Paddle Providence, RI

Article and Photography by Tara Thomas.

What a killer day!

The Coastal Urge North Carolina crew is on the road this week to take up temporary (but maybe more permanent) residence in beautiful Newport, Rhode Island.

The Ocean State only has 1,545 square miles of land area, but harbors over 400 miles of coastline. You know what that means- scores of beaches (some even with surf!), sheltered waterways, bays, secluded harbors and rivers for us paddlers to take advantage of. It’s no wonder the boys and girls from Coastal Urge decided to hold the 1st Annual Newport SUP CUP this weekend in King’s Park right in downtown Newport.

A few of us left from Newport this morning on a little recon trip up to Providence to scope out the stretch of water that runs through the concrete jungle of the downtown area. Parked the Coastal Urge truck with half a dozen boards strapped on top just under a graffiti covered overpass opposite the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier. Decided the little break in the cement wall where some pretty gnarly rocks met the water was a good of a place as any to shuffle the boards down, drop in and go for a spin. We cruised upriver and opposite the tide for a little while- scoping out the scenery as we went along.   Under a few historic bridges, and behind the shadows of Providence’s sky-rises, I think we were all awed at the scale of what was around us. Thankfully, the sun had decided to make it’s first appearance in four days, which meant folks were out on the town and down by the river, checking us out. Stand up paddle boarding is still making it’s way on to the scene here in Little Rhody, we caught the attention of a few ‘suits’ and tourists, who then shouted down to us, “What is that called?”, “Where are you going?”… I think we may have been secretly thinking the same thing- but it was great to see people interested.

We passed the Waterfire display, where steel pits are strategically situated on the riverbed through the city. Bonfire’s are lit on the weekends, and crowds gather on the shoreline. We were able to get an up close and personal view, checking out the stacks of wood and boats all laid perfectly under arched tunnels, ready for the next show.

Cruising by the financial district, and under countless other bridges, we arrived at the mall (when’s the last time you paddled to do your shopping!?), and continued on towards the head of the river. The sun was going down behind the tall buildings, the tide was low, and the water was getting shallow. Perfect time to spin a 180 and head towards a cold beverage. We chatted briefly about the history of the river on the paddle home, you could very easily imagine the town planning folks aiming to create a sense of Venice, with vendors and couples cruising through the city center on their watercraft of choice.  The large cement walls showed their history as well, with brass marks pointing out the high, mean, and low water levels that the city has seen over the last 50 years or so, through hurricanes, floods, and the rest of it. We may have been the first few stand up paddlers to check out the city in that way, but I have a good feeling we won’t be the last.

Back towards the trucks, we pulled out at a good looking marina, quite civil actually, and saddled up for an ice cold Narragansett. Perfect way to end a glamor day cruising through the city.

Tomorrow’s the big day, and nearly 60 (or probably just over, by the time you read this) people are signed up for the first official SUP CUP in Newport. Pretty rad!

Time for a few LandShark’s and some BBQ. See you on the water!