By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
As gray skies loomed overhead, Chrissy and Bob Methlie were determined to sneak in some time on the beach before the rains arrived Friday at the start of the Memorial Day weekend.
The married couple from Springfield, Pa., are renting a house in Sea Isle City for the holiday weekend and plan to return in August for their summer vacation.
Sitting on a nearly deserted stretch of beach, they were bundled up in long sleeve shirts and had towels draped over their legs to keep warm in 65-degree temperatures made chillier by gusty winds. But they were still enjoying the beach.
“Yes, absolutely,” Chrissy Methlie exclaimed. “It’s very, very windy, but there’s no rain, so that’s OK. I love the beach. Sometimes I’m sitting on the beach under an umbrella when it’s raining.”
There’s a good chance she will have to break out the umbrella this weekend. The forecast calls for rain, brisk temperatures, strong winds and the possibility of minor to moderate flooding on Saturday. Rain is also expected Sunday, before the weather clears out for Memorial Day.
The Methlies, though, were happy just to spend one day on the beach to kick off their holiday weekend.
“It’s better than being at home. As they say, a bad day at the beach is better than a good day at the office,” Bob Methlie said, laughing.
For the rest of the weekend they were planning to have drinks at the Ocean Drive bar and take some walks in their rain coats.
While the Methlies were relaxing on the beach Friday, Aidan Reed was out on the water getting in some rowing practice for upcoming lifeguard races.
“It’s a little windy, but it’s nice to be out and getting a little sun,” said Reed, a Sea Isle lifeguard, as he rowed in the lagoon next to the city’s marina at 42nd Place.
Reed, 22, who lives in Medford, N.J., just graduated with a marketing degree from the University of South Carolina. He said he plans to use this summer to figure out his career path.
Reed wasn’t the only person enjoying the water. The lagoons and back bays appeared relatively busy with boating traffic and kayaks despite the winds and cloudy skies.
Even with the gloomy weather, this Memorial Day weekend is busier than it was last year during the early stages of the pandemic. Restaurants, bars and retail shops were under the grip of COVID crowd restrictions during Memorial Day weekend in 2020, limiting their business operations and ability to make money.
But starting Friday, customers were allowed to enter New Jersey businesses without having to wear masks or observe social distancing for the first time in 15 months. Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the state’s mask mandate and social distancing requirements for fully vaccinated people while following the latest federal COVID guidelines.
In a strong indicator for this summer, Sea Isle’s preseason beach tag sales were nearly double last year’s figures. Also, realtors are reporting that rental properties are difficult, if not impossible, to find for the peak weeks of vacation season.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio, who has maintained an optimistic outlook that a strong recovery is ahead, believes that Sea Isle will have a blockbuster season.
“Even though I am not a prognosticator at heart, I am going to predict that the summer of 2021 is going to be fantastic,” he said in a statement. “In fact, I think it will be the equivalent of two summers wrapped up in one, simply because we will be able to enjoy many familiar aspects of summer life in Sea Isle City.”
Desiderio noted that Sea Isle is bringing back the Fourth of July fireworks show and its family-friendly Saturday Night Concerts series at the Excursion Park Band Shell after having to cancel them last year because of the pandemic.
Just in time for summer, Sea Isle has added two new recreation attractions to give residents and visitors more things to do during their vacations.
On May 1, the city opened a nearly $1 million fishing pier and kayak launch site on the bayfront near 60th Street at the Dealy Field recreation complex. The pier includes a covered pavilion for sightseeing of the bays and wildlife.
Seven pickleball courts, another new attraction, are making their debut for Memorial Day weekend. Pickleball is a popular sport in Sea Isle, prompting the city to build the new courts on 42nd Place across from the municipal marina.
James and Christine McGovern and their son, Mason, were playing pickleball on the new courts for the first time. The McGoverns live in Newtown Square, Pa., and have a vacation home in Sea Isle.
They are planning to be regulars at the pickleball courts over the summer.
“We love the new courts. They are amazing,” Christine McGovern said.
