Greenwich Cove / Goddard Park RI
- Details
- Category: Anchoring Your Boat with Style
- Published on Wednesday, 04 May 2011 09:01
- Written by George Boase
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Anchoring at Goddard Park gets the kids out of your hair.
LOCATION: Chart 13221. Head north from the west passage of Narragansett Bay until you pass Prudence Island to Starboard. At Warwick Neck Light, follow the channel west to the far end of Greenwich Bay. NOTE: Stay in the channel when passing Oakland Beach. Shoaling and a sunken barge directly in front of Oakland Beach.
Upon reaching the far end of Greenwich Bay, Greenwich Cove is to the port with Goddard Beach to port of the channel. Do not take a shortcut inside the green buoy. Sally Rock is just below the surface at high tide. Watch depth, but you can close within a few yards of shore as the drop off is steep. Some yachts can beach. Excellent protection allows for bow and stern anchor sets. Current is slight and wind protection is excellent making for little swing with dual anchors. Bottom is excellent heavy mud silt. Anchors should set well.
Getting ashore: There are no launch services directly at this location. You can get close enough in to swim or wade. Use dinghy and land on beach for Goddard Park. Dinghy across the channel to reach Norton's where they have a small restaurant or further in the cove to a dinghy dock at 20 Waterstreet. Fine dining and a small marina. You can also dock yacht there as well.
Shore Facilities: Designated swimming area at beach with lifeguard in season. Heads and bathhouse. Grills, picnic area, RIPTA bus stand, ball fields, golf course and riding stable. Goddard is one of the larger full service state parks in Rhode Island.
It's a human conflict as old as time itself. What mom and dad consider blissful relaxation, the kids call a prison of boredom. When my brothers and I spent our weekends on the boat in the river system, it was no different. Fortunately we found relief on a small island in the river. Mom and dad could veg out and leave us kids to explore, swim and fish on our own, all within safe watchful view of the boat.
Anchoring off Goddard Park is such a place. It's a near perfect anchorage, plenty of room and the kids can spend weeks exploring the park. A lifeguard is on duty in season and the buoyed off designated swimming area is still in view from the yacht.
If you happen to need some activity as well, there's a bargain rate golf course with 18 holes. Short course, but it plays well and is well maintained. A riding stable provides bridle-wise horses for hire which is a great diversion in fall for a color tour. The EGYC runs a dinghy race course on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the AYC holds club races.
The distance from the ocean is perhaps the biggest reason for most to skip this anchorage. It's as far up Narragansett Bay as you can go. If you want a place to ride out a couple of days of bad weather, just want to rest up for a while or if the kids are about to get towed in the dinghy for getting on your nerves, it's well worth the extra miles.
If you would rather take a mooring or a transient dock, you can find that too, and at prices that reflect the distance from the pricey coastal marinas. Excellent place to provision or do some shopping in the quaint historic village of E. Greenwich.
