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The beach at Sachuest Point, beside Third Beach in MiddletownShoreline of Sachuest Point National Wildlife RefugeRocky coast at Sachuest Point, MiddletownSachuest Point seen across the water from Middletown

Chapters / US East Coast Open, 1 of 1 remaining

Ride Middletown and Newport, keep it open

Two beaches a mile apart on either side of Sachuest Point: Second Beach on the open ocean, where the town allows kiting, and Third Beach on the calm Sakonnet River, where it does not yet.

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8 riders call this homeKite, Wing, WindsurfSecond Beach, Middletown

Everything you need to know about Middletown and Newport

Live conditions

Why riders love it

What brings people here, from the people who manage it and the people who ride it.

  • Third Beach has smaller waves than Middletown's ocean beaches and a public boat ramp at its south end, with equipment rentals nearby.
  • Second Beach is the open-ocean side, and the only one of the two where the town allows kiting. We found no published wind statistics for either beach.

Sources: Visit Rhode Island; RI Blueways; Town of Middletown FAQ

See the wind right now
Shoreline of Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge

Access and rules

Each site sets its own rules. The chapter publishes confirmed rules as each site answers in writing, and points riders to the official page before they go.

  • The Town of Middletown's FAQ says kite surfing is allowed at Second Beach but not at Third Beach.
  • At Second Beach, kiting is allowed on the east side, may be stopped at times because of nearby piping plover nesting, and kiters must stay 100 feet from all swimmers and swim zones.
  • The chapter's first job is to keep Second Beach open by following those rules, and to work with the town on Third Beach rather than ride around the rule.

Sources: Town of Middletown FAQ

Help hold the launch
Rocky coast at Sachuest Point, Middletown

Ecology and habitat

Stewardship rotates across the city's spots, so riders are known as the people who look after them.

  • Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1970, covers 242 acres next to Third Beach.
  • It holds the largest winter population of harlequin ducks on the East Coast and more than 200 bird species. Piping plovers nest on nearby beaches.

Sources: Wikipedia (Sachuest Point NWR); Town of Middletown FAQ

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Sachuest Point seen across the water from Middletown

Good to know

Location, facilities and history.

  • Second Beach and Third Beach sit on either side of Sachuest Point in Middletown, Newport County, a few minutes east of Newport.
  • Second Beach faces south onto Rhode Island Sound; Third Beach, on Third Beach Road, faces east near the mouth of the Sakonnet River.
  • Daily parking is $15 on weekdays and $25 on weekends; resident and non-resident season passes are available.
  • Dogs are allowed on town beaches, leashed, only from 5:00 to 7:45 a.m. between May 1 and September 30, and sunrise to sunset the rest of the year.

Sources: Visit Rhode Island; Town of Middletown FAQ; Visit Rhode Island; Wikipedia (Sachuest Point NWR)

Meet the riders
The beach at Sachuest Point, beside Third Beach in Middletown

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Middletown and Newport

Kite surfing is allowed on the east side of Second Beach , 100 feet from swimmers.

Source: Town of Middletown FAQ

Know the spot

Middletown and Newport

Third Beach faces east onto the Sakonnet River with smaller waves than the ocean side.

Source: Visit Rhode Island

Know the spot

Middletown and Newport

Next door, Sachuest Point refuge hosts the East Coast's largest winter flock of harlequin ducks .

Source: Wikipedia

Know the spot

Why Middletown and Newport needs a chapter

The beach at Sachuest Point, beside Third Beach in Middletown
US East Coast

Middletown has two very different beaches back to back. Second Beach is long and open to Rhode Island Sound. Third Beach, around Sachuest Point, faces the mouth of the Sakonnet River with smaller waves and a public boat ramp.

8riders call this home
Kite, Wing, Windsurfdisciplines riding here

Middletown and Newport chapter, World Wind Sports

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Shoreline of Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge
US East Coast

The rules split the same way. The Town of Middletown allows kite surfing on the east side of Second Beach, can pause it when piping plovers nest nearby, and does not allow it at Third Beach. Riders on both sides have no organized voice in those decisions.

8riders call this home
Kite, Wing, Windsurfdisciplines riding here

Middletown and Newport chapter, World Wind Sports

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Rocky coast at Sachuest Point, Middletown
US East Coast

One chapter for both beaches gives local riders that voice: a group that knows the rules, keeps clear of the plovers and the refuge, holds the Second Beach access that already exists, and can talk with the town about whether kiting could ever work at Third Beach.

8riders call this home
Kite, Wing, Windsurfdisciplines riding here

Middletown and Newport chapter, World Wind Sports

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Photographer credits Back this chapter

The riders, schools and crew of Middletown and Newport

Riders from Middletown, Tiverton, Little Compton, Providence, North Kingstown and the schools that teach them.

See the rider directory Talk on the board
WWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.WWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.
Jeremiah OConnorLevel 3J, TivertonMolly RussellLevel 2G, ProvidenceClaudia CeruttiLevel 2G, ProvidenceJackson StoneLevel 2I, North KingstownEEmily WilliamsLevel 3M, MiddletownMMatthew AltumLevel 3K, ProvidenceIIbrahim AlsheriefLevel 2I, MiddletownOOtis WarrenLevel 2I, PROVIDENCEJeremiah OConnorLevel 3J, TivertonMolly RussellLevel 2G, ProvidenceClaudia CeruttiLevel 2G, ProvidenceJackson StoneLevel 2I, North KingstownEEmily WilliamsLevel 3M, MiddletownMMatthew AltumLevel 3K, ProvidenceIIbrahim AlsheriefLevel 2I, MiddletownOOtis WarrenLevel 2I, PROVIDENCE
iSportsKite, Wing, WindsurfiWind spotSecond Beach, MiddletowniKnow thisSecond Beach and Third Beach, Middletown, Rhode Island, just east of Newport.iKnow thisSecond Beach faces Rhode Island Sound; Third Beach faces the sheltered Sakonnet River.iKnow thisTown FAQ: kite surfing allowed on the east side of Second Beach, not at Third Beach.iSportsKite, Wing, WindsurfiWind spotSecond Beach, MiddletowniKnow thisSecond Beach and Third Beach, Middletown, Rhode Island, just east of Newport.iKnow thisSecond Beach faces Rhode Island Sound; Third Beach faces the sheltered Sakonnet River.iKnow thisTown FAQ: kite surfing allowed on the east side of Second Beach, not at Third Beach.

Live conditions

Wind right now at Middletown and Newport

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Your gift keeps the chapter running and the beach cared for: cleanup supplies, signage, certification weekends and the costs of being the group the park can call.

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