Clear day, blue skies kick off beach season

Life’s a beach, in and out of the water.

Just ask 13-year-old Serenity Brozato of Aberdeen, who took a dip in the bone-chilling Atlantic, then caught some sun rays under unseasonably warm temperatures at the unofficial launch to summer.

Up and down boardwalks, on sand or in the ocean, locals and distance travelers alike took to area resorts on Saturday, May 28, to start their Memorial Day weekend. Traffic was brisk, but below summertime bumper-to-bumper, and temperatures in the 80s were above the seasonal average high in the 70s, with water temperatures in the 50s or just above.

“The water’s a little cold, depending on whether you are suntanning first,” said Brozato, on a day trip to the beach with her parents. “I went into the water, and now I’ll go tan. If you get into the water first, the water’s not as cold.”

It was the same story up and down the Ocean City shoreline, where crowds were below peak July swells of 300,000 or more, but steady. Several miles north in Rehoboth Beach, healthy crowds mirrored Memorial Day weekends of past years, said Capt. Kent Buckson at the Rehoboth Beach Patrol.

The day was practically picture-perfect for area law enforcement, minus a few children temporarily separated from their parents and a scooter accident that hospitalized a tourist.

“It’s the first day of the season for lifeguarding in the towns, and everybody seems to be enjoying themselves,” Buckson said. “It’s a good Memorial Day kickoff.”

A tourist from the Washington area suffered a head injury and was transferred from Beebe Hospital to Christiana Medical Center, said Cpl. Gary Fournier of the Delaware State Police. “A 53-year-old man fell off a scooter; he was not wearing a helmet and had head injuries.” The incident happened on Shuttle Road in Rehoboth Beach, he said.

The number of lost children — a dilemma that kept patrol personnel busy much of the day — was a sure sign of a brisk weekend, Buckson said. “There were about 20 lost kids,” he said. “That usually tells you it’s a busy weekend. We found them.”

Eight-year-old Emma Robinson from Baltimore stayed close to family members, collecting seashells in Ocean City. “We come down whenever we can,” said her mom and sunbather, Sueann Robinson. “We got here at 8 this morning; it’s a day trip.”

Janae Winder and Kenneth Davis of New Jersey sunbathed in the late morning, then spent the afternoon at a family cookout in Salisbury. They welcomed sunny skies and hot temperatures after periods of rain and below-normal temperatures much of the month.

“People have been cooped up in the house and want to get out,” said Winder, who grew up in Salisbury. She makes the Memorial Day weekend trek to Ocean City every year.

“I came to every Senior Weekend at the beach,” Winder said of the popular annual springtime beach retreat for area high school seniors. “Senior Weekend, Senior Skip Day and Memorial weekend, I have come.”

Renee Bielli of New Church, Virginia, decided to spend a picture-perfect Saturday at the beach with her 7-year-old son, Matthew.

“This is my first time here in a few years; I wanted to spend some time alone with my son,” Bielli said. “I woke up and the weather was nice, and decided we were coming.”

Contact Deborah Gates at dgates@dmj.gannet.com.