Locals Attempt to Row Length of Narragansett Bay

On Sunday, Aug. 13, combined crews of New Yorkers and Rhode Islanders successfully reenacted the epic row by Roger Williams, the founding father of Rhode Island.

Williams, at the age of 70, rowed across across Narragansett Bay from Providence to Newport to enage some Quakers in a debate about religion.

Two Cornish Pilot Gigs, one from the Village Community Boathouse in New York City, and the other belonging to Don Betts of Water Street in Warren, who has formed a local community rowing group called the Whirleygigs, took part.

Betts is a boat builder and was a  prominent  figure in the human-powered boating community in New York until moving to Warren with his wife Martha in 2008. He still maintains ties as friend, mentor and consultant to VCB.

This is the second attempt by Don Betts and Village Community Boathouse to reenact Roger Willaims' 1672 single-handed row down the length of the bay, a distance of 24 miles, which he completed in about 18 hours. Williams reportedly left Providence early in the morning arriving in Newport just before midnight.

Last year, the rowers got as far as Dyer Island before pulling out near the War College after the tide shifted, a rudder was broken and a stiff afternoon sea breeze out of the South West made the voyage too difficult to continue and the two boats were towed the rest of the way to Newport.

The two 32 foot Pilot Gigs were launched on the Seekonk River in Providence from School Street in Pawtucket near Slater's Mill at 8:30 on Saturday morning to catch the ebb tide in the bay at 9 a.m. The gigs were accompanied by Joseph DePasquale in his motor boat and Don and Martha Betts in their Cat Boat.

The flotilla put on at the beach in Barrington for a one hour pit stop before continuing on to Prudence Island, where Betts has a cottage.

Roger Williams may also have put in on Prudence to wait for a favorable tide to carry him to Newport. The rowers spent the night on Prudence and caught the ebb tide to New Port at 8:30 a.m., arriving at the Pells Bridge at 12:30.

Because a few of the crew had to catch the 4 p.m. ferry from Prudence, the gigs turned around under the bridge without landing and sailed back to Prudence with steady South West breeze arriving back on Prudence before 3 p.m.. The entire voyage was completed in less than 11 hours.

Article submitted by Sally Curtis