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“Serenity Now” has Been Reborn in East Hampton

May 29, 2013 by David Rattiner

The damage has finally been fixed to the bow of my sailboat, “Serenity Now” and the process of fixing it myself could not have been more rewarding.

I recently wrote about how I installed a new rub rail on my 1975 O’Day 25 sailboat. That process was a lot of work, but I was fairly confident I could do it. Fixing fiberglass damage on the front however was not something I was all that confident with, but I think the fix came out pretty good.

The damage, which happened from the boat smashing into the dock from not being tied up strong enough during a storm (that’s my story anyway), was fixed using Marine Tex, which is amazing stuff, recommended to me by our Technology Director here at Dan’s, Dennis Rodriguez.

The process took about three days. First I sanded away at the damaged area and chipped out with a hammer all of the excess fiberglass. Then I mixed up the Marine Tex, which is activated by combining two different chemicals that come with the product. Very carefully, I pasted it on the damage. When I was done, I waited two days for epoxy to cure.

After that was more sanding. I was nervous about painting the area because I have zero experience painting the the boat.

I mixed up some white and blue paint and did everything I could to match up the color of the sailboat with the color of the paint I was using. I didn’t use any type of special paint. I just used basic acrylic paint, and I’m sure this was a terrible idea, but it seems to be holding up so far.

After a lot of experimentation with the colors, I finally got a color that matched decently. I then let the paint dry, sanded the area again, then painted it again. Here what the end result is. Not bad right?

Finally, I decided that this year it was time to have a respectable looking decal on the bow that displays the boats name. At the stern, I have a few stickers that read “Serenity Now” but they are block stickers and don’t look very professional.

My fiancee designed the decal, and again I was nervous to place it on the boat, but it was fairly straight forward. All I had to do was run the decal across the boat, apply a little applicator, wait, then peel it off carefully.

“Serenity Now” has been reborn in East Hampton!

So now all that’s left to do is rig up the sails and get the boat in the water. So…yea…I’ll probably be finished with that by Labor Day….

Happy boating.

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The Staff of P&G Deli and Pizza, Rich Sada, Julecia Southerland, Thomas Smith, Mario Ayvaza

The Staff of P&G Deli and Pizza, Rich Sada, Julecia Southerland, Thomas Smith, Mario Ayvaza

Believe it or Not, Excellent Pizza Is Hidden Inside Dunkin’ Donuts in Southampton

May 28, 2013 by David Rattiner

If you’ve walked into the Dunkin’ Donuts in Southampton recently, the first thing that you smell isn’t coffee, it’s fresh, handmade, authentic Brooklyn pizza. That’s because a guy named Rich Saba, who is all old school and is the owner of P&G Deli and Pizza, has turned his half of the building into a place that’s creating a little pizza magic.

The building on County Road 39 that currently is home to the Dunkin’ Donuts and P&G Deli and Pizza has some interesting history to say the least. Many, many businesses have come and gone there. In my lifetime, that building has been home to Hiram’s Hotdogs, Chock Full O’Nuts, The Greasy Spoon, Starbucks and today, a Dunkin‘ Donuts mixed in with another deli. It’s sort of an odd setup, but when it comes to this particular building, having two businesses crammed into a space that would be suitable for one, seems to make sense.

Mr. Saba has been making pizza for over 20 years and is always quick with a joke or a hello. He took over the deli that did not do well prior to him, even though Dunkin’ Donuts would have a line of people out the door looking to get a coffee. The old deli that was there was extremely cramped and the food was inconsistent, but Mr. Saba has since opened up the a lot of the areas that were blocked off, and then of course, the pizza is damn good. Now there’s a big line waiting for his pizza, as well as for coffee.

“All I’m doing over here is making good food at good prices and I figure that people will respond to that. It’s what I’ve always done and it’s what works,” Mr. Saba said, who I see pretty much every other day during the week to grab a quick slice…or four.

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Car accident, Springs

Here’s Another Example Of Lousy Driving In The Hamptons…

May 26, 2013 by David Rattiner

Well here’s something that you don’t see every day, but in the Hamptons, we see things like this too often…

Today in East Hampton along Abraham’s Path, a driver smashed into electric pole so badly, that the entire thing has been dangling above the road ever since. Police have the entire road blocked off and are directing traffic towards Accabonac Road as a detour.

I don’t think there is any other place in America where drivers get so “wreck”-less over Memorial Day Weekend outside of the Hamptons. Please, for God’s sake, be careful out there while driving and take it easy on the roads.

LIPA is working on the downed pole as of this writing, and the road should be opened up by tomorrow.

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Jimmy Fallon in the Hamptons

Jimmy Fallon in the Hamptons

Jimmy Fallon Sang “Piano Man” Spontaneously at the Old Stove Pub Last Night

May 25, 2013 by David Rattiner

I was out last night having dinner at the Old Stove Pub in Wainscott with my fiance and two other friends, when out of nowhere, I start hearing a group of guys screaming out the lyrics to Piano Man by Billy Joel. The Old Stove Pub has a great piano player who is good at keeping the restaurant entertained, but when I heard the waitress say, “Hey, that’s Jimmy Fallon singing!” I popped up from the table and whipped out my cell phone camera.

Below is a video of Jimmy Fallon in one hell of a good mood, singing and celebrating the first official day of summer. You gotta love it.

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Montauk Pig

Montauk Pig

If You Want To Know The Difference Between The Vibe In East Hampton and Montauk, An Old Pig Who Roams Around Can Give You The Answer.

May 24, 2013 by David Rattiner

An old pig has been spotted roaming in Montauk near the Naturally Good health food store. The pig is very friendly, and has gained the attention of tourists and locals alike in Montauk. When I met the pig, absolutely nobody knew what the story was.

“Is he lost? Should we call somebody?”

“No he just roams around the neighborhood,” said a passerby.

I snapped a photo and wanted to know a little bit more about the pig, and found out that it is owned by Yvonne and Ryan Persan of Montauk, who have the pig as a pet. One woman at Naturally Good told me that, “Sometimes people think that it’s the store’s pig because he likes to stroll by the corner over there.”

“That’s a lot of bacon,” another guy said, which immediately received a few scowls from people.

 

I was amazed at how normal this all seemed. On the East End, there are numerous rules that are enforced in regards to what is allowed and not allowed in town. In East Hampton Village, if this pig showed up ANYWHERE and decided to seek some attention from ANYBODY, I can guarantee you that authorities would show up.

In Montauk, nobody asks, they just say, “Hey look at that pig. He’s so cute.”

I like Montauk.

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When a Jeep Randomly Crashes into a Southampton Storefront, One Can Conclude Summer Drivers are Already Here

May 23, 2013 by David Rattiner

The Hamptons are notorious for having some of the worst drivers on planet earth descend upon it during the summertime. The reason for this is because rich people from Manhattan, who never have any reason to drive a car during the fall, winter or spring, suddenly decide that they are capable of driving tremendously large SUVs or street legal sports cars worth half-a-million dollars, around town with no problems.

I think that yesterday’s head-on crash into Norah’s, right in the middle of Southampton Village, makes this point pretty well. A black Jeep Wrangler Sahara, somehow, at 5:30 p.m. yesterday, rolled over some flower beds in the middle of town and then smashed through the front entrance of the store. Nobody was injured, the driver had no comment.

How in the world do you crash head-on into a store? Like…how does that happen? And it would seem that at least once a year, it happens in the Hamptons. I can remember in 2011 when a car smashed right through the Carvel in Bridgehampton. Who the hell is giving these drivers licenses?

I’m not 100 percent sure yet that the Jeep last night was driven by a citiot, but I’d bet money that it was.

Be careful out there, you Wall Street titans and other masters of the universe, money doesn’t make you an expert behind the wheel.

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sad dog

The Inner Monologue of a Dog in East Hampton Who Misses Playing Fetch at the Beach

May 22, 2013 by David Rattiner

Woke up this morning and had a nice stretch, dogged down some breakfast and then started to read the news, only to find out that it is now illegal for me to run free on the beach at all hours of the day. No wonder my owner was angry this morning. At first I thought it was the stock market crashing but this week’s issue of DOG‘S LIFE says that for the most part, owners are happy as of late.

No dogs at the beach off leashes 24 hours a day in East Hampton? What is this? Nazi Germany? Here I am following all the damn rules while these freaking deer crap everywhere and nobody says anything!

If only I had been born a deer or a piping plover. They get to run free all they want. I’m a persecuted animal these days. I’m ashamed of myself. I have no purpose in life if I can’t chase that tennis ball at the beach. I have to do it. Do they not understand that? It’s who I am. Without that, I’m nothing. I’m just nothing.

Who am I?

If only my owner was a local authority in East Hampton who can get their tickets dismissed, I’d still be able to chase the hell out of that tennis ball on the beach after six o’clock. If only people understood that, if I just retrieve that tennis ball enough times, every question that humanity has ever asked will be answered. I just need to get it one more time and bring it back and everything can be solved. Don’t they realize that?

If only I could get my hands on some of that leftover bacon that is sitting in the microwave…hmmm…bacon…

Wait!…stop thinking about food for one second Bingo and get your head on straight. Have some priorities.

Look at that tennis ball. Mocking me. He knows that the only places he’ll be thrown is in the back yard. And what kind of a game is that? Where’s the challenge? Where’s the glory?

If only I had been born a seagull. I could go through garbage and take craps on people and they would say, “That’s good luck.” Nobody says that I’m good luck anymore. I’m washed up. I’m a nobody. I might as well just sit here and mope about the house and get fat and fart and growl at the television whenever the Discovery Channel gets turned on.

I never thought I’d ever say this, but I envy the cat. I wish I could hate the water as much as he does. That bastard. Where is he? Anywhere? Yea that’s right…he better be hiding.

AM I JUST SUPPOSED TO DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS RULE? If you prick me, do I not bleed? if you tickle me, does my leg not kick repeatedly?!?! Do these local politicians who made this leash law at the beach at all hours of the day have any sense of what it means to be a dog living in America today? Where are my rights? Why do deer have more damn rights than me? I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I HAVE TO CHASE THAT GOD DAMN BALL AT THE BEACH! Why won’t any of the masters go to the town and SAY SOMETHING!!! COMPLAIN LIKE THE OTHER DOG RACISTS COMPLAIN!

Those Goddamn deer. They crap everywhere, nobody cares. But I take one little crap in public and everybody loses their minds. My master always cleans it up. Most others do. Why can’t they just give tickets to the non crapper picker uppers? Why must we all suffer? Why make me a criminal on four legs?

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Letting Your Dog Chase a Tennis Ball at the Beach Is Now a Criminal Offense in East Hampton at All Hours of the Day

May 21, 2013 by David Rattiner

Society changes, and it largely has to do with new rules that are made that people follow. Last week it was made official, you can no longer let your dog run free at the beach in East Hampton when the beach closes down. This means that if you have a lab and like to throw a tennis ball into the ocean and have him retrieve it and bring it back to you during sunset hours in East Hampton, it’s illegal, and you could be ticketed for it.

The new law is insidious in my opinion, because it’s a classic, “You’re allowed to do—insert activity here—just under certain conditions that will continuously get more and more difficult.”

Essentially, all dogs, even if they are the friendliest, sweetest dogs in the world, are to be leashed at all times within 300 feet of the beach in East Hampton and also on the beach. It does not matter what time of day or night it is anymore. Under no circumstances can a dog run free on the beach in East Hampton. You read that correctly, when the beach is closed and it’s eight o’clock at night, you can’t unleash your dog at the beach and let him/her chase a ball or drive a seagull up into the air or jump into the water. I’m repeating it because it is just so stunningly horrible to me.

This is now completely illegal in East Hampton.

Why is this now illegal? Because dogs on the beach during closed hours bother a small minority of people who complained a lot and got village lawmakers to create the law, and the majority of people are not standing up and saying something about it.

I don’t even live in East Hampton anymore, I live in Southampton, but I do know for a fact that East Hampton used to be a dog-friendly town. Since when did being a dog owner suddenly alienate you from society in East Hampton?

Anyway, I guess everybody in East Hampton will just take it and move on. After all, you’re a nice person (of course you are, you are a dog owner) and you just want to get along with everybody and not be confrontational with the people who are making it their mission in life to, step-by-step, to make it practically illegal to own a dog outside of your home.

Maybe I’m going overboard here, but I really don’t think so. A freaking dog should be allowed to run free at the beach when the beach is closed. This is America, goddamn it.

Leave a comment here or contact your town officials and let your voice be heard if you don’t agree with this new rule. Let people know that you’re upset about it, because this isn’t just unfair to the dog owners, it’s unfair to the dogs.

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powerball24n-1-web

How to Spend $600 Million in the Hamptons

May 20, 2013 by David Rattiner

The mysterious Florida Powerball jackpot winner is going to need some help spending all of that money. Luckily, there are some things you can buy in the Hamptons that will at least put a dent in that $600 million payout. For example…

A $75 million home in East Hampton is now for sale near Georgica Beach. The house is listed in East Hampton‘s most prestigious area, with 5.5 acres of land, a boating dock, Georgica Pond frontage and everything else that impresses people.

Not into buying? Well then, how about a rental? For just $500,000 every two weeks, one can rent the infamous “Sandcastle” estate built and owned by Joe Farrell. Last year, Jay-Z shelled out the record amount for two weeks in July, so if you want to rent it year round (26 x $500,000) it will only cost you $13 million. And of course, you can probably get the year round discount.

Still got a few hundred million left gathering interest? Don’t worry, we can keep the spending going. If you’re into golf you could get memberships at Sebonack and The Bridge golf clubs which are rumored to cost $1,000,000 year. That can set you back a little bit.

You can also buy a few airplanes and helicopters to get you around town. Light jets can run you anywhere between $3 million to $8 million and can take five to eight passengers roughly 2,000 miles. Fly that baby into East Hampton airport and then pay off the neighbors who complain about the noise for $1 million per neighbor.

Boats. Out here on the East End, boats are great. I’d go for a nice sailboat since motor boats are bad for the environment. Going green when you’re rich is very in these days. I’ve noticed that a lot of pool houses have solar panels, which, you know, help offset the 20,000,000-square-foot home’s heating bill.

Anyway, Nautor Swan 105 can cost beyond $10 million, not to mention the $1 million a year or so you’ll be spending on the cost of keeping it in pristine condition and keeping a captain and crew fully staffed year round.

And what about autos? Well, there’s always the Bugatti, which is a car that will run you about $2 million. Why not get one for everybody you know?

Of course, you’ve got to give some to charity, and there is no better or more fun way to do it than to donate to charity through the party circuit here in the Hamptons. The Annual Have A Heart Ball and Dan’s Taste of Two Forks are great options, and the giving is limitless, so technically, you can spend it all there.

Note from writer: This was actually a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Anybody out there have some more ideas?

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montaukbrewing

I Tried the Beer at Montauk Brewing Co. and it’s Pretty Damn Good

May 19, 2013 by David Rattiner

I was nervous that I wouldn’t like it, because I knew my local bias was going to want to like the beer at Montauk Brewing Co. But let me tell you, when the fresh, ice-cold, crisp beer hit my lips after a fresh pour from the handmade bar across the street from the Montauk Movie, I was completely impressed. Montauk Brewing Co. is the real deal. The beer is really, really, really good. This ain’t no situation where a bunch of locals are getting charity support for a new business that is just “okay.” This is beer that is going to be sought out from fans all over the world in the next coming years.

The bar offers a tasting room, sort of like a winery. The deal is that you aren’t allowed a full pour of beer due to government regulations, so instead, for $8, you try a small pour of each one of their beers and, if you’d like, you can buy a growler of beer and take it home. It’s fun, it’s relaxing and the beer is good.

Owners Vaughn Cutillo, Joe Sullivan and Eric Moss—all locals and under 30—are now committed to the operation full time and are behind the bar, which sits underneath a painted wooden fence in the shape of an American flag.

Any time you are in Montauk and are looking for something to do, this is definitely high on the list of places to stop. It’s easy going and the beer is remarkably ice cold. “We keep the temperature of the beer almost exactly at freezing,” Joe Sullivan told me. “It’s just how we like it.”

My favorite was the Driftwood Ale, a smooth IPA that the owners are selling to restaurants throughout Montauk, including the popular Harvest on Fort Pond.

“You’re really living the dream,” I said to Joe. ”We’re trying, it’s not easy and a lot of work, but that’s the point, I guess,” he replied.

I highly recommend the beer here. Montauk Brewing Co. is now one of the top reasons I’ll be making trips to Montauk more often this summer.

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