By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Scott Sychterz was adamant that Hurricane Henri wasn’t going to spoil the beginning of his family vacation at the shore.
“No, no,” he stressed of the weather Saturday afternoon while watching his sons, Zach, 5, and Xander, 3, play in the sand at the 40th Street beach.
Sychterz, his wife, Katy, and their two sons had just arrived in Sea Isle City from their home in Lancaster, Pa., for the start of a weeklong vacation.
Although Henri was spinning hundreds of miles offshore of South Jersey as it churned up the East Coast, a choppy surf and cheerless gray skies caused by the hurricane turned Saturday into a less than ideal beach day.
But there was only one thing on the minds of the Sychterz kids.
“I’m going to have some fun,” Zach declared.
When asked what he planned to do at the shore, Xander blurted out, “Play!”
The weather Saturday afternoon was more annoying than dangerous, but a coastal flood advisory remained in effect for Sea Isle until 1 a.m. Sunday.
The Cape May County Office of Emergency Management issued a weather alert that warned of a secondary area of rain moving over the shore on Saturday night and Sunday, adding to the possibility of minor flooding.
Rip tides and rough surf prompted the Sea Isle Beach Patrol to fly red flags as a warning to beachgoers of hazardous conditions.
“It’s our high alert flag. We’re trying to keep people safe and alert,” lifeguard Pat Scannapieco said at the 39th Street Beach.
Scannapieco and fellow lifeguard Nolen Morasco carefully watched over the swimmers who ventured into the waves. Scannapieco said beachgoers were not allowed to go out any deeper than waist-high in the 75-degree water.
The fear was that conditions could possibly turn worse, depending on the track of the storm.
“I think it’s supposed to be big,” Marasco said of Henri’s impacts.
Gabriella Vizzarri and 10 of her friends seemed unfazed by the iffy weather as they laughed and danced on the 40th Street beach.
“We love our day,” Vizzarri said. “We are enjoying the beach and enjoying the ocean breezes.”
Camrine Campbell, one of Vizzarri’s friends, hardly seemed to care that gloomy skies hovered overhead.
“No stress, no stress,” Campbell said with a smile.
Campbell, Vizzarri and the rest of the group of friends are all from the Philadelphia area. They said they come to Sea Isle every weekend for summer beach trips.
Henri wasn’t about to stop them from making their trip to the shore this weekend.
“We’re enjoying the incredible vibes,” Vizzarri said.
