the Upper Pond is great, but it is a long way from Galilee if you are just looking for a short paddle.
I found reference to this as a public access point in the Coastal Public Access Inventory for the Narragansett Conservation Commission, on the Coastal Resources Management Council website, and in Google Maps.
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Monday, July 29, 2019
Point Judith Pond with RICKA – July 28, 2019
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| Through the Narrows |
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Our route - 8-miles |
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Narrow River - July 27, 2019
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| View down to the Narrows |
It was another beautiful morning, so I decided to head over to the Narrow River to paddle out to the Narrows. The Narrow River, also known as the Pettaquamscutt River, originates in North Kingstown and flows south into Narragansett Bay at the Narrows above the Narragansett Town Beach.
I put in at the Sprague Bridge on Boston Neck Road, and paddled down to take some pictures at the rocks at Cormorant Point before heading back. Above the bridge is the John H Chafee Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1973, the refuge at Pettaquamscutt Cove includes over 550 acres of wetland that attracts bird of all species.
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| Egret in Pettaquamscutt Cove |
Links:
Friday, July 26, 2019
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.
West Passage Lighthouse Tour - July 25, 2019
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| View from the put-in at the Bay Campus |
There are three lighthouses on the West Passage of Narragansett Bay that I have been trying to get pictures of from the water – Dutch Island Light, Beavertail Light, and Plum Beach Light. Dutch Island Light is easy being just outside Dutch Harbor. Beavertail is also easy if you take the pictures from shore – not so much from the water. Plum Beach Light has always eluded me being just outside my comfort level for paddling alone. That changed yesterday when Tony agreed to take me out in one of his sea kayaks.
Tony needed to return the RICKA Volunteer of the Year trophy, so we decided to take the opportunity to do some paddling. Tony gave me lots of options, but we decided to launch from the URI Bay Campus. We met at 8:30 and unloaded the boats. The day was beautiful, with wind out of the north kicking up 1’ waves. Combined with the usual boat wake, it would be easy for Tony, but a little challenging for me.
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| Dutch Island Light |
We decided to cross over to Dutch Island, and then head south to Beavertail. I would be paddling a 17’ Heritage sit-on-top sea kayak. It seemed a little tippy at first, but I got use to it. My first real test came about half way across the West Passage when a large motorboat sped by creating 2-3’ wake. I bounced over fine and we continued to Dutch Island.
Dutch Island took its name from the Dutch East India Company that established a trading post here around 1636. The first lighthouse was completed on the southern tip of the island in 1826. The original tower was replaced with the current tower in 1857. The lighthouse remained in service until 1979 when it was replaced with a flashing buoy. It then fell into disrepair until 2007 when it was restored by the Dutch Island Lighthouse Society.
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| Beavertail Light |
From Dutch Island we headed south toward Beavertail. Records from the town of Jamestown make reference to a beacon here as early as 1712. A wooden tower known as the “Newport Light” was built in 1749. It burned and was replaced with a stone tower 4-years later. In 1856, the original stone tower was replaced with the current granite tower. It is 10’ square and 64’ tall. The lighthouse was restored and opened to the public in 1989 and includes a museum is operated by the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association.
As we headed south it took me a little while to get use to paddling in a following wind. As we approached Beavertail we also had to deal with rolling waves coming in from the open water. I did my best to click a few pictures of the lighthouse, but I was more concerned about staying upright. When Tony rose up and then disappeared behind a 3 ' rolling wave, I decided that I gone far enough. I clicked my last picture, and we turned around and headed north, taking a break in one of the secluded beaches in the cliffs.
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| Tony get a shower |
We headed back to Dutch Harbor and took a break for lunch near the boat dock at Fort Getty. From there we crossed back to Dutch Island to get a few more pictures of the lighthouse. We continued up the west side of the island, and then we had a decision to make. We could play it safe and explore Dutch Harbor, or we could head north toward the Jamestown Bridge to get some pictures of the Plum Beach Light. We decided to head to Plum Beach Light.
The sparkplug shaped Plum Beach Light was built in 1899 using pneumatic caisson engineering – a new innovation at the time. The granite base was added in 1922. The light was deactivated in 1941 when the first Jamestown Bridge was built. It remained abandoned until 2003 when the lighthouse's exterior was completely restored by the Friends of the Plum Beach Light.
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| Plum Beach Light |
In order to get to the Plum Beach Light we had to cross the boat channel to the North Kingstown side, and then head north under the Jamestown Bridge. The wind had died down, but boat wake continued to roll in from across the bay. Still, it was amazing to sit at the base of this lighthouse that had always seemed just out of reach.
After clicking a few pictures we turned and headed back to the put-in. In total we paddled 14-miles if you believe Google Maps – it didn’t seem that far, but no wonder I was tired.
Links:
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Poter Pond - July 24, 2019
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| Fishing boat leaving Galilee |
I paddled down the west side of Great Island into the Port of Galilee and sat at the top of the Breachway to watch the boats come and go before crossing over to Snug Harbor at the Snug Harbor Light. It was low tide, so I couldn’t paddle into the sand flats along the inlet, but I could see the beach house at East Matunuck.
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| Oyster farm near Matunuck |
The wind picked up on Point Judith Pond as I paddled back to the cottage – it was a bit of a slog.
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| Sand flats on the Inlet |
My Pictures
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Middle Islands - Point Judith Pond – July 23, 2019
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| Looking for breakfast |
After impressive thunderstorms and rain throughout the night, I was lucky to catch a pause in the storms to paddle around the Middle Islands near the cottage. The birds were out looking for breakfast, and I got a little practice paddling in the wind with wind-blown waves. The rain started up again as soon as I got back to the cottage.
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| Horseshoe Point |
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Monday, July 22, 2019
Upper Point Judith Pond - July 22, 2019
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| Marina Park |
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Sunday, July 21, 2019
Around Great Island - July 21, 2019
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Snug Harbor Light |
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