Potter Pond - July 25, 2016

Boat at Snug Harbor

Yesterday, we went to Newport in the morning, and took my canoe out for a trip aound Potter Pond in the afternoon.  Potter Pond is located off the southwest corner of Point Judith Pond behind the behind the Matunuck barrier beach.  A short tidal inlet at Snug Harbor connects Point Judith Pond with Potter Pond. If you have eaten at the Matunuck Oyster Bar on Succotash Road, you were sitting along the inlet.

I paddled down the west side of Great Island into the Port of Galilee.  I 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

Matunuck Oyster Bar

high tide so the sand flats along the short inlet into Potter Pond were covered with water, and you can see the beachhouse at East Matunuck.  After paddling under the bridge at Succotash Road I entered into Potter Pond. 

The southern end of Potter Pond looks like a typical coastal salt pond with Jerusalem and Matunuck visible in the distance.  The Matunuck Oyster Farm operates in the shallows along the southern edge.  The northern end is a wooded kettle pond. 

East Matunick Beachhouse from the inlet

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Dutch Island – July 26, 2016

Verrazano Bridge from Dutch Harbor

I took a road trip over to Jamestown to paddle at Dutch Harbor. The wind was quiet, and the West Passage was dead flat, so I paddled out to Dutch Island to check out the Dutch Island Light. 

Dutch Island is located in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay and took its name from the Dutch East India Company that established a trading post here around 1636. In 1654 English colonists purchased the island from the Narragansett Indians.

Remnant of Fort Greble

For many years, the island was fortified to protect the West Passage from invasion by sea. During the Civil War, soldiers of the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, an African American regiment who later served in the Battle of New Orleans, constructed first earthwork defenses on the island.

In the 1890’s the Army established Fort Greble here. Like Fort Weatherill on the East Passage, Fort Greble was active through World War II and was part of a series of heavily fortified artillery placements that protected Narragansett Bay.

Dutch Island Light

The first lighthouse was completed on the southern tip of Dutch 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.

I put in at Dutch Harbor, and paddled out into the calm water toward the Dutch Island Light.  After snapping a few pictures, I continued around the west side of island before retuning to the take out.

Dutch Island Light

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Trip Description from Rhode Island Blueways

Pier 5 - July 24, 2016

Shingle style cottages on the shore

It was high tide and the wind was still, so I decided to do some open water paddling over at Pier 5.  

Also known as South Pier, Pier 5 was part of a thriving resort community that grew up in Narragansett in the late 19th century.  At one time, ten hotels and many Victorian and Shingle style cottages lined the streets around the Narragansett Pier. The Towers is all that remains of the old hotels, but many summer cottages - old and new - can still be seen along the shore.

Fishermen offshore

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RICKA Trip at Point Judith - July 23, 2016

At 5:00, I was sitting at the marina boat ramp thinking that my evening RICKA trip on Point Judith Pond would be a bust. Just then Frank and his wife drove up, followed by Tina and her husband, and then Lowell paddled up from Harbor Island. Looks like we had a trip. 

We pretty much followed the loop shown in the Rhode Island Blueways paddle map. We didn’t make it to sunset, but the clouds were great, and we did get a rainbow at the end. I guess that’s what happens when a rain cloud follows you around.

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Upper Point Judith Pond from Rhode Island Blueways
Marina Park from Rhode Island Blueways

Upper Point Judith Pond – July 22, 2016

Justin

I knew we were going out for breakfast this morning, so I needed to stay close to the cottage.  I did a lap around the upper Salt Pond into a stiff wind with wind-swept waves – good practice.  After breakfast, I took the tandem canoe out with Michelle, and Justin took the kayak.  Unfortunately, it was too windy for us to get around the point, so we headed back to the cottage, and decided to try another time.

Michelle and Erik

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Around the Harbor of Refuge – July 21, 2016

Fishermen on the East Jetty

The winds were calm and the tide was low so I decided to do a trip around the Harbor of Refuge. 

The Harbor of Refuge is is located just west of Point Judith and is formed by three jetties that protect the Breachway and the Port of Galilee. The east and west jetties were completed in 1890 and have have been recently repaired. The center jetty was completed in 1910 and has a lot of breaks, which allow great views out into Block Island Sound.

View through the center jetty -
Block Island in the distance

I put-in at Camp Cronin, and paddled out into easy rolling waves. There were a few fishermen on the east jetty, but not as many as usual.  I hurried across the east passage to check out the center jetty - large gaps are revealed at low tide, and I could see through the gaps all the way to Block Island. 

I paddled the length of the center jetty to watch the boats leaving the Breachway and west passage before heading back to Camp Cronin.

Point Judith Light

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Narrow River – July 19, 2016

The cottage is falling down.

I took a road trip this morning over to the Narrow River.  I put in at the Sprague Bridge and paddled up into Pettaquamscutt Cove to check out the little cottage - it was in bad shape last year, and it’s even worse now. This section of the Narrow River is a tidal estuary. At low tide it attracts hundreds of birds looking for breakfast. 

I then paddled down to the Narrows to check out the waves.  I paddled out to Cormorant Point, and then turned around to head back in.  I’d love to come back with somebody so I could paddle out beyond the point.

Waves breaking on Bass Rock

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Narrow River from Rhode Island Blueways