Save the Bay showcases R.I. Lighthouses

Don Fowler
Posted 7/16/15

I can’t think of a better way to spend the day than checking out the unique lighthouses in Narragansett Bay. And there’s nobody better qualified than the folks at Save the Bay to help you.

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Save the Bay showcases R.I. Lighthouses

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I can’t think of a better way to spend the day than checking out the unique lighthouses in Narragansett Bay. And there’s nobody better qualified than the folks at Save the Bay to help you.

We recently spent a sunny afternoon enjoying an up-close view of nine unique lighthouses on a 3½- hour trip beginning and ending at Save the Bay’s Fields Point dock.

The 24-passenger boat was captained by Dan Blount, with former East Providence school principal David Kelleher, providing the interesting and humorous historical and geographical background.

We began with Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, located on a large rock on the east side of the Providence River.

The square two-story, wood-framed keeper’s residence has a mansard roof topped by a tower and lantern. We were able to walk the grounds and examine the structure up close. The outside has been restored by the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, which is currently winding down its fundraising efforts to finish the inside restoration.

We enjoyed motoring along the Providence, Cranston and Warwick shoreline, observing familiar sites like Johnson & Wales, the Edgewood and Rhode Island Yacht Clubs, Rocky Point, and Aldrich Manor. After a close up view of the Conimicut Lighthouse, we passed the stately structure at Warwick Neck before heading to Prudence Island to see Rhode Island’s oldest lighthouse.

Discovering Rhode Island from the bay is a unique way of seeing the beauty of our state. Next on the tour was the 200-acre Hog Island and its lighthouse, which was renovated by the Coast Guard in 1995.

We discovered the beauty of the Mount Hope Bridge from a new perspective and a view of the Bristol Ferry Lighthouse, traveling along the Barrington shores to the Nyatt Point Lighthouse.

Some of the original lighthouses, like Bullock’s Point and Sabin Point Lights, have been destroyed by storms, with only a pile of rocks and a light remaining. Kelleher shows everyone models and photos of the original structures. Guests are presented with information sheets taken from a website (www.lighthousefriends.com) to fill in many of the details.

Save the Bay will conduct the Ultimate Tour of 18 lighthouses on the Providence River and Narragansett Bay on September 12 and October 3, leaving from the Alofsin Piers at Fort Adams in Newport Cost is $85 for members and $100 for non-members.

A southern tour, also leaving from Fort Adams, will view 11 lighthouse, including Beavertail, Castle Hill, Conimicut, Dutch Island, Gull Rocks, Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Rose Island, and Wickford. Cost is $45 and $55. Dates are August 22 and September 26.

For more information and reservations, call 272-3540 ext.133.

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