Flying Point Beach Fire and Sticker Rules in Southampton

Dear Dan: A friend invited me to a bonfire at the beach tonight. It starts at 9 p.m. at a place they call Flying Point. I’m not from this area, so I don’t have a beach sticker. Can I park there? Someone said you can park there without a sticker after certain hours.

Please let me know.

-Concerned.

Dear Concerned:

Thank you for asking this question. It’s true I’ve lived out here for a long, long time so I can give you the skinny about this.

First of all, you’ll need to find out if you’ve been invited to Flying Point Beach 1 or Flying Point Beach 2? The first is where the road makes a 90-degree turn to the east and the second is the dead end at the end of that road further on. One is for residents only, I think, and the second is for everybody, but it may be the other way around. In any case, it matters which is which because in Southampton Village, which resides within Southampton Town, they enforce things strictly and in Southampton Town they are a little looser about such things. At one, you’ll need a sticker 24/7 while at the other — I’m talking town here, you have to drive down to a beach and read the sign because the hours of enforcement are all different.  Sagg Main Beach, which is a bit further to the east, for example, is within the Village of Sagaponack, but the beach itself, along with the parking lot, is owned by Southampton Town and I think the enforcement ends at 6 p.m.

You might ask your friend about that, or about one ocean beach eastward called Pond Lane Beach where you can park whenever you want without a sticker because the ownership of it is in dispute. Unfortunately, when it rains, sometimes the whole road gets flooded waist deep so that might not be a good idea.

Another possibility to ask about is Main Beach in East Hampton Village, where enforcement of all village beach sticker requirements ceases at 7 p.m. So, with the exception of Tuesday nights when they have rock concerts at Main Beach, a beach fire might not be a good idea. Also, nesting piping plover birds — an endangered species — are at Main Beach and the area is often roped off between April and late July because it’s a felony to disturb their nests. But the birds are probably gone by now. I did call the village about this but the clerk I spoke to on your behalf was not certain if the plovers are gone or not. Just go down and see, she said.

Another factor your friend might not know about is the requirement that all beach fires be contained in giant metal pots to keep them from spreading, and both the pots and the logs must be extinguished at the end of the night and removed.

I know this is the case in East Hampton Town, but I’m not sure if it’s an East Hampton Town ordinance or it’s Suffolk County or New York State law so the rule is for all beaches.

Another rule to keep in mind is that dogs are not allowed on the beach during the day at some of them, but into the evening at others. If the rule is in force at the particular beach where your fire is, you can get a pricey ticket for bringing a dog to the beach fire.

There’s usually less enforcement and more lenient hours at bay beaches rather than ocean beaches after sundown, so that’s another thing to keep in mind. Bay beaches to consider are Albert’s LandingBeach and Little Albert’s Landing Beach facing out on Gardiners Bay in East Hampton. Or in Sag Harbor, Havens Beach which years ago was reserved for an African American settlement nearby. Another Sag Harbor Bay beach is Long Beach, although I believe the jurisdiction is Southampton Town, not Sag Harbor Village. But the downside is that giant osprey birds nest atop telephone poles and they can be pretty nasty when disturbed, which happens when there are babies in the nest.

Also at a particular bay beach in Southampton, you might tell your friend to be aware that the Shinnecock Indian Nation has filed papers claiming that the beach is their property and not to be reckoned with, although I don’t remember if this property is on Shinnecock Bay or Peconic Bay.

Another property situation is that half of Sag Harbor Village is in Southampton and the other half is in East Hampton, although that won’t affect anything.

In addition to all this there are numerous bay beaches owned by the county that require stickers — for a reasonable price for county residents — while noncount residents pay more. Also, there is a campground in a county park in East Hampton where you can go to a  bay beach, but they only sell parking stickers or overnight stickers during the months from January to April. And there is one part of it that’s been leased to a private company that offers glamping rather than camping, but it costs much more.

Then there is Hither Hills Beach, a state beach on the ocean in Montauk for overnight stays in a tent, and there’s another stretch of state beach in nearby Napeague where you can actually drive on the beach, but only if you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, show a fishing rod, and intend to surfcast. And again, it’s January to April to get that.

In any case, you’ll need to get to one of these beaches from wherever it is you are staying, and it’s usually necessary to use Google Maps or Waze on your cell phone, except you will need a physical road map of the Hamptons for times when traffic is so bad that phone service is compromised and you’ll have no way of knowing anything.

Except, I am told, there is this new service this summer called RockSack that can help.   Before you start out, you visit one of their stores in the Hamptons where, after telling the management where you are staying and where you wish to go, will send a team of motorcyclists out ahead of time to place large colorful rocks by the side of intersections to show you where to turn to get to your destination. The rocks are each painted with an arrow that is the color of your choice when you first sign up.

I do hope you have a wonderful time tonight. Any other questions, don’t hesitate to write.

Dan Rattiner