Published by DelmarvaNow.com

BETHANY BEACH — Bethany Beach resident Frank Petti says he looks forward to many changes the end of summer brings.

“The weather is better for seniors and the water temperature is the best this time of year,” he said.

Petti says he’s looking forward to less traffic, fewer crowds and the meters being deactivated.

Visitors to beaches from Ocean City to Lewes can expect changes in parking, pets and crowds. For some beaches, they take place soon; for others, the busy season is still here.

“Labor Day does not mean the town has shut down,” said Ocean City spokesperson Donna Abbott. Beach Patrol will be present on Ocean City beaches through Sept. 25.

“We still have a busy month ahead of us,” Abbott said.

Upcoming events include Bike Week and Sunfest, among others. Abbott said roaming beach patrol will take over once the permanent beach patrol ends.

Parking meters and the ban on pets are still in effect for Ocean City beaches, Abbott said.

Dewey Beach is allowing pets on a day-by-day basis, says Beach Patrol Captain Todd Fritchman. He said visitors should check with the lifeguards before bringing their pets to Dewey. Beach Patrol ended Sept. 11, when visitors swim at their own risk.

Fenwick Island’s website says pets are allowed beginning Oct. 1 and parking permits are required in the city limits through Sept. 15.

Part-time Bethany Beach resident Lynn Skynear said she thinks it’s fine to take pets on the beach.

“(But) large dogs should be on a leash,” Skynear said, adding such practice would keep smaller dogs safe.

Gigi Vandermann, a full-time Bethany Beach resident, says allowing pets only in the winter would be preferable.

“I think pets should be kept off the beach (until winter),” she said.

Rehoboth City Manager Greg Ferrese said the beach patrol is on duty through Sept. 25. Ferrese said pets are allowed on the beach Oct. 1.

“Our meters are in effect through midnight Sept. 18,” Ferrese said.

All pets visiting the beach must be licensed, leashed and vaccinated.

Ocean City

Pets: Oct. 1

Beach patrol’s last day: Sept. 25

Paid parking for metered lots and street areas ends Oct. 15

Fenwick Island

Pets: Oct. 1; all must be licensed, vaccinated and leashed

Beach patrol’s last day: Sept. 18

Parking permits required through Sept. 15

Bethany Beach

Pets: Beach rules involving pets are enforced by the Beach Patrol during lifeguard hours.

Beach patrol’s last day: Sept. 25

Parking meters come down Sept. 15

Dewey Beach

Pets: Owners should call the beach patrol before arriving with their pets

Beach patrol’s last day: Sept. 11

Parking meters come down Sept. 15

Rehoboth Beach

Pets: Oct. 1

Beach patrol’s last day: Sept. 25

Parking fees apply through Sept. 19

 
Many are wondering what the shores along coastal Delaware look like in wake of Hurricane Irene, which hit the east coast throughout the weekend.

On Tuesday, things were very much well and good along the beaches, but don’t just take our word for it, visit this link to our YouTube channel which shows the Aftermath of Irene at Bethany Beach Delaware.

If you’re interested in coming down to visit Labor Day weekend, be sure to head to www.resortquestdelaware.com to organize your end-of-summer vacation!

 
Lifeguards from throughout Coastal Delaware and Maryland will compete in a variety of run, swim and paddle events on the beach at Sea Colony tonight around 6 p.m.

Come out to support the people who have your back each time you set foot in the ocean, by cheering them on as they go though a gauntlet of challenges along the shores of Bethany Beach

 
This Memorial Day Weekend marks the beginning of the summer season at Sea Colony! Now available for download is the 2011 Sea Colony Activities Map & Entertainment Schedule – a guide to activities, programs, tennis and entertainment for this summer in this Premier Family Beach & Tennis Resort Community.

Click here to download your copy of the map and entertainment guide.

Welcome to Sea Colony – The Premier Family Beach & Tennis Resort Community! Located just south of Bethany Beach, Delaware, and just north of Ocean City, Maryland, this seaside resort community offers a range of homes from oceanfront condos to secluded single family getaways.

 Plus, Sea Colony offers an unmatched array of amenities, including:

• ½ mile of private beach (guarded during the summer season);
• 12 pools (2 indoor, plus 7 more kiddie pools);
• world class tennis;
• fitness centers;
• activities for all ages;
• in-season community shuttle; and
• round-the-clock security.

Resources:

• Sea Colony real estate for sale
• Sea Colony vacation rentals

From Sea Colony Aquatics Manager Dave Griffith …

Congratulations to the Sea Colony Beach Patrol for top performances this summer at regional and national ocean lifeguard tournaments. 

Sea Colony took home 1st place at the 2010 USLA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships held in Ocean City, Md., and Long Branch, N.J. in July. 

In August, Sea Colony teamed up with several other Sussex County beach patrols to take 2nd place at the 2010 USLA National Lifesaving Championships, held at Huntington Beach, Calif. Team Sussex County edged out Monmouth County, N.J. for the first time ever and finished behind L.A. County, Calif., during the three-day competition.  Events covered land and ocean races, with and without surf rescue equipment.  

National tournament results were: 

• Leah Ciekot placed 5th in the open women’s paddle, 6th in the open women’s beach flags, 10th in the open women’s paddle rescue, 12th in the open women’s International Ironwoman, and 10th in the open women’s surf ski;
• Jamie Jones placed 4th in the open women’s surf rescue race, 10th in the open women’s 2k beach run, 7th in the open women’s paddle rescue, and 4th in the open women’s 4×100 sprint;
• Cindy Fajardo placed 1st in 400m surf swim, 1st in run-swim-run, 2nd  in paddle, 5th in surf ski, 2nd in American Ironwoman, 2nd in 2k beach run, 2nd in beach flags, 11th in the International Ironwoman; and
• Dave Griffith placed 1st in American Ironman, 2nd in the Surf Boat, 3rd in International Ironman, 3rd in paddle, 4th in surf ski, and 5th in run-swim-run.

“I am very proud of this accomplishment, we would like to thank all of you for all of your support this year,” Griffith said.

“Bethany Beach’s boardwalk epitomizes the more rustic elegance of America’s boardwalks. Its founders constructed the first iteration of its boardwalk in 1903—21 years before the first electrical plant and 31 years before the first paved road to its more boisterous neighbor, Rehoboth Beach. Billing itself as “the quiet resort,” Bethany offers the ice cream shops and white-washed seaward facing benches of a long-established boardwalk but leaves the carnivalesque nightlife to its northern neighbor.”

- ForbesTraveler.com

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – 2009 USLA Lifeguard National Competition  - With more than 1,000 lifeguards competing in this year’s championships, Sea Colony Beach Patrol captured five national titles and medaled in a variety of events. Standout performers were:

• Cindy Fajardo: 1st in the Surf Swim, 1st in the American Ironwoman, 2nd in the 2k Beach Run, 2nd in the Run Swim Run, 2nd in Beach Flags, 3rd in the Double’s Row, 3rd in the Paddle Board Race, and 5th place in the International Ironwoman.  
• Jordan O’Boyle: 1st place in the Paddle Board Rescue Race, 2nd in the American Ironman, 4th in the Taplin Relay Race, and 5th place in the Open Rescue Board Race.
• David Griffith: 1st in the Paddle Board Race, 1st in the Double’s Row, 2nd in the Surfski Race, 2nd in the American Ironman, and 6th in the Run Swim Run. 
• Leah Ciekot:7th in the 4×100 Run Relay, 7th in the Paddle Board Rescue Race, and 14th in the American Ironwoman. 

- Reported by Sea Colony Aquatics Manager Dave Griffith

The latest edition of Coastal Connection – a publication of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control’s Division of Soil & Water Conservation (two ampersands and deep breath) – contains some stats about the beach replenishment project so far, including (at the time of publication) about 726 loads of sand pumped, each dropping 2,050 cubic yards of sand on the beach. Those figures translate to about 1.5 million cubic yards of sand on the beaches of Bethany Beach and Sea Colony, as well as parts of South Bethany, in about two months.

While folks at the beach have seen the sand coming out of the pipes and bulldozers pushing it around, they haven’t seen how the sand got to the pipe in the first place. Page 3 of the DNRECDSWC (now that’s serious bit of governmental alphabet soup) newsletter tells the story of beach replenishment from the dredge ship’s point of view.

Download the Winter 2008 Coastal Connection here. 

More than a week after beach replenishment work at Sea Colony – “The Premier Family Beach & Tennis Resort Community” – wrapped up, the project is progressing quickly again, now in South Bethany. Looking across the as-yet-unreplenished stretch in Middlesex Beach, the sheer volume of sand pumped on the beach and the scope of the overall project comes into clear view.

A big, beautiful beach at Sea Colony is waiting for you in the summer of 2008. What are you waiting for? Sea Colony vacation rentals are available through ResortQuest. Looking for a beach home of your own, Sea Colony real estate for sale is also available through ResortQuest.  

Over the last few days, crews completed surfside sand-pumping operations on the south end of Sea Colony’s oceanfront – from Farragut House to Sea Colony-Middlesex Beach border. The owner-funded beach and dune work is now complete in “The Premier Family Beach & Tennis Resort Community.” The beach replenishment project has moved to the south end of the South Bethany area and the contractor will now work north to meet up with the south end of the Sea Colony project.

Temporary crossovers to allow beach access are being constructed and dune grass, to stabilize the newly-reinforced dune, will be planted in the spring.

Beach replenishment in Bethany Beach itself was completed in late October.