Dansm's Sea Kayaking Trips: Sakonnet Point, RI

Sakonnet Point, RI see map and photos of trip


Date	August 20, 2000	Time	1215 to 1530	Trip Length	9 nm

Weather	Sunny, clear skies, 70F. Wind NW 15-20 knots. Seas 2-4 ft. west of point, 1-3 ft. east of point.			Tides	H 1157 L 1733

Launch Site	Sakonnet Point State Fishing Area on Sakonnet Point Road at the harbor (park on the harbor side of the road; opposite side is trailers-only) [ ONLINE CHART FROM MAPTECH ] [ DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO LAUNCH ]		Landing Site(s)	none utilized

Route [ SEE MAP ]	paddle N out of harbor around breakwater; head S around lighthouse, then E through the passage N of West and East Islands (use caution: the shoals off Sakonnet Point are rocky and shallow); round Warren Point and paddle NE (use caution: the seafloor off Warren Point is very shallow, and waves start to break far out to sea), passing beaches protected by large rocks to the N; turn around at Briggs Point and head SW to Warren Point; continue SW toward the outermost island at Sakonnet Point; pass S of this island, then E of the light and return to the harbor

Trip Description [ SEE PHOTOS OR CLICK THE LINKS ]	Rhode Island is nicknamed the "Ocean State." I finally learned why on this trip. The drive down RI77 was absolutely beautiful, along the Sakonnet River coast. All you pass are attractive houses, farms, and vineyards. The launch is right on Sakonnet Harbor at the southern tip of this leg of Rhode Island. It is protected from northwest winds by a breakwater, which was much appreciated on this blustery day. I had originally planned to head north up the Sakonnet River, but once on the water I realized it was much too choppy and breezy to travel north into the wind, as 3 foot waves greeted me at the harbor entrance. Instead, I headed south along the breakwater, avoiding many fishing lines, toward the Sakonnet Point Light, a perfect photograph subject in such sunny skies containing a few windblown clouds. I rounded the Light, taking several photos from various angles to juxtapose the light with its surroundings: East and West Islands, the Sakonnet River, and faraway Newport, RI across the bay. The large rocks which dot Sakonnet Point make it a very charming, if not disarming, place. One feels slightly helpless in a small kayak with 2 foot swells out of the south crashing around you on rocks larger than my high school. Fortunately, the area was perfectly safe to navigate at dead high tide, though I could see the rocky bottom only four or five feet below my boat at times. After rounding Sakonnet Point, I applauded the decidedly calmer conditions and headed northeast along a coast lined by sand cliffs and dotted with large houses grayed from many ocean storms. Again, the shore was pocked with huge rocks sloping out of the water which absorb the brunt of the sea swells and make landing on the beaches a bit treacherous. I soon reached Warren Point, a rocky head separating the two coves I paddled past, and navigated away from the coast to avoid the waves breaking far from shore due to the shallow seafloor. As I rounded Warren Point, I could see that more of the same lay ahead: huge rocks were perched about 50 yards off the sand-cliff-and-beach shore. Many swimmers and a few kayakers played in the surf at Briggs Beach, and divers lined up to jump from a board set into the side of an offshore rock. I finally reached Briggs Point, a sand cliff jutting into the sea. With the intention of paddling north from Sakonnet Harbor upon my return, I turned around and headed straight for Warren Point, then adjusted course for the outermost rock at Sakonnet Point. I was treated with the most glorious views of East and West Islands and Sakonnet Pt. Light traversing around them; one can't help but feel the wonder of the ocean when one watches waves crashing on rock. After a photo of some sailboats far out to sea, I labored back up the shore, pelted constantly by the wind, and passed into the harbor. As I enjoyed lunch I debated the future of my day and decided that attempting a northern trip in this wind would be dangerous and not particularly worthwhile, so I loaded my car and drove home, enjoying the peaceful country drive and imagining the congestion on the Cape only 15 minutes away. I plan to return to the area to try a trip north along the coast, and certainly to paddle around Newport. Sakonnet Point is a spot to consider if you want to avoid crowds and enjoy a road (and sea) less travelled.

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since 8-13-00