Around Ram Island - July 31 2025

Denny and Ann’s grandnephew Zach is visiting from the UK and I offered to take him out kayaking. Denny and Zach used the kayaks from the cottage. The wind was gusting, but we still spent an hour paddling around Ram Island.  

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Wickford - July 31, 2025

The Castle

My first choice today was to paddle at Dutch Harbor, but it was fogged in. Instead, I headed 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.

Wickford Shipyard

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, then around Cornelius Island into Fishing Cove, and then out to the breakwater. From there I paddled around the outer harbor before returning to Wilson Park. 

Breakwater at Wickford Harbor

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Harbor of Refuge - July 30, 2025

Point Judith Light

I need to have just the right conditions to paddle around the breakwater at the Harbor of Refuge, and this morning I did - clear skies, calm winds, low tide at 6:00 a.m. and swells of just 1-foot. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Even after construction of the Point Judith Light (c. 1810/1857) conditions remained treacherous at the tip of Point Judith and a Federal project was initiated to construct over 3-miles of jetties to provide a secure breakwater refuge for shipping. Work began in 1890 with construction of the east (3,640 feet) and west (2,240 feet) jetties, and was completed in 1910 with construction the V-shaped center jetty (6,970 feet). A 1,500-foot opening was left for the east passage, and a 1,200-foot opening was left for the west passage.

Holes at the "V" in the center jetty

While the jetties were originally constructed to provide a refuge for ships traveling between Boston and New York during bad weather, they also protected the newly constructed Port of Galilee. In 1910, the Town of South Kingstown and the State of Rhode Island dredged the current Breachway and stabilized it with stone jetties. Then, in the 1930's, the State of Rhode Island dredged an anchorage basin just inside the Breachway and built wharves to create a port for large, ocean-going fishing vessels. This allowed the Galilee to become one of the largest fishing ports on the east coast

I lugged my boat and gear across the beach at Camp Cronin and launched at around 6:30 a.m. I was amazed how much damage was done by last year’s winter storms. The navigation tower at the east end of the center jetty was completely destroyed. Huge boulders were pushed aside leaving large gaps in the seawall, even at low tide. It's hard to imagine that water can move those huge rocks. I paddled by the cormorants and other shore birds resting on the seawall out to the tip of the "V" in the center jetty before heading back.

East end of the center jetty before and after the winter storms of 2024

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Jamestown Harbor - July 8, 2025

Newport Bridge in the fog

It was foggy this morning, so I decided to head over to Jamestown to paddle around Jamestown Harbor and get some pictures of the Newport Bridge. I put in at the East Ferry Boat Ramp and headed out into the harbor.

The Newport Bridge was completed in 1969 and is the longest suspension bridge in New England. It spans the East Passage of Narragansett Bay from Jamestown to Newport. 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.

Clingstone or the "House on the Rock"

I followed the boat moorings down to the Dumplings - a grouping of rocks just off Bull Point. The most prominent of the Dumplings is Clingstone or the "House on the Rock". This massive post and beam home was built in 1905 and has been recently restored.

It turned out to be a nice morning with nice calm conditions. The fog burned off to hazy sunshine by the time I finished.

Newport Bridge from the Dumplings

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Port of Galilee - July 27, 2025

The kids are visiting this weekend, so I decided to stay around the cottage and paddle down to Galilee. I paddled 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 Breachway and the Harbor of Refuge, both completed in 1910, Galilee eventually became the home port for much of Rhode Island's fishing fleet. I paddled past the fishing trawlers, lobster boats and charter boats before heading back. I forgot to bring my camera, but here is a picture from last year

Buoy in the Port of Galilee

Point Judith Pond with RICKA - July 26, 2025

Paddling by the osprey nest

This year my annual Point Judith Pond trip for RICKA coincided with the Blessing of the Fleet in Galilee. This is usually a flatwater trip, but since there was no sea kayak trip on the calendar, I posted in the sea kayak board as well.

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.

Group picture form the cottage

We met in Marina Park at the hand-carried boat ramp next to the Point Judith Yacht Club at 10:00, and were on the water by 10:30. We had 7 boats – all kayaks, and a nice mix of flatwater and sea kayak paddlers. Winds were from the north, but switched to the east later in the day

We headed out into the Upper Pond from Marina Park, paddled through the Narrows and out into Point Judith Pond. We checked out the osprey nest at Billington Cove and explored the islands and coves in the upper Point Judith Pond before heading to down to Gardner Island where we crossed the boat channel.

View from the top of the Breachway

We paddled past Beach Island and across the top of Ram Island before paddling down the east side of Ram Island to Great Island. Michelle came out and snapped a few pictures before we headed to the east side of Great Island to Galilee.

It was a little after 12:00 when we paddled into Galilee. We stayed out the boat channel and paddled down to the last red buoys above the Breachway. With the tide going out, the current kept pulling us down into the Breachway. We saw the fire boat come through and then got shooed away. We headed up to Dog Beach for lunch.

Approaching Pine Tree Point

After lunch, we crossed the boat channel and paddled up the west side of Great Island. This area is shallow at low tide, but there was enough water that the boats could use this area to zip up and down the pond and avoid the speed restrictions in the boat channel. I was glad when we could cross over to Harbor Island to get out of the traffic.

Between the wind and the boat traffic there was a lot of choppy water as we paddled along Harbor Island. We rounded Pine Tree Point, paddled through the Narrows and back down the Upper Pond. It was another great day.

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Tony's Video

Marina Park from Rhode Island Blueways

Galilee Boat Ramp from Rhode Island Blueways

Narrow River - Pollack Avenue - July 24, 2025

Boats and docks along the Narrows

I was back on the Narrow River today to paddle the Narrows from Middlebridge Road to Bridgetown Road and the Lower and Upper Ponds.

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.

View up Lower Pond

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

I paddle the Flats and Narrows at Cormorant Point yesterday, so today 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, I paddled through the Lower Pond, and into the Upper Pond. I saw racing shells on the Lower Pond and a family of river otters in the Upper Pond. The trip back was a bit of a slog – into the current and the wind, but it was still a nice trip.

Back down the Narrows

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Paddle Map - Upper Narrow River