FLOATING AWAY THE FOURTH

The 11th annual Alewife Cove Flotilla brings neighbors together

Waterford — Residents of the Ridgewood neighborhood met in the middle of Alewife Cove to celebrate the Fourth of July on Wednesday morning.

The 11th annual Alewife Cove Flotilla brought together cove neighbors on stand-up paddleboards, canoes, kayaks, tubes or other flotation devices. More than 50 people joined in a somewhat disjointed but energetic procession back and forth along the cove; some wore or flew American flags and had beers in tow.

Tuber Nate Gregory preferred the flotilla to a standard Fourth of July parade.

“It’s more fun, you just float around, drink beers, it’s a good time,” Gregory said.

Gregory and his four friends set out on inflatable floating devices a bit earlier than usual; for about the past four years, Gregory’s crew has brought up the rear.

Others, like Tom McGonnigle, were enjoying their first or second flotillas after recently moving to the Ridgewood neighborhood.

“I figure it’s a good way to meet people,” McGonnigle said. “That’s how you meet people, you get right in their face.”

McGonnigle was in good spirits as he discussed a barbecue in Niantic he was planning on attending later in the day.

“I retired up here for this, the fishing and the boating,” he said.

He took to the water in a rowboat outfitted with a cooler. In the midst of talking to other floaters, he was momentarily caught in the low tide but was able to push free from the mud.

Rosann Anzellotti’s second flotilla was a bit different from last year’s — she said more people were dressed up “in stilts and costumes.” And this year, she put her kayak in the water in a more timely fashion.

Those who didn’t leave right at 10 a.m., the start time, could join the aquatic cavalcade from various boat launches, or even their backyard.

Jill Johnson, a spectator, said there weren’t as many people out this year, but that she loves to watch from her porch and take pictures because “it’s a great vantage point.” She especially enjoys the community spirit, as well as seeing one man on a standup paddleboard who brings his dog along for the ride.

Above, Betsy Perkins of Waterford pulls her kayak back into deeper waters during a flotilla along Alewife Cove on Wednesday. About 50 people, most of them residents of the Ridgewood neighborhood of Waterford, participated in the annual Fourth of July event.

PHOTOS BY SARAH GORDON THE DAY Right, kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards make their way through Alewife Cove. Tuber Nate Gregory preferred the flotilla to a standard Fourth of July parade. “It’s more fun, you just float around, drink beers, it’s a good time,” Gregory said.

SARAH GORDON/THE DAY Kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards make their way through Alewife Cove during a flotilla on Wednesday. About 50 people, most of them residents of the Ridgewood neighborhood of Waterford, participated in the annual 4th of July event.