Attending the East Coast Skimboarding Championships

Overview - Dewey Beach and Nearby Rehoboth Beach are essentially summer vacation spots on the coast of Delaware.  On summer weekends the town is packed with crowds walking town the street and heavy vehicular traffic.  In the winter the town becomes far more subdued.  Many businesses close down for the off season and only a few locals occupy the town.  Because of the towns beach vacation nature, there are tons of motels and places to grab a quick bite to eat as well as a handful bars and clubs.

Flying In - Though there are a few small airports close to Dewey Beach, the nearest major airports are Philadelphia (PHL) and Baltimore (BWI).  Both are around 2.5 hours away with no traffic.  Baltimore is a larger airport and has more flight options.

Getting to Town - Basically you need to get a rental car.  There may be some shuttles willing to take you that distance but the price would probably be comparable to a rental car, except less convenient.  Greyhound does have a stop in Rehoboth, but the bus takes over four hours and runs on its own schedule.  Enterprise, Budget and Thrifty all rent to people under 25 but may charge a underage surcharge.  The rules for surcharges are complicated but are worth looking into because there are often exceptions, such as a surcharge waiver if American Express is used.

Where to Stay - There are lots of options.  The best overall deal seems to be to book a condo long in advance.  Motels tend to be very expensive and not that nice.  You can get a nice condo for a similar price that has three bedrooms.  Here is a partial list of hotels and motels provided by the contest organizer.

• Bay Resort (302-227-6400)
• Bellbuoy Inn (302-227-6000)
• Best Western Golden Leaf (302-226-1100)
• Dewey Beach Suites and Motel (302-226-0233)
• Hobo Beach Motel (302-227-2584)
• Sand Palace Motel (302-227-4000)
• Sea Esta Motel I (302-227-7666)
• Sea Esta Motel III (302-227-4343)
• Southwinds Resort Motel (302-227-7800)
• The Surf Club (302-227-7059)

You may also find a more complete list of hotels motels by following this link.

Weather/Water Temp - Water temp is warm but not tropical.  Air temp is usually in the 80's.  Wind can be very strong and the wind chill factor can really pick up if you are in the water.  You probably will not need a wetsuit but you may wish you had a rash guard or some other type of "shirt" to keep the wind off of you.

How to Enter the Competition - You may enter the contest by filling out the contest entry form on skimdist.com.  If you do not want to enter electronically you may print out the form and mail it in.  The contest organizer is Harry Wilson who can be reached at: (302) 227-4011.

How Heats Are Run - Heats are run in the standard three or four man format with the top two finishers advancing.  The only exception is in the finals.  For the pros, and sometimes the amateur divisions, a man on man format is used to determine the final four placings.  The golden rule of the man on man format is that once you lose twice you are out.  The first guy to get knocked out gets fourth place.  The second guy to get knocked out gets third and so on.  The bottom two point finalists start out man on man.  The winner of that heat gets to take a seat while the loser must skim against the second highest point finalist.  The second rule is that the winner of a man on man heat gets to take a seat while the loser must skim again.  This system proceeds until all the placings have been determined and the winner is known right there on the beach.

A heat schedule is planned out in advance and should give riders a general idea of when their heat will run.  The heats and heat schedule are posted in the window at Dewey Beach Surf and Sport the afternoon before the contest.