There aren't many waves on the East Coast of the United States that can hold 20-foot surf.



Though we've received no confirmation on how this monstrosity happened so quickly and so quietly, the funding likely came from the Hurricane Sandy relief package. And while the National Environmental Policy Act requires that projects undergo rigorous analysis for environmental and socioeconomic impacts, it seems probable that most of those were waived under "emergency" provisions.



"We are stunned," said local luminary/ surf photographer Joe McGovern. "This thing is at a stage where they're ready to go. They're rushing it through with no notice, no public hearings. I haven't seen any engineers or experts doing any kind of analysis of the impact on the environment, or define how long it's gonna take. In the past, projects like this would take five or six months to get some kind of dialogue going. Now it seems all the rules and regulations have been set aside. A lot of corners are being cut to repair the damage from Sandy, and people are fearful this may be happening a lot more up and down the coast."

So both breaks - technically three breaks, if you count The Point, Out Front and Around The Corner -- will have two jetties running right through the middle of them. It's just gonna be a mess. --Sid Abruzzi

At McGovern's urging, Surfline contacted Newport kingpin/ Water Brothers owner Sid Abruzzi. Sid has traditionally assumed the role of field general in the crusade to preserve Ruggles and all associated waves. He asserts that time is of the essence in regards to the CRMC application. Citizens only have until this Friday, April 5th, to request a hearing. Join the opposition by sending a letter of protest to RIDOT and click here for formal details on the project and contact information.While the Rhode Island surf community makes the governmental agencies aware of the unique and fragile oceanic resource this project puts at risk, Sid explains the gravity of the situation to the rest of us:I had talked a long time ago with engineers who showed me where they'd put these little rocks south of the break, and it was all good. Their plans wouldn't have even remotely affected anything at Ruggles. Then I got a call Thursday morning from an engineer on the project who came in with two plans: one was to create this seawall jetty [armor stone] in front of the existing original cement wall at Ruggles below the mean high water mark. And it's going out, not five feet like they said, but 20 to 25 feet at some spots. This will completely affect the natural shape of the wave and the overall quality. I'm one thousand percent sure of this.That's only the first part. They are also building two, 200-foot-long, 40-foot-wide armor stone "temporary causeways" -- I just call them "jetties" -- all the way up the 50-yard line of the surfbreak at Ruggles [in order to access work sites with heavy construction equipment]. That's basically like putting up a wall across the middle of a halfpipe. Attached on the end of those jetties will be two barges making a path where cranes can roll down and drop rocks for two months. Then, after a year or so, they're gonna take out the jetties. First of all, you can't build anything like that and just have it pulled out. I know engineers who've looked at it, and it's just not gonna work. When you come to Ruggles and look down the end of the street to the right at the main break, that spot is being cut in half by Jetty #1. And right where you lean against the fence to check the surf, that's where Jetty #2 is gonna be, the one that will affect the big-wave break we call "Around The Corner." So both breaks - technically three breaks, if you count The Point, Out Front and Around The Corner -- will have two jetties running right through the middle of them. It's just gonna be a mess.The Big Guy. There's another problem. If you look at any aerial photograph of Ruggles Avenue, you'll see this big white mansion with a gazebo built on the end of it. The Big Guy lives there in that $20 million estate on the point. He built his own seawall between his property and the Cliff Walk, and wouldn't even consider the idea of allowing people to come through his estate and use his property to chop down jetty boulders and lay down four or five months worth of new rocks.The money went from the Federal Government to RIDOT, who had CRMC draw up the plans, which were approved by the Newport Commission. I just met with the Newport Commission so they know, "Okay, right now here comes the opposition." If this were a baseball game, we'd be in the seventh-inning stretch. It's really late in the game. They seemed to understand the grasp of what we're doing and right now we got everything going: City Council, lawyers, etc. We're trying to pass a resolution to slow it down a little bit, and that's where we're standing right now. I've gotten major support: lots of local news coverage and phone calls from great people, Clean Ocean Access, Surfrider... Everyone's starting to come together, but like I said, RIDOT has already approved this. We're so far into this thing that we don't want to delay the plans. We want to stop the plans. Meanwhile, these guys are already going full-speed-ahead. Supposedly, they're gonna get the construction date on May 1st, the City of Newport expects the project to go full guns on May 15th and be completed between 60 and 90 days, before the summer season ends. Then they'll give them a two-year time frame to move the jetties. This isn't a "next year" thing. It's a "next month" thing. We're going to have to stop surfing Ruggles because of rock formations. Yes, it's true.+++To support opposition of this project and stop proposed construction in time to save the hallowed Rhode Island reefbreak, email Sid and his army at [email protected] with your contact info, and stay posted to their Facebook page for updated information. You can also sign the following online petition