Weekapaug Breachway in Weekapaug, Rhode Island, is a sparkling, crystal-clear channel of water that connects Winnapaug Pond to the Atlantic Ocean. Every six hours, the breach serves as a funnel through which millions of gallons of ocean water enter the pond to create the high tide, filling the pond to the brim. Then, six hours later, the breach carries the water back into the sea creating a low tide that leaves the pond with a series of sandbars and mudflats.
Huge flat boulders create a 20-foot-high rock wall on either side of the gap through which the water flows. One can walk on this wall from the Weekapaug Bridge to the end where the mouth of the gap meets the ocean, a walk of approximately 300 yards.
As you stand on the rocks at the end of the gap, there are several well-known points of interest to behold. The immediate west side of the gap is bordered by Fenway Beach, a beach reserved for the ‘towns’ of Westerly and Weekapaug. Beyond the beach are multi-million dollar clifftop ‘cabins’ overlooking the rugged Atlantic coastline. This is the old Weekapaug. old money. Exclusive. Private. The hoi polloi are welcome to ride their bikes or walk the streets, but they are not invited to stay. The east side of the canal presents a very different world: The Dunes Beach, a public beach filled with thousands of day-trippers every day. Beyond Dunes Beach is a six-mile stretch of pristine sand and water. Those ambitious enough to do the full hike will traverse Weekapaug Beach, Westerly Town Beach, The Misquamicut State Beach, and finally historic Watch Hill with its multi-million dollar mansions and historic Coast Guard Light House, whose foghorn warns Approaching boats can be heard all the way back to Weekapaug.
Your visual journey from the end of the gap is far from over! Looking 11 miles out to the ocean to the south, you’ll see Block Island, which is only accessible by ferry or plane. A day trip to the island includes unique shops and restaurants, picturesque beaches, and the opportunity to ride a moped through the breathtaking scenery of the Atlantic Ocean. It is this island that presidents like Clinton and Obama chose as their summer vacation getaway.
From the vantage point of the access road, 15 miles to the southwest there is a faint view of Montauk Point, Long Island, home of the toney Hamptons. In truth, however, Weekapaug and The Hamptons are separated by more than 15 miles of ocean. They are light years away.
If you had been standing at the end of the gap on the night of July 16, 1999, you might have unknowingly witnessed a part of our country’s dark history. A small plane carrying three people took off from New York that same afternoon for Martha’s Vineyard. The plane skimmed the coast of Westerly and Weekapaug and headed out to sea. The aircraft’s last contact was made at 21:26. This would be the last contact the plane would make. John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife, and his sister-in-law never made it to the Vineyard.