Summer season greeted warmly

Luis Pena

Sailing ships darted through Newport Beach waters while swimmers,

sunbathers and bodyboarders filled the shores on a busy but quiet

Memorial Day weekend day.

“This weekend begins the summer season and we are obviously

starting off with a bang with the nice weather,” Newport Beach

Lifeguard Captain Eric Bauer said.

Bauer said about 40,000 people packed the beaches on Saturday and

another 80,000 showed up on Sunday. They should be packed again on

Memorial Day, he said.

Lifeguards had to staff an extra six to eight towers to keep up

with the crowds, making about 90 rescues through Sunday afternoon.

Beach parking was nowhere to be found by 10 a.m. on Sunday.

“This is one of the busier Memorial Day weekends that I can

remember,” Bauer said.

The beach high was a pleasant 69.5 degrees with 3- to 5-foot

waves, which shouldn’t be quite as big today.

Jennifer Bosler and two of her friends decided to take a road trip

from San Francisco to Southern California to enjoy the three-day

weekend.

“I heard beautiful things about Newport Beach,” said Bosler, who

wanted to enjoy warmer beach weather than what she’s used to. If they

have time, she and her two companions will visit Disneyland before

heading home on Monday.

George Amicay, a custom guitar-maker, was one enterprising

beachgoer who didn’t take the weekend off despite his post on the

sand. While soaking up some rays, he was busy carving a guitar for

Fender.

Others took an interest in the sand itself.

“I’m digging a sink hole,” 17-year-old San Bernardino resident

Anthony Leonardi said while taking a break from catching waves on his

bodyboard. “I hope to cover it up and have my little brother walk

over it maybe.”

Inland Newport Beach was quieter than a normal Sunday, Newport

Beach Police Sgt. Dennis Birch said. Other police and fire officials

agreed.

“Other than a little bit of traffic for a couple of hours with the

swap meet, everything was quiet,” Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Larry Hicks

said.

* LUIS PENA is the news assistant and may be reached at (949)

574-4298 or by e-mail at luis.pena@latimes.com.