Rain does not deter busy beach weekend
August opened with perhaps the gloomiest weekend of the summer. Drenching rain overnight Friday lasted well into the morning on Saturday, snarling Route 1 traffic all along the resort corridor in both directions. And more rain overnight Sunday seemed to signal the weekend was a bust.
In case anyone missed it, despite all the rain, the show went on in Lewes, where 26 boats participated in the spirited Cape-to-Cape Challenge VI, pitting sailors from Cape May against boats from Lewes. Defying gray skies, Lewes boats took four of the top five places in the non-spinnaker division, with the Osprey of Lewes taking the top prize in that division.
On Saturday, defying the weather were dozens of teams who gathered at the north end of the Boardwalk for the explosion of creativity and fun known as the 36th annual sandcastle contest. It may be hard to imagine building sandcastles in the rain, but as the downpour gave way to mist, an array of towers, turtles, beasts and sand sculptures of all kinds emerged, in the most inspiring display of totally temporary community art that can be found anywhere.
Children built with keen intensity alongside families working together; individuals carved out creations beside a sprawling yet detailed group work. For those who can’t escape current events even on a rainy beach day, looking out over the waves was a sand Vladimir Putin emerging from a tank, titled “Putin on the Blitz.”
On Sunday, the rain continued, sending many visitors home early. But for those who stayed, the rain again gave way to a mist that shrouded Gordons Pond in shimmering mystery. Hundreds of people could be found enjoying the weather as they walked, ran and rode bikes along the new trail from Herring Point to Gordons Pond and along the beach and Boardwalk.
Even on the rainiest of weekends, our Cape Region did not fail to delight – without even mentioning the whale who seemed to enjoy the morning sun as it spouted just off the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Aug. 4.
