When Sandy Bernat demonstrated how to “pull” a sheet of paper in her West Tisbury studio, it looked like a magic trick. Somehow, by dipping her mold into pulp, shaking off the excess water and flipping it onto a piece of damp felt, the diluted fibers stuck together to form paper.

More than a hundred people headed down to South Beach last Wednesday to participate in the fifth annual Sand Sculpture Contest. At stake were a blue ribbon, a cash prize and a lot of pride.

When the four-hour sculpting period ended, five judges made their way down the beach, marking 18 adult sculptures and 15 junior sculptures on the following criteria: originality, details, structural difficulty and overall design.

Conditions were perfect — finally — last Thursday evening for the Marine Discovery Tour leaving Oak Bluffs harbor. It was sunny, there was a gentle breeze, and plenty of families were lining up to board the fishing boat Skipper.

This Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary program was supposed to begin running twice a week on June 27. However, the outing on July 30 was the Skipper’s first of the season. Felix Neck educator Justen Walker put it down to “a combination of the weather and the economy.”