Ed Cabral will be retiring at the end of this season after a career that spanned over 40 years of public service as an environmental police officer, volunteer firefighter, and the Town of Warren’s harbormaster since February of 2014.

Over those 11 seasons overseeing one of Warren’s most important natural resources, Cabral said in a recent interview that he had nothing but positive feelings about his tenure as harbormaster, a period of time which saw big changes in terms of the popularity of the town and its place as a destination for local and transient boaters.

Despite its relatively modest size, it’s no small task to take care of 16 miles of ocean and river coastline, 360 moorings, 25 recreational docks, and 34 commercial fishing docks throughout the town.

Of those moorings, only 240 or so of them were regularly filled when Cabral took over, he said. Today, 345 of them are consistently filled, with only a handful of moorings in Mt. Hope Bay open on any given day during the season. Wait lists can range from 26 people at the docks near Blount’s shipyard, to over 70 people long for slips on the Warren River near the downtown center.

“With the explosion of the restaurant businesses along the waterfront it has gotten very busy. It has been very noticeable with how busy it has become,” he said. “We’ve done quite a bit of work at the Town Wharf to make it a bit of a gateway where people can tie off and from there, it’s a walk to anywhere you want to go.”

Fixing the infrastructure
That explosion in popularity didn’t happen all by itself. Cabral oversaw some important infrastructural upgrades occurring at key areas, including the replacement of two dilapidated docks used for commercial fishing vessels behind the water treatment plant.

“It was nothing to walk down on those docks when I started and have planks coming up and almost hitting you in the face,” he recalled. “The northern and southern docks are both pretty much brand new, and the fishermen are enjoying that.”

At the Town Wharf, Cabral mentioned becoming aware of large sinkholes that would continuously reform after being filled in, indicative of a larger problem. Cabral was able to initiate a $1.5 million project to do an assessment of the wharf, finding major infrastructural elements that were long worn out, which were corrected in 2018.

A second phase of that project, which would put more transient docking in at the northern end of the pier, is still something Cabral hopes can happen in the future; but at the moment, funding is the deterrent following Warren’s fiscal issues posed by its $13 million lawsuit settlement late last year.

Another project he mentioned with fondness was an oyster farming venture that was started via Woody Kemp, chairman of the Warren Harbor Commission, and Roger Williams University, which he was hopeful would start up again in 2025 after falling off during the Covid pandemic.

Additionally, Cabral said he was pleased the Town was able to acquire a new harbor patrol boat last spring, which has assisted with their enforcement efforts to prevent impaired boating; a partnership with the Warren Police Department and the Warren Prevention Coalition that has now been going for four seasons.

Ambassador to the waterfront
Cabral said that one of the things he has appreciated the most about his role, as opposed to his 33-year prior career as an environmental police officer for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is that most of the time, people have been happy to see him.

“It’s been more about being an ambassador for the town and welcoming people into the town,” he said of his role over the past decade. “Yes, we have to enforce regulations and keep people safe. That’s paramount, but this is more a consumer business than a law enforcement business. That’s kind of the way I’ve tried to look at it over the years, and hopefully that has worked.”

Cabral mentioned a program started under his tutelage around eight years ago that opened up four moorings in the Warren River for transient boaters. Instead of charging a fee for those spots, the Town has left them open on a first-come, first serve basis, free of charge, and allows them to stay for a couple days.

If anyone from the harbormaster’s office (either Cabral or any of his four, part-time assistants that work during a season) spots them while docking, they’ll approach with a friendly greeting and hand out a complimentary care package that includes a Discover Warren map with things to do and places to see in town, along with boating safety items and information, all inside a waterproof bag.

“We’re not worried about the small fee for a mooring versus going into town and supporting local businesses,” Cabral said of the strategy. “That has spread throughout the state…They truly do appreciate that. Pretty much anywhere else they go they have to pay to go on a transient mooring. And if they’ve never been in the Town, at least they have a place to start.”

So what’s next for Ed?
Cabral, who was originally from East Providence but moved to Warren in 1993, said that he will continue in his role until the end of the season. While there is no replacement in the wings that has been chosen yet, the Warren Town Council did officially post notice for a replacement. They also honored Cabral at the recent Town Council meeting last week for his years of service to the town.

That service is also not ending, Cabral said, as he said he intends to continue in his role as a volunteer firefighter for Engine 3, where he oversees marine rescue efforts.

Outside of work, Cabral said he was looking forward to enjoying some of his hobbies, like fishing and hunting, and spending time with his three grandchildren.