paddling through the conduits in Wickford

[Tony M.]

On 18 OCTOBER 2020, Cam lead a trip out of Wilson Park in Wickford. At one point, we passed under the Rt. 1A bridge (near where the Kayak Centre used to be), and proceeded to Loop Drive, under which are 4 conduits that can be passed through in a kayak, but only at certain times in the tidal cycle. When we arrived at the conduits, there was only about 4" of clearance from the top of each conduit, so it was a no-go. On several other, solo trips, I have passed through one of these 4 conduits, and only twice, I was also able to not only paddle the small pond on the other side of the conduits, but also pass under a small, old railroad bridge into a second, even smaller pond. Usually, I couldn't go under this railroad bridge due to rocks. So if you hit just the right time in the tidal cycle, you can go through a conduit, and go under the railroad bridge.
    Well, yesterday (01 NOV 2020) I was walking in Wickford. I walked down Loop Drive, and right over the 4 conduits. The conduits were passable by kayak, and the tide was going out, but not so strongly as to prevent passage. Walking further, I passed over the railroad bridge...the water lever was high enough to pass under! It was around 11:00AM, so when I got home, I checked the tide charts. 11:00AM was about three hours after high tide. So, if anyone wants to go under a conduit and continue on under the railroad bridge, plan on being at the conduit about three hours after high tide. One note: the conduit is too narrow to paddle in, you must work your way through using hands, or your paddle parallel to your boat to grip the bottom or wall (see video below). There are barnacles in some spots, which help with the grip, but gloves are recommended for this. 
    For those who like to pass through conduits, there are a couple just north of Haines Park in East Providence. These conduits, however, are much larger, and you can easily paddle through them, with enough room to do full strokes on either side. (see video below)

VIDEO, Wickford, passing through conduits AND railroad bridge (from 3:11 to 4:32):    www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y0kObFtyGU

VIDEO, Haine's Park, passing through conduits (4:23 to 5:08):   www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT2f--toK5U

                                               Tony

[Tony M.]

Update: I actually paddled in Wickford today, and can now "tweak" what I said above, as actually being on the water is better than walking over bridges. I got through the conduit, but it was tight (read "uncomfortable"), however, I am not too flexible. The ceiling of the conduit, however, was in a great position to use it to work your way through. Three-and-a-half hours after high tide would have been better than 3. The railroad bridge was easy.