Castles in the sand

At Newport’s sand-sculpting contest, artists shape boats, animals and Lance Armstrong on bike.They brought buckets and wood panels, blueprints and watercolors.

Hundreds of sand architects used anything they could to decorate and sculpt their temporary works of art on Sunday. They turned Corona del Mar State Beach into a makeshift museum -- and a soggy one, at that.

Contestants in the 44th annual Sandcastle Contest did their best to build despite the windy conditions and wet weather.

This year’s event, sponsored by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, had a clear theme: Newport Beach’s centennial celebration.

Many competitors stuck to that theme, creating sand sculptures that involved boats and sea mammals. In fact, only two groups chose to create actual castles made of sand.

Thirty-five teams hit the beaches early in the morning. Entrants pitched tents, warmed up their grills and were given three hours to build their designs.

The Crosson family from Irvine was well represented at the competition. Chris Crosson, chief executive officer of Doggie Walk Bags, a company that produces bags used by dog owners to clean up after their pets, bought a spot in the event for his company.

He walked away with the Best Theme plaque -- one of the 10 awards handed out by the Chamber of Commerce -- for his 7-foot-high sailboat that paid homage to the city’s sailing history.

“We thought we’d stick with the theme,” Crosson said. “I always go for height -- bigger is better.”

Crosson’s daughter, 19-year-old Orange Coast College student Christine Crosson, worked with friends on designing a mermaid in the adjacent plot of sand.

Her project partially caved in an hour into the competition, but her team still was able to finish.

“The key is to combine organization with preparation,” Chris Crosson said. “You don’t want to come without a plan.”

Conceptualizing a design wasn’t a problem for Greg Coles, who works for Los Angeles-based Frank R. Webb Architects. He and his co-workers sculpted a sand replica of a sailboat that was built in 1905.

“We had a couple of meetings and sketched out ideas last week,” he said.

Things were less formal for a group from San Clemente who went the animal route.

Husband and wife Maryanne Matus-Hamner and Tom Hamner sculpted a hippopotamus, elephant and crocodile. With the help of their friend, Jay Bellamy, and their daughter, Marina Hamner, they created tinted animals using a water-color spray bottle.

The award for most unique design went to the South Coast Educational Prima Donas, a group of Orange County teachers.

“I’m ecstatic,” said Max Cantu, who worked on a sculpture that was a tribute to cyclist Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France run. “The last time we won was about a decade ago.”

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter. He may be reached at (714) 966-4623.

20051017ioh03vknPHOTOS BY DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)20051017ioh02ukn(LA)Under threatening skies, Greg Coles, center, a member of the Frank R. Webb Architects team, shapes a boat sculpture at the sandcastle competition on Corona del Mar State Beach. Below, Rick Emmons of the Knights of the Third Shift team blows sand from a pumpkin sculpture.