Beach sand spurs an irresistible creative urge in us to dig into it and shape it into whatever our imaginations can conjure up. Local sand lovers gathered once again on the Isle of Palms for the 35th Annual Piccolo Spoleto Sand Sculpting Competition to satisfy that compelling urge all in the name of fun, while a large crowd of observers enjoyed the spectacle as they roamed through the rows of sand art with cameras and cell phones in hand taking pictures. The competition began at 9:00 am and prizes were awarded at 1:00 pm.
The judges, which included Rob Fowler and Grace Lowe of News 2, Brendan Clark and Carolyn Murray, had the honor of picking the winners, and with all the great entries, it was a difficult task. As to having a great time, everyone was a winner.
Categories Included:
Adult (21 and up)
Family (1 adult and 1 child/young adult)
Young Adult (Ages 15-20)
Children's (14 and under)
Teams were limited to four people.
Prizes were awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each age division along with Best Architectural, Most Creative and Overall Best in Show.
Last year's winners were Island Tails for Best of Children's, Speedo 07 for Best of Young Adults, Pout Pout for Charlie Peberdy Memorial Award - Best of Family, Charleston Drip Company for Best Architectural, Seal of Approval for Most Creative, Vintage Since 1978 for Best of Adults, and Once Upon A Time for Best of Show - Overall.
This year's winners are Wish Upon a Star for Best of Children's, King Fu Wave for Best of Young Adults, Sea Bisquit for Charlie Peberdy Memorial Award - Best of Family, Giant Castle by the Sea for Best Architectural, Big Al for Most Creative, Saving Money for Best of Adults, and Riverdogs Days of Summer for Best of Show - Overall.
My favorite
Enjoy the pictures of this year's sand sculptures, both artistic and humorous. Which was your favorite?
Every time I vacation on a beach, I can't help myself. I have an irresistible urge to dig around in the sand and sculpt something, usually hammerheads or sea turtles. One time, I sculpted a human head with its hands sticking out of the sand. I added seaweed for hair and etched in the sand the words, "Help me." A couple walking along the shore stopped and asked me if I did it for a living and whether I worked for the resort as a sand sculptor. I slyly smiled and said no.
Sand sculpting contests have been a long standing tradition for one of Charleston's barrier islands, where sun and beach lovers gathered once again on the sands of that barrier island for the 34th Annual Piccolo Spoleto Sand Sculpting Competition. Front Beach, on the Isle of Palms, is the famed sandy shore where it all takes place. I have been taking pictures of the event since 2011.
It was high tide when the competition began at 9 am, so the transforming sand piles were stretched across the beach for a good distance from near the pier on down far beyond Coconut Joes, where the main tent was set up and awards handed out to the chosen.
Competitor divisions included children ages 14 and under; young adult, 15 to 20; family - at least one adult and one child or young adult; and adult, 21 and older. Prizes were awarded to the top three in each category, along with the additional judged categories of Most Creative, Best Architectural and Best in Show. Judges included News 2's Carolyn Murray, Rob Fowler, and Brendan Clark.
The story I am now going to relate is the kind you like to share with others. It is a unique, uplifting story. It shows the power the written word has on those who understand the message it conveys. Someone could say the happening is just a coincidence, an occurrence of events that happen at the same time by total accident. But then, it has been said, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous. As to which explanation is practical, I leave it to you to decide for yourself.
I have made it a practice to release wine bottles containing a message into Charleston's coastal waters from time to time. Charleston's coastline offers a variety of places for an entry point of a bottled message. My favorite drop-in point is the outgoing tidal currents of Breach Inlet accompanied by an off-shore breeze. The messages are lines of poetry I have written about dealing with life's struggles and hope of better days, included is my email address. Thus far, I have sent out three and received two responses from those who have found them. One bottle, released a year ago, remains undiscovered. This story has to do with the first bottle I released into the ocean with this printed image and words.
It was a month from the time I set this particular bottle afloat on the ocean currents to the time of its discovery. So, it did not travel any great distances in that one month. It possibly floundered around off-shore until an ocean wind brought it in. A woman found it while walking on the beach, something she does often to cope with a loss in her life. Her words pull at your heartstrings. What were the chances my bottle and message would be found by an individual who would appreciate it the most due to their own personal ordeal? I was glad to hear the right person found the bottle and the message.
Following is the original email I received:
"I found your message in a bottle.....a green bottle on the shore. Where did u release it? If u don't mind me asking... I lost the love of my life 3 years ago in aug. and I walk that beach for therapy to deal with losing him. I have released a balloon there once with a message inside, and was touched by your poem...It was a cool thing to find. Take care." Sent from my IPhone
Estuary waters and tidal rivers surround Charleston. It is rich with stories associated with its long maritime history. I have not read any stories about discovered messages inside bottles in the Charleston area, but I am sure some exist.
Someday you may be walking on one of the beautiful beaches of Charleston and unexpectedly see the top of a corked bottle sticking out of the sand. Upon pulling the bottle from its final resting place after its solitary journey on the ocean currents, you discover a message within. Maybe, it could be a record-breaking message in a bottle dating back hundreds of years, or it could be one of mine. If it is mine, I look forward to hearing from you.
It was the first beach I stayed at when vacationing in the Charleston area. A famous inlet separating it from a neighboring island is my favorite place to kayak at low tide. Sand islands appear offshore, where you can park to hang out and watch the kite surfers on a breezy day. The island is called the IOP by locals, and the inlet is Breach Inlet.
The Isle of Palms boasts seven miles of wide, pristine beaches great for swimming, lounging, fishing, biking, and kayaking. An equal amount of estuary waters connected to the Intracoastal waterway grace its backside like an unconquerable maze. It is an excellent place for kayaking and paddleboarding.
Once a year, the island's main stretch of sand called Front Beach is transformed into an ocean art show when it hosts the ever-popular Piccolo Spoleto Sand Sculpting Contest. It was the 33rd year for the event, and News2's Rob Fowler has been a regular judge through those years.
Participants include teams of families and individuals, children and adults from all over the Lowcountry. Hundreds of happy beach-goers strolled back and forth for three hours to watch the transformations rise from the sand, attempting to guess the object and the theme of the sculpture. The overall winner of the contest this year was a play on words and a sign of our times, Pain in the Gas. Congratulations to everyone who participated. Enjoy the pictures.
Like the ocean tides, history has flowed in and out of Charleston Harbor since its inception. An inlet formed by the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers and a maze of wild-life-rich barrier islands. Yet, those same ocean tides reinforced by the power of the natural and unnatural order of things have now and again whipped up its shifting sands of time and rearranged the harbor's protective estuary islands, three in particular.
Once upon a time, Morris Island was actually three islands that stretched from Folly Island to Sullivan's Island. They were named Middle Bay Island, Morrison Island, and Cummings Point. In time, changing tidal currents altered the channel leading into Charleston and the three islands slowly merged into one and became just Morrison Island, later shortened to Morris.
The channel shifted once again. This time threatening Charleston Harbor, which could not be allowed to happen. Jetties were built to save the harbor, but the result caused severe erosion on Morris Island. The island shrunk. Testifying to that fact is the Morris Island Lighthouse. Once a proud guardian of the coastline, it has become a vanquished sentinel. Victimized by the shifting sands of time, the lighthouse address is now several hundred feet in the ocean. Yes, literally surrounded by the deep blue sea.
Presently uninhabited and undeveloped, Morris Island is a nesting ground for migrating birds and playground for visiting boaters looking for a place to relax on a sandy beach. Bathed by the relentless waves of the rising and falling tides off the Atlantic, it is also a great place to hunt for shark teeth and other fossils left on its shores.
With no road entry onto the island, tour companies like Coastal Expeditions make access available to all desiring to experience the splendor and natural amenities of this historically colorful barrier island of Charleston. For Coastal Expeditions Morris Island Shark Tooth Beach Drop, departure location was on Shem Creek where we were welcomed by a courteous and friendly staff who introduced us to our captain and first mate, (also the expedition's naturalist guide). After a few introductory words, we boarded Coastal Expedition's brand new Coast Guard-certified boat called Gannet. The captain's name was Al and Mike was the expedition guide for our 3 pm excursion.
We boarded the boat and were given some safety instructions. The captain fired up the boat's two Yamaha engines and eased away from the dock into the slow moving current of the creek. If you are likely to see bottlenose dolphins, Eastern brown pelicans, and the elusive manatee, it will be on this portion of the trip as you cruise past Shem Creek's premier restaurant mecca, a fleet of shrimp trollers, and out into the busy Charleston Harbor with its roughly 10 miles of coastal scenic beauty, which include unmatched views of the downtown skyline, Ravenel Bridge, Fort Sumter and other iconic landmarks.
We put ashore on the harbor side of the island where the waters were calm and the scenery picturesque. The tours twelve participants disembarked. Some headed towards a sandy path cutting through the island's low growth vegetation while others gathered around the naturalist guide for tips on what fossils to look for and how to spot shark teeth on the beach. Afterwards, everyone made the trek up the path to the Atlantic side of the island where it entered onto a stretch of beach that abruptly ended at a massive granite rock wall.
The beach was covered with small shells of all sorts. At first glance, it seemed everything lying on or partially in the sand resembled the shape of a shark's tooth, especially the numerous shattered oyster shells. You had to assess very carefully each potential find, looking for specific characteristics like a serrated edge or the less shiny root.
At this time, my focus was not on searching through the shells for shark's teeth, but more on trekking to the rock wall to see what lay beyond. To my surprise, as I stepped over a rise beyond the point where the sand and the wall joined, there lay before me was the impressive beach of Morris Island with the lighthouse in the far distance. Rolling onto the island's gently sloping sandy shoreline, long traveling waves were ending their journey while seagalls filled the air with their piercing calls. Beach grass and low growing flowers covered the edges of the soft sands joined by groupings of palmetto trees standing above maritime salt shrub thicket bent in the direction of the prevailing ocean winds with the occasional solitary tree, some broken by tempestuous gales of past storms. It was a grand maritime forest panorama that extended the full length of the island's beach.
I spent most of the over three hours of the boat tour on the island's spacious beach beyond the granite wall simply enjoying the amenities of the sun soaked paradise taking pictures, dipping into the warm Atlantic waters, and searching for the cherished shark's teeth.
One of my questions for the naturalist was why the shark teeth we were finding had turned dark brown or black. He explained it this way. Shark teeth become preserved when they are buried. While buried, the teeth absorb the surrounding minerals as the calcium is replaced during its fossilization. The chemical composition of the sediments around Charleston tend to be darker, like the color of pluff mud. They are also very old. The process takes over 10,000 years. Some shark's teeth are millions of years old.
It was a quick three hours. Everyone met back at the drop-off point at 7 pm for the journey back. The sun was much lower in the sky. As we left Morris Island behind, the naturalist guide examined some of the findings and answered various questions posed to him by the group. We cruised past Fort Sumter and began to traverse Charleston Harbor. The spray from the splashing boat cutting through the water was refreshing. The captain paused for a moment near Sullivan's Island and shared some historical facts pertaining to Fort Moultrie and Charleston. After resuming, he explained some of the navigation signs of Charleston Harbor and added a bit of humor about one of the homes on Shem Creek.
The tour's captain was accommodating and professional. He handled the boat skillfully through the busy and sometimes rough waters of the harbor. Our naturalist guide and First Mate Mike was personable and knowledgeable. From beginning to end, he offered shark teeth hunting tips and made himself available to everyone who had a question, and I had plenty of questions as we bumped into each other from time to time on Morris Island's beautiful and impressive beach. Coastal Expeditions Morris Island Shark Tooth Beach Drop is well worth your consideration when looking for a boat tour for your family to a secluded Charleston beach on one of its uninhabited and undeveloped islands.
PRICE-ADULT: $50, CHILD: $35
TOUR DURATION: 5 hours (includes 30-min boat ecotour each way)
