Welcome to Kamp

Bottom fishing, that is fishing with bait and sinker for non-gamefish like porgy and sea bass, gets no respect by some fishermen. Fly fishermen and self-proclaimed lure or light-tackle fishermen (like myself) think that there is no "real" sport in tempting these "dumb" fish with what they normally can find in the water. We put ourselves on a higher pedestal because we target and hopefully catch gamefish like striped bass and bluefish. I bet if you check Amzn, you wouldn't find one book written about porgy fishing.

But I'm glad we went out specifically for these fish--did something that I normally wouldn't do though it is much more kid friendly and friend friendly--you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn. Moreover, sea bass and porgies certainly taste good at the table if not better than my beloved striped bass and the hardest fighting nearshore fish, the blues.

I'm also glad that my brother, D, and I got to "fish" together. Fish is in quotes as the mini Leigh was acting up in Plum Gut of all places. She started out ok--and we were putting together a nice catch of blues, porgies and a bass. At one point, the fish were boiling all around us. And we just looked around, not knowing exactly where to cast. Of course it didn't matter--you cast your lure, start reeling and BAM, fish on within seconds. The blues were big and it would take you a few minutes to land it on a light line. It was great. But then after one drift, the boat would not easily start, which is uber-distracting. As we later learned, I had some water in the gasoline, and he was the voice of reason when we were trying to figure out what to do. It was a good morning of fishing and boating with D. It's something we need to do more often with our dad and common friends.

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Somebody, a friend, said that I should be a charter boat captain. I took that as a compliment. However, while I do enjoy running a boat for a week or two while i"m on holiday, I know that I'm not that good nor that patient. It's one thing fishing with friends or family--it's another with paying customers who might not listen or understand that it's fishing--not catching. Plus, though I like being out on the water, I don't know if fishing would actually pay my bills :) Also, fishing would become work--and we all know, that work is work.

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I'm amazed that my kids are growing up so fast. Two are almost 7 and one is almost 5. Time really does fly--and they've been to so many places on vacation already. Of course, they've been to Montauk, Florida and Chicago a handful of times but there's nothing wrong with that. But I am already looking forward to Montauk next year and I think I'll stay out there for three weeks this time.

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I was somewhat excited to be offline, having rented the only house in the Hamptons without internet access. But when we arrived, the owner was present to show us around and proudly announced that she JUST installed cable tv and wireless internet. I was somewhat depressed. It would have "forced" us to play more, do more things, though I did get some ping pong tips which I used to finally win a game (I was on the losing end the other 90% of the time).

The third part of this vacation started out with a bang. The weather was perfect for most of our initial weekend (Aug 21 and Aug 22), but quickly deteriorated for basically the next three days. While I was sad for M, who just joined us from NYC, my body was actually enjoying the rest. As much as I like waking up before the crack of dawn and being out on the water for as long as I can, Advils are not my elixir after doing this for several days in a row. It's also nice to sit down, actually talk and catch up with friends and family while eating and drinking the night away. While we do tell the same 15 or so stories from the "good ole days," hearing them still brings out the laughs and brings out the love you feel from your friends and family.

Sag Harbor isn't exactly my kind of place. It's too crowded, full of stars (we saw Sigourney Weaver and Darrell Hammond), star gazers, really fancy cars (something way more than the Hampton's average Benz, BMW convertible, or 911), and expensive restaurants. But when the weather isn't cooperating, I admit it's nice to veg out and walk about this quaint town.

It seems kind of odd ordering Thai food in a beach town, errr I mean whaling town. But it's better than fried seafood and these days whaling probably doesn't bring in tourist dollars like Phao, which is pretty good. We put RJD's daughter, A, and our kids, at their own table, and it was cute to see them ordering food like adults. CA fell in love with the naan, and kept ordering it for the kids. We ended up spending $64 on bread (8 orders, though the adults ate 3 ourselves)! I was a tad bit annoyed at them--as I wanted to order a North Fork wine (a rose at that!), and was served a rose which I noticed after 2 glasses was from Italy. They offered to replace or refund the wine, but the server forgot to tell me when we were served. But it was busy and the substitute was fine--so I didn't whine about it.

Ordering burgers too is kind of odd when basically every house has a grill. But when some folks wait 1 hour to eat a burger, as they do at LTBurger, it must be good. They were good but not as good as Shake Shack or Peter Lugers. The fries were awesome and the milkshakes were better than advertised. I think the long wait has something to do with the wait staff--they are just too slow AND have attitude. And we just took out....

While I love hearing the waves crash down upon the beach at the ocean. I also like the bay side beaches. Seeing the sunset over undeveloped areas (Jessups Neck) with the occasional sailboat making her way to port, while your kids skip rocks and find interesting stones and sea shells (actually scallop shells and other mollusks) is nice too.

While the port of Sag Harbor itself is good, the waters around Sag Harbor are really interesting. It's only a short ride to two world class fishing grounds: 14 miles to Plum Glut/Orient Point and 22 miles to Montauk Point. Moreover, there are lots of options for day cruising/cruising, picnicing, clamming, crabbing, tubing, anything water related. There is always a windward side, a lee, something shallow, something deep, some fancy house too see or something pristine and untouched. Just bring your GPS and an updated nautical map as a back up--there are a few dangerous areas. One time (at band camp) I wasn't paying 100% attention and thought I was 1 buoy further and away from the rocks--but luckily, I noticed my error about 1/2 mile away. This was in broad daylight, with no beers in me at dead low tide, so disaster was avoided but that mental lapse could have been costly under different circumstances.

You really do have to be prepared too. The weather can change dramatically and things can fail. Fortunately, the mini Leigh had all the proper gear (finally) and while there is little to do when there is water in your gasoline (other than putt putt about until the water is "passed through", it is good to carry extra fuses, rain gear, back up navigation lights, etc. Nonetheless, I made numerous mistakes:

- I didn't carry the iphone charger which I specifically bought for this trip. It was safe and sound in our Land Rover.
- I didn't bring the engine manual. It was safe and sound in Camp C. Thus, it took me 20 extra minutes to diagnose a blown fuse. Luckily, we were anchored in safe waters and others knew of our whereabouts and situation.
- Another time, I wasn't paying attention to the wave pattern and I stuffed the bow in Plum Gut. Dennis saw what was coming and prepared himself. But I didn't and we took on about 50 gallons of blue water that actually went over our heads. This is actually ok in a Boston Whaler since it doesn't sink--but this could have been really bad in another boat, though the force of the water could knock you out or over (we were wearing our personal floatation devices).

I am sad that our vacation is over. But this phase of it was really more relaxing on the land, and just as educational on the water.

Montauk does not disappoint, especially when you have a great nanny who really is part of our family and unbelievable weather, which really seems like a distant memory here in Sag Harbor (Vacation part 3).

I forgot to mention in Vacation part 1 that my kids are pretty spoiled. Yeah, of course it's largely my fault. But almost every other kid I know loves to go on a boat even if it's slightly uncomfortable, or the opportunity to go fishing. Case in point: on our first day out in Shelter Island, out in Noyack Bay, CA catches 9 good sized porgies which we returned safely since we didn't have a fridge in our hotel. She proceeds to say, "I'm bored of catching porgies. Let's go." After MJ catches his first bluefish, which he totally enjoyed, he didn't want to go anymore! But maybe they are afraid of rough water, which confuses me, as they've been out in similar conditions before and enjoyed the ride.

Oh you can't beat the fishing in Montauk, even in August which is a totally underrated month. Not to bore you but I went out one time (at band camp) and kept 9 sea bass, 6 porgies, and a fluke, releasing many more. Another time, I jigged up all the blues you wanted, but kept 1 to make 10 quarts of homemade spaghetti sauce. Another time, MJ and I banged the bass. While I caught a 31 pound fish, the highlight was MJ catching his first, a 31 inch bass. Then the next morning Nico and I caught some nice fluke, including a 6lb and 4lb.

But what is also underrated is Montauk's beauty. Since I was alone for one day, after fishing of course, I decided to visit places I've only read about, places that require a good 1-2 mile hike from a parking lot, places where you need a Land Rover, places you need Korkers. I wished the iphone had a wide angle lens or was water proof. Maybe that will happen in version 6--we need reception more now.

Our hotel wasn't luxurious, but it was good enough for the kids to walk around safely though it was on a busy street, walking distance to the boat, an ice cream shop, and a decent bar in Salivar's. Plus, it had a putt putt course and a jungle gym for the kids, and a full sized fridge, which stored all the fish I caught and fish-heads I saved for my parents and aunts and uncles. (We're so filipino!)

My Montauk diet was horrible: a few cups of coffee to go along with Montauk Bake Shoppe jelly croissants and donuts, diet cokes and chips while on the water as I rarely eat something real while on a boat. But at least dinners are filling and fairly priced for a beach town.

I love Montauk and though I've been there three separate times this vacation, I already miss it. BTW, the house that M and I like (as in like to remodel) is still for sale--so the next trip to the End might be pretty soon.

Last weekend, I finally was able to return to Shelter Island. My last visit, which was also a weekend, was about 16 years ago and I don't remember that much as I was helping a friend move his new to him sailboat from the Island to his home in Oyster Bay.

But let me get this out of the way--I love Shelter Island and the Pridwin hotel. It's my kind of place though and run by really nice people and staff, who didn't know me from Adam but welcomed us with open arms from the second we landed there. Their restaurant is excellent and they catch their own fish for the daily specials. I had the wahoo--and it was tasty. They feature locally grown veggies and North Fork wines, which are also good. I had fun on land and on the water, though less than I would have imagined.

Shelter Island is family friendly--but it's not the kind of place where you will have lots of entertainment waiting for you and your wallet. There are no posh strip malls selling faux art like they have in East Hampton, no mini golf places, retro movie theaters, McMansion developments, and sigh, ice cream shoppes. The main part of town has less than 10 stores. BTW, this isn't indicative of what I like in a beach town. The point is there are trees and scrub. It's really stepping back in time. OK, so the place is a bit like Shelter Island's version of Kellermans (of Dirty Dancing) but without the dirty dancing though that may occur in the staff's huts.

While I love the waters surrounding Shelter Island, it's dangerous even in a fairly protected area like Crescent Beach. The current just rips. Oh, you can always find a lee. But you still got to get to where you're going and then get home. The mini Leigh is not the best boat for my family. It's too small and wet and while my kids will love it years from now, I have wait about decade for that to happen... Weird things always happen to mini Leigh when she's out in the Eastern part of Long Island. She's reliable otherwise in the Hudson. But when she's out of her element, she's running funny (idling too low). Maybe she's telling me something too.

Trailering a boat around is not fun on Shelter Island however. Since everyone has bigger boats and moorings there are not that many good ramps on the island. But I found the narrowest one--backing into that one took about 20 minutes. And I also found the sandiest one, which almost got the Land Rover stuck. It was low tide and that didn't help matters. But after 20 minutes of strategic maneuvering and digging, we got out.

We just completed our first experience at the Audi Club at the new Yankee Stadium and I have mixed emotions about it. I think that the food is very well done for stadium food which is ironic that I enjoyed an all you can eat buffet. I've actually grown to hate (I hate using that word but that's so appropriate here) them because of numerous Christmas parties I've attended there.

But it's pretty devoid of atmosphere. The sound proof glass ensures that. Oh, you stay cool on hot days like today, though it was so hot and gross that I was still sweating when they A/C was turned down. But I like hearing the crack of the bat, hearing and jeering the players, ordering a bag of peanuts and having them hurled 50 feet to me, chanting "Hip Hip Jorge!", screaming "Hey ump, open your eyes!" and singing "Take me out to the ball game."

Thankfully, it's not a stuffy place full of corporate types (like me sometimes), though today's late starting day game might not have been the best day to judge this. But it's a surreal experience nonetheless. I really don't like listening to Michael Kay, who they pipe into the Club. I actually would prefer to hear John Sterling and Susan Waldman though I know they have their detractors too.

The Audi Club IMHO, would be a good place to be if you're guest isn't THAT into baseball. You can actually be "free to move around the cabin." (That was funny by Pastor J!) It would be a decent first date place: $65 per person for decent food food in NYC is an ok deal, though alcoholic drinks are extra. Just make sure not to down too much yourself or comment on her third plate of food.

However, I don't know if the bathrooms are soo good that I'd call up my buddy while urinating and tell him "You gotta see the bathrooms--they're incredible!" Yes that really happened today! And no, I didn't glance over to look at him with my "WTF is wrong with you look." But everyone was laughing after that which was pretty surreal too actually.

Drinks there are actually reasonable for Yankee Stadium--17 oz Blue Moons with an orange slice for $8. One time (at band camp) I paid $16 for margaritas at the Jim Beam Club which weren't worth it.

As for the food let me quickly say that:

- the sushi isn't Blue Ribbon but it's pretty good. I bypassed the rice and went right to the sashimi.
- the chicken sliders were good with the BBQ sauce but the BLT sliders were milquetoast. You can't just make sandwiches smaller and call them sliders. You still need decent ingredients. The bacon is perfect for college-cafeteria and the cheese is too.
- roasted lamb was good, not gamey, and while I wouldn't serve horseradish or mustard based sauces with it (they must have run out of prime rib!), they were properly made.
- onion rings were good and made better by the jalapeno aioli dipping sauce.
- sweet potato fries were also decent and crisp on the outside. They were hot--this is in reference to the many times I've eating cold fries at the 2nd Yankee Stadium. (I refer to the one just torn down as the 2nd, since the original one was refurbished in 74-75 I believe).
- the funnel cake was a bit stale. The toppings which included ice cream, fresh cream and berries were fine.

The club also some traditional ball park fare including hot dogs and popcorn. So if you feel bad for the Yankees and want them to make more money off you, by all means eat this stuff.

The service is pretty good, though I've heard others complain about it being slow. But I did tip $20 in the first round--hoping my bribe would work. It did. The hostess let me have a $10 program afterwards.

I left the game stuffed--but not entirely satisfied. The game was actually pretty good though the wrong team won. I don't know if I'd pay $140 again for each ticket--but if you could get them on stubhub for about $80-100 each, that might be ok on a hot humid night or freezing cold one.

Though this day's been marked on our schedule for many months now, it just occurred to me that a lot of ppl in our lives are moving TODAY:

1) Nico's school friend, C. Oh, he's just moving to another part of Westchester, but we've known his parents since our kids were in pre-K.
2) our old nanny, J, A, a toddler, and her husband, N, who for a white dude, speaks better Korean than lots of Koreans I know.
3) Pastor Ed.

Ironically, the last two are going in opposite directions today from Kentucky to NY, though J's family is just passing through, with their trip originating from Alabama and ending in Maine.

This made me thing this morning of how traumatic moving could be for people. While I've moved about, none were every really crushing to me personally. OK, I know my parents might say otherwise but looking back many years and sometimes decades later, it wasn't. I guess what I'm saying it wasn't because one of us lost a job and HAD to move. On the contrary, it was about the future, taking advantage of opportunities presented. I admit that I didn't thank God back then about these opportunities. But thank you Lord for protecting us and being my provider.

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Though I should be "used" to it by now, it's still strange to me that a Pastor leaves. The Catholic boy in me is used to having someone stay and guide us every Sunday for decades. In fact, I can't think of any priests that I've known that's moved from our church or college. I know our church, and many churches are set up differently and better than the Catholic church.

This isn't a slight to PK or E--really it isn't. But still, there is something nice about being able to lean upon someone you've known for a long time--like a friend, like a security blanket. I always knew where to find Father Hanrahan in college. Yeah, it helped that he lived next door :) But we knew when and where his classes were, where his office was etc. And he was always there for not just me but for everyone that needed him.

(And despite what I just said, I do think/ did think that it was time for a change on both sides. )

Though I have fond childhood memories of the Jersey shore with my family especially when we're on the water, I have come to love Montauk and the North Fork. I really do. I am so happy out there--my family loves it out there. I want to live there if I could.

As a result, I actually believe that the Barnegate Bay fishing Gods have put some kind of hex on me. Last summer, we didn't fare so well fish wise or sailing wise. In December, when GMan's boat, the Yee Robin, was still in the water, we failed to get off the dock. The steering pump failed and I felt responsible somehow. And last weekend, I kind of did not expect much fish. It was warm--Singapore like warm--and that leads to the summer doldrums. Gman's bait was terrible, and the internet reports were just as rancid. So perhaps it serves me right that 12 hours of fishing resulted in "only" a few highlights.

Maybe one was that realizing that I do enjoy teaching my friends about the water. There really is much to learn--and my kids are almost there. They like the boat and the water, but they don't quite LOVE it like D, my friend's son who is just about 2 years older. That makes me want to fast forward to the future. We covered a handful of boating and fishing topics that I hope stay with him. This is not to say I know EVERYthing about the water, about boating--on the contrary. I know my limitations though I am always seeing what I can do to extend my boundaries.

My boys already know that small or undersized fish ain't allowed in our boats. They know about my uncle, the one who kept an undersized lobster, got fined $2,500, got his boat impounded, had to go to court, and heard him and my aunt say that it wasn't worth it. That's a lot of lobsters! They've heard this story 1000x already. D heard about this but something didn't register and I was, we were all somewhat distraught that he wanted to keep undersized fish. We let it go in the end, but still...

An 18 inch fluke is nothing to write home about but when you've NOT caught a legal size fluke in almost 12 years, it's pretty cool. And it was so appropriate that Gman FORGOT his net. Though they don't fight hard, these fish have an uncanny ability to shake a hook. When I saw it surface and realized that it was a good fish, I absolutely was deflated. "There goes dinner." But I swung it over the transom--and by some miracle, it landed in the motor well and didn't glance off the back of the boat. Many hands--there were 3 of us in the back--held that slippery fish down. Dreams of sashimi with a splash of hot sauce were not going to be denied. THANK GOD, we were in Joizeee. The fish was 18 inches on the dot--it was measured at least three times. This would have been 2.5 inches too short in New York. It was delish. But the so FOB/Asian thing I did afterward was even better. I deep fried the fluke carcass to the point where the bones just turn into a french fry like delicacy. YUM!!!!!!

CA's bluefish was about 6 lbs, equal to about 20% of her weight--a decent sized fish for an adult male. So it wasn't surprising that it took her a while to land it on her own. Her determination and smile were the only things bigger. She caught it on a 1 oz Deadly Dick (yes, that is the name of the lure) on the North Jetty of the Barnegate Inlet which as I've said before is a dangerous spot but one I hope will become a memorable place, a memorable catch for CA.