March 17, 2024

The cloudy marine layer that was present when we first arrived eventually burned off, providing us with a pleasant but breezy sunny afternoon for our visit. 1) We encountered an intact hull of a fiberglass boat on the mid-section of the mile; photos and location information was provided to the State Park Ranger so it could be retrieved from the beach. 2) There had been a massive influx of velella velella (by-the-wind sailors) washed ashore several days before our visit. 3) Given the number of folks in the parking area when we arrived, we had expected to see more folks on mile 287 but encountered just a typical number of visitors. 4) There was more detritus on the beach than we've seen in recent previous visits.

Report Details

The cloudy marine layer that was present when we first arrived eventually burned off, providing us with a pleasant but breezy sunny afternoon for our visit. Notable observations: 1) We encountered an intact hull of a fiberglass boat on the mid-section of the mile; photos and location information was provided to the State Park Ranger so it could be retrieved from the beach. 2) There had been a massive influx of velella velella (by-the-wind sailors) washed ashore several days before our visit. The beach was carpeted with an astoundingly huge number of the dead, decomposing creatures. Luckily they were dry enough that the smell of decomposition wasn't overly strong or unpleasant, just noticeable. 3) Given the number of folks in the parking area when we arrived, we had expected to see more folks on mile 287 but encountered just a typical number of visitors. 4) There was more detritus on the beach than we've seen in recent previous visits. We picked up a large number of plastic bottles, fishing floats and line, and foam pieces and disposed of them in the garbage pails at the parking lot.

Conditions

Temperature: 59 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Tide Level: 1.5 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 20. Number of dogs: 5. Walking or running: 16. Sitting: 4. Other Activities: Four people walking south along shoreline were dressed for fishing and carrying fishing equipment. There were hoofprints in the sand left by horse riders that had visited earlier in the day.. There were 27 vehicles parked in the closest parking area when I arrived, one of which was a pickup pulling a horse trailer. Most folks were walking along the beach, taking advantage of a pleasant March day.

Notable Wildlife

Late in the afternoon as we were leaving, we saw a small herd of elk grazing east of the foredune just east of mile 286. Otherwise, there were no other notable sightings of wildlife.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Unusual concentration. A huge influx of velella velella had been blown ashore several days before our visit; there were hundreds of thousands of these dehydrating and decomposing creatures covering the sand. They were dried out enough that while the smell of decomposition was definitely present, it was not unpleasant.

Driftline Content

Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.). An intact ~14 foot long hull of a fiberglass boat had washed ashore near the midpoint of the mile. A group of 5 of us walking along the mile unsuccessfully attempted to pull the boat up above the high tide line, but it was too heavy for us to move more that a couple of feet. This discovery was reported to the Cape Lookout State Park Ranger Station so it could be retrieved from the beach by the park service. Among the plastic bottles I picked up were two smaller bottles that still retained their labels; one was printed in Japanese, the other in Korean.

Natural Changes

Erosion of vegetated foredune. Minor erosion of the foredune was most prevalent at the north end of the mile; sand was filling in previously eroded areas on the southern end of the mile.