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Point Judith Light

point judith, RI

Built in I857 on the original site acquired in 1809 to protect sailing ships from the rocky coast, this marine sentinel marks the entrance to Narragansett Bay and Block Island Sound. She also eases the way into the Harbor of Refuge to the west; a huge jetty enclosed area of protected water and good holding ground.

Block Island Sound can really stir the ladle when it comes to rough water, so it was nice to have a place to sit out a storm and give a weary crew a rest when we sailed up to Newport. And then, there is the scenic inner harbor, where you step back in time. The entrance channel divides the little villages of Jerusalem to the west and Galilee on the east. It was always a pleasant stop for us - even without a storm!

Point Judith Light is identified by her three intermittent white flashes every fifteen seconds. She stands sixty-five feet above sea level and her lights can be seen for sixteen miles. And she sounds a magnificent loud, rumbling horn - very comforting when you are sailing in heavy fog. Daylight characteristics are:  top half painted a rusty brown color and the lower half is white.

She was automated in 1954 and remains an important aid to navigation.