Two Weeks on Salt Water - End of Another Great Vacation

Paddling with RICKA at Point Judith Pond

Our annual summer vacation at the beach ended today, so packing up to go home trumped paddling this morning. With family visits I missed three days of paddling, but that’s OK – first things first. I paddled some of my old favorites like Fort Wetherill and Jamestown Harbor on a trip with RICKA, the Narrow River and Wickford. I missed some old favorites like Dutch Harbor and the Harbor of Refuge. Of course, I spent a lot of time paddling on Point Judith Pond including another fun trip with RICKA.

South County Vacation 2024 from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Port of Galilee - July 26, 2024

Fishing boats in the Port of Galilee

It was a beautiful morning, but very windy, so I decided to stay around the cottage and paddle down to Galilee. I stayed out of the wind and headed south down the east side of Great Island into Bluff Hill Cove and then into the Port of Galilee.

The Port of Galilee was created in 1935 when a harbor was dredged and a dock constructed at the mouth of Point Judith Pond. Connected to the ocean by the Breakaway and the Harbor of Refuge, both completed in 1910, Galilee eventually became the home port for much of Rhode Island's fishing industry. I paddled past the fishing trawlers, lobster boats and charter boats on the Galilee side before crossing over to the Jerusalem side. With low tide, I followed the boat channel on the west side back up the pond before crossing back to the cottage at Plato Island. I got some practice paddling in the wind.

View from Galilee to Jerusalem 

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Pea Soup Fog on Point Judith Pond – July 24, 2024

Thomas Point

I awoke to pea soup fog this morning - even thicker than the usual pea soup fog. My original plan was to paddle over to Potter Pond, but once I go out on the water I decided that would be a little ambitious. The sea birds were everywhere, so I decided to do a quick trip around Great Island.

Horseshoe Point

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Wickford Harbor - July 24, 2024

Wilson Park Kayak Launch

It was a windy, rainy morning, so I decided to head over to Wickford to paddle Wickford Harbor. 

Wickford was established in the early 17th century when Roger Williams purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established a trading post. In 1637, Williams sold the land to Richard Smith who constructed a large fortified house on the site, giving the house its nickname the “Castle”. That house was burned during King Philip's War, and the structure that can be seen from the put-in today was built in 1678.

Marinas at Mill Cove

Wickford grew to become a major port and shipbuilding center, and today contains a large collection of 17th and 18th century homes. It is a picturesque village whose streets are lined with shops and restaurants, and whose harbor is filled with sailboats and yachts.

I paddled out from Wilson Park into Mill Cove, and then over Wickford Cove and into Wickford Village. From there I paddled out to the breakwater in the outer harbor before returning to Wilson Park. I saw a couple of other kayakers, but otherwise I had the harbor to myself.

Wickford Cove

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Point Judith Pond with RICKA - July 21, 2024

Heading up the Upper Pond

It was a 12-mile day for me – 2-miles from the cottage to Marina Park, 8-miles for the trip from Marina Park down to Galilee and back, and 2-miles from Marina Park back to the cottage. Still, it was a great day for my annual RICKA Point Judith Pond paddle.

Point Judith Pond, or the Great Salt Pond, is located along the border of Narragansett and South Kingstown, and is the second largest of the Rhode Island’s South County salt ponds. It is a shallow, four-mile long pond located behind the barrier beaches and sand dunes that form Point Judith. The pond is 20 miles around with many pretty islands and coves to explore.

Through the Narrows

I woke up at 5:00 to wind and torrential rain, but fortunately the storm blew over quickly. My family needed my car for the beach, so I paddled up to the put-in at the Marina Park on the Upper Pond. By the time we launched the weather was beautiful with sunny skies and a slight wind from the south.

We had 9 boats – all kayaks. We headed out into the Upper Pond from Marina Park, paddled through the Narrows and out into Congdon Cove in Point Judith Pond. From there, we headed down to Gardner Island where we crossed the boat channel and crossed the pond over to Jonathan Island.

Crossing to Dog Beach

With a wind from the south decided to paddle down the east side of Great Island into Galilee. We paddled across the top of Galilee and took a break for lunch at Dog Beach between Jerusalem and Snug Harbor. It was a little nerve-racking crossing the busy boat channel but we finally made it.

Since the wind was blowing from the south we crossed the boat channel again and returned up the west side of Great Island. With the wind to our backs, the return trip went much faster. Between the wind and the boats traffic there was a lot of choppy water at the top of the pond, but everyone did great.

The crew at Dog Beach

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Aaron's Video

Marina Park from Rhode Island Blueways

Galilee Boat Ramp from Rhode Island Blueways

Narrow River - Sprague Bridge - July 19, 2024

Pettaquamscutt Cove

I was back on the Narrow River this morning to paddle down to the beach at the Narrows at Cormorant Point

I put in at the Sprague Bridge on Boston Neck Road at the John H Chafee National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1973, the refuge includes over 300-acres of saltmarsh around Pettaquamscutt Cove that provides habitat for shore birds like egrets, herons, cormorants and osprey.

Waves at the beach at Cormorant Point

I headed the other way down to the beach. I paddled out behind the rocks to check out the waves at Cormorant Point and down the beach past the Dunes Club and the Narragansett Town Beach.

On the way back, I took a dump taking a picture of an egret, but was able to do a self-rescue with a paddle float and pump. At least the picture came out OK.

The egret that resulted in self-rescue practice

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Paddle Map - Lower Narrow River

Narrow River - Pollock Avenue - July 18, 2024

It was windy and cloudy this morning, and I wanted to go someplace protected from the wind, so I decided to paddle the upper section of the Narrow River.

The Narrow River, also known at the Pettaquamscutt River, is the tidal extension of the Mattatuxet River. It begins below the Carr Pond Dam at the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and flows south for 6-miles forming the border between South Kingstown and Narragansett before entering Pettaquamscutt Cove and then flowing out into Narragansett Bay above the Narragansett Town Beach and the Dunes Club.

There are five distinct sections of the Narrow River – the Upper Pond, the Lower Pond, the “Narrows” from Bridgetown Road and Middlebridge Road, the “Flats” at Pettaquamscutt Cove, and the “Narrows” at the mouth of the river where it flows into Narragansett Bay.

I put in at the Narrow River Fishing Area off Pollock Avenue and paddled upstream into the “Narrows” between Bridgetown Road and Middlebridge Road. This section of the river is lined with boat docks and summer houses. Above Bridgetown Road is the Lower Pond, and then the Upper Pond. With the wind I got lazy and didn’t paddle up there.

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Paddle Map - Upper Narrow River

Point Judith Pond Islands and Coves - July 17, 2024

Islands in Point Judith Pond

The sunrise was beautiful, so I decided to stay close to home and paddle around the islands and coves at the top of Point Judith Pond. Point Judith Pond has three large islands – Great Island, Harbor Island and Ram Island, and four smaller islands - Jonathan Island, Beach Island, Gardner Island and Plato Island. Ram Island is posted no trespassing. Great Island, Harbor Island, Jonathan Island and Plato Island have houses on them. Gardner Island or Beach Island are the best places to stop for lunch.

I crossed over at Plato and paddled the boat channel up the west side of the Point Judith Pond past the oyster farms to Billington Cove. Egrets and cormorants were everywhere, and the osprey were in their nest at the marina at Billington Cove.

The mooring yard

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Paddle Map - Upper Point Judith Pond

July Meeting on the Water at Fort Wetherill - July 15, 2024

Launching  at Fort Wetherill

During the summer, RICKA’s monthly meetings are replaced with “Meetings on the Water” – paddles that are intended to get people together who might not normally paddle together, or get people out to venues that they might not normally paddle. For our July “Meeting on the Water” we decided to step it up a bit with a trip out of Fort Wetherill in Jamestown.

Fort Wetherill is a former coastal defense battery and military base located on the granite cliffs across the East Passage from Newport and Fort Adams. Shortly after the Revolutionary War, Fort Dumpling was built on this site to protect this strategic access to Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay.

Clingstone - the House on the Rock

The site would eventually become Fort Wetherill - part of an extensive coastal defense battery that included Fort Greene on Point Judith, Fort Greble on Dutch Island, Fort Hamilton on Rose Island, and Fort Adams in Newport that protected Narragansett Bay during World War II.

Today, Fort Wetherill is a state park and a favorite of RICKA sea kayakers. They will often head north to the Dumplings for easy tide race play, or they will head west to enjoy rock gardening along the southern shore of Conanicut Island, or they head east to the Castle Hill Lighthouse and from there around Brenton Point for more rock gardening and coastal touring.

Cormorants on the Dumplings

Our trip would not be that ambitious - just a short trip around Bull Point and past the Dumplings into Jamestown Harbor. We met at the at the Scuba Diving Lot at 6:00 to unload out boats and gear. After introductions and the safety talk we headed out of Fort Wetherill’s West Cove and into the open water of Narragansett Bay.

The wind was from the south and there were waves rolling in as we headed west through the cut-thru and around Bull Point. We stayed close to shore as we headed north along the fishing pier. The tide was going out, so we avoided the tricky tidal currents flowing out of the Dumplings.

Newport Bridge is in there somewhere

The Dumplings is a collection of boulders at the southern end of Jamestown Harbor. The most prominent is Clingstone or the "House on the Rock". This massive post and beam home was built in 1905 and has been recently restored. I am always amazed at the number of birds that gather on the Dumplings.

From there it is an easy paddle around Jamestown Harbor. There are usually great views of the Newport Bridge, which spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay from Newport to Jamestown. Unfortunately for us, fog rolled in just as we were launching, and the bridge was obscured in the mist.

Pulling in to East Ferry Beach

The Newport Bridge was completed in 1969 and is the longest suspension bridge in New England. The main span is over 1,600 feet long, and the road deck is more 200 feet above the water. The towers themselves are over 400 feet tall.

We took a short break at the East Ferry Beach in Jamestown. The original plan was to stop for an ice cream that the Sugar Shack on the pier, but with the fog we decided to head back early. We broke out headlamps the boat lights for the trip back to Fort Wetherill.

The crew at East Ferry Beach

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Mike's Video

Upper Point Judith Pond July 15, 2024

View of Horseshoe Point

I was up early and decided to stay close to the cottage and paddle to Upper Point Judith Pond. I'll be leading a RICKA trip from there next week.

Unlike Rhode Island’s other large salt ponds (Ninigret, Green Hill, Quonochontaug and Winnapaug) that are coastal lagoons, Point Judith Pond is an estuary where the Saugatucket River empties to the sea. I paddled up past Ram Island and Harbor Island, through the Narrows into the Upper Pond, and into the Saugatucket River at Silver Spring Cove. 

Boat ramp on the Upper Pond

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Paddle Map - Upper Point Judith Pond

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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