Inlet

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. - For the better part of a decade, Mason Inlet, the turbulent wash that separates this Atlantic resort island from Figure Eight Island to the north, has been on the move.It has been creeping steadily south, sweeping away with eons-old impunity both mighty sand dunes and the fragile nests of shore birds.Wrightsville Beach residents have watched warily as the inlet has come closer and closer to their beachfront hotels, condominiums and cottages, but not so warily that they have been impelled to retreat to safer soil or halt the construction of more hotels, condominiums and cottages.

This time a year ago I was kayaking alongside reefs of native bay oysters in Virginia's Lynnhaven Inlet, near where the Chesapeake meets the Atlantic. "Lynnhavens" once were known throughout the oyster-eating world, prized by gourmets, slurped by presidents and allegedly served on the Titanic and other luxury liners. But there was scarcely a live oyster to be found there by the mid-1990s, when Rob Brumbaugh, a Chesapeake Bay Foundation scientist, would take kids there for environmental education.

Frank Wisniewski, a mailman, has his head in a fox hole when the reeds behind him move. "It's a beaver!" he says. "And a beaver hut!" Soon Wisniewski spots other treasures in the marsh: canvas back ducks, great blue heron, an 18-inch-long turtle."

With the pageantry, pomp and parade of the Preakness Stakes now past, it's tempting to toss aside thoughts of tourism dollars like so much Pimlico infield debris. The Triple Crown event is a red-letter day on the visitors calendar, but the reality is that the horse race and all its attendant ceremonies and celebrations are only a small component of Maryland's lucrative tourism trade. A report by a travel and marketing consultant released last week found that the number of visitors to Maryland rose 3.5 percent in 2009, a year when tourism fell 5.5 percent nationally.

1. Spend time in Historic Manteo . Lots of dining, shopping and lodging available in Festival Park, a historically restored downtown area. (manteo.govoffice.com) 2. Go for a bike ride. Try the Roanoke Island Bike Path, an 8.8-mile walking, jogging and rollerblading path that runs the entire length of U.S. 64/264. 3. Picnic at the m arina. The public docks at the Manteo waterfront have benches and gazebos. Enjoy the hustle and bustle of the boaters as they launch.

On July 2, ERNEST STEINNAGEL of Pawleys Island, in SC. Arrangements will be announced by Goldfinch Funeral Home, Murrels Inlet, SC.

It started as the kind of delivery Pat Schoenberger, an Annapolis sea captain, had made many times: Pick up a client's motor sailboat, ferry it to Florida and return home in a few weeks' time. A brilliant morning sky beckoned as Schoenberger and Jim Southward, his friend and first mate, left Severn, Va., for Pensacola, Fla. Thirty-eight hours later, a Coast Guard helicopter rescued them off Cape Lookout, N.C., amid pounding rain, 55-knot winds, 30-foot waves and the sensation, Southward said, that the ocean was tossing their 15-ton craft, Andante II, "like a cork in a hot tub. " What happened in between was a story of how, even in an era of high-tech sea mapping and navigation, the wisdom of seasoned mariners still can be no match for an angry sea. Schoenberger, 38, and Southward, 40, seemed dazed and relieved in an interview as they sifted the choices they'd made along the way, including the one no sailor wants to make: to declare Mayday, call for rescue and abandon ship.

Whether it's a wedding on the beach, a White Marlin fishing tournament, muscle car shows or ocean baptisms during the annual Jesus at the Beach festival, Ocean City isn't afraid to mix things up a bit. The resort offers an ample dose of tradition, yet just enough novelty to keep things fresh. Ocean City has officially declared the summer of 2012 the "Summer of Thanks. " As a way for the town to show appreciation to all who have supported the resort throughout the years, look for a bevy of fun, discounts at hot spots, and town-wide promotions for vacationers.

JOSEPH MILTON ROULHAC, 77, of Murrells Inlet, SC, died September 12, 2005, in SC. Son of the late Joseph H. and Camilla Flinn Roulhac. US Army and US Navy veteran serving in the Korean War. Senior Partner in the firm of Smith, Somerville and Cage. Surviving wife, Eileen Roulhac; son, Joseph B. Roulhac (Colleen) of Owings Mills, MD; daughter, Susan Kahle (Robert) of Perry Hall, MD; one grandchild and one great-grandchild. Services private by Goldfinch Funeral Home, Murrells Inlet, SC. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Memorial Center, P.O. Box 5216, Glen Allen, VA 23058-5216.