By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
The clock was ticking on Karen Baker’s summer vacation in Sea Isle City.
She was lounging on the beach at 2 p.m. while trying to squeeze in a few more precious hours of vacation time before Labor Day weekend wrapped up for 2022.
“I’m sad. I want it to continue,” said Baker, who has a place in Sea Isle on 47th Street.
Everyone who was with her felt the same way. Baker was joined by her daughter, Kathryn, her friend, Charlene Chicalo and Kathryn’s friends, Sabreen Abdel and Kelly Zahour.
“We’re sad,” Kathryn said, echoing her mother’s sentiments.
Thousands of other beachgoers were also savoring what little time they had left in Sea Isle before having to contend with the bumper-to-bumper northbound traffic on the Garden State Parkway during the mass exodus from the shore as the three-day holiday weekend slowly came to a close.
Nice weather, crowded beaches and a stellar Labor Day capped what was a busy summer tourism season in Sea Isle for 2022.
Baker said she had a fantastic summer – hitting the beaches, going boating and even trying out tubing and wakeboarding for the first time.
“We had great weather,” she said. “But now people have to go back to work and the kids are heading backing to school.”
The ocean water temperature of 75 degrees was particularly inviting for beachgoers on Labor Day. Brian McCarthy waded out into knee-deep water with his 8-year-old son, Nicholas, for some last-minute surf fishing for the summer.
“This is our last day,” McCarthy said, lamenting the end of his vacation.
McCarthy, of Media, Pa., had rented a house in Sea Isle for seven weeks for the summer.
He and Nicholas had plenty of success while surf fishing throughout their vacation, mainly catching sand tiger sharks and king fish.
“Do you know what the secret is? Blood worms,” McCarthy said of the best bait to use for surf fishing.
A few minutes later, Nicholas reeled in a small spot fish. He showed it off to his dad before letting it go in the surf.
McCarthy and Nicholas were joined on the beach by Bridget Bruce and her 4-year-old daughter, Beatrice. McCarthy and Bruce have been friends since attending Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Pa., in the 1990s.
“Bridget and I hung out in 1994 and 1995 and we’re still doing it,” McCarthy said of the time they’ve spent together on the beaches in Sea Isle.
While many people fished or relaxed on the beach to end their vacations, Leslie Wright and her family took a bike ride on the oceanfront Promenade as one of the last things they did for summer.
Leslie was joined by her husband, Jack, daughters Carly and Emily and her father, Lanny Nairn. The Wrights live in Medford, N.J.
“Sad. Oh, my gosh, absolutely sad,” Leslie said of her feelings that summer is ending. “But the weather has been awesome.”
Labor Day weekend traditionally serves as the unofficial “last hurrah” for the summer season at the shore.
After Labor Day, Sea Isle no longer requires beach tags and also ends its parking charge, giving an extra incentive for visitors to continue coming to the shore in the off-season.
Sea Isle will hold its Fall Family Festival on Sept. 17-18, a popular event that features a crafts market on the Promenade, a food court, live music, free amusement rides and an antique auto show.
