In the latest forecast, Hurricane Jose could affect the Northeast coast on Tuesday, coming perilously close to Montauk and the Hamptons, as well and Nantucket by Wednesday morning.

The National Hurricane Center said that the center of the Category 1 storm would pass well east of North Carolina early next week with tropical storm-force winds.

"Farther north along the U.S. East Coast, the chance of some direct impacts from Jose is increasing, but it is too soon to determine their exact magnitude and location," David Zelinsky, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said in forecast discussion issued on early Saturday morning.

Hurricane Jose path models show it turning to the north on Saturday and growing larger. Large ocean swells from the storm were already affecting eastern Long Island with higher waves affecting Bermuda, the Bahamas, the northern coasts of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, and the Southeast U.S. Dangerous surf conditions are expected along the mid-Atlantic, Long Island, and New England coast over the next few days.

The hurricane center said that people from North Carolina to New England should monitor the progress of Jose through the weekend.

Mr. Zelinsky said that Hurricane Jose's actual path could vary from the current predictions by as much as 175 miles on Wednesday. With the storm expected to be close to eastern Long Island by that point, just how much wind and rain can be expected is difficult to pin down. The National Weather Service expects tropical storm conditions in Montauk beginning late Tuesday.

Hurricane Jose is not expected to become a substantially more powerful storm, with sustained winds topping out at 85 miles per hour. Hurricane Irma, which devastated parts of the Caribbean and Florida last week, had winds in excess of 155 miles per hour and higher gusts.

Hurricane Bob, which skirted eastern Long Island in August 1991, had maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, making it a Category 2 storm.

Tropical storm conditions are expected on Long Island on Wednesday, but the likelihood of a direct hit from the Category 1 Hurricane Jose remains low, the National Hurricane Center said in a Saturday forecast discussion.

With three tropical weather systems churning in the Atlantic, people along the Northeast shoreline were able to relax a little after forecasters said the expected path that Hurricane Jose would take would be farther from the United States mainland than initially thought.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said that Jose continued to pack 80-mile-per-hour winds on Sunday and that little strengthening was anticipated.

Weather conditions for eastern Long Island were still expected to worsen by Tuesday. Forecasters at the National Weather Service said that tropical storm conditions were likely on Tuesday, with rain and wind from the northeast up to 33 miles per hour.

A high-surf advisory was in effect for Long Island's ocean beaches. Building swells could lead to some dune erosion, localized washovers, and dangerous rip currents through the middle of the week, the weather service said.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center was tracking two other systems.

Tropical Storm Maria was expected to become a hurricane early Monday and threaten some of the Caribbean islands that were devastated by Hurricane Irma. Hurricane watches were issued for Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Saba and St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, and Anguilla. The powerful storm's projected path included landfall in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic by the end of next week.

Tropical Storm Lee, farther out in the Atlantic, was not expected to strengthen significantly or pose a threat to land.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for all of Long Island with heavy rain and wind expected, especially on the East End, as Hurricane Jose passes east of Montauk late Tuesday night into Wednesday. 

While Long Island should avoid a direct hit, the storm's large size will bring tropical storm force winds, coastal flooding, and heavy rainfall. Currently a category one hurricane, Jose is expected to weaken as it passes approximately 75 to 125 miles south-southeast of Montauk Point.

Still, the eastern end of Long Island and southeast Connecticut are expected to experience the brunt of the storm. Winds are forecast to be 39 to 73 miles per hour, and scattered power outages and tree damage are possible. The storm could bring 2 to 4 inches of rain. If the hurricane maintains its current track, tropical storm conditions could begin on the South Fork as early as 2 a.m. on Tuesday, but more likely after 2 on Tuesday afternoon.

A coastal flood watch is in effect through Wednesday. With a new moon on Monday, tides are running high. Minor coastal flooding is likely, with moderate flooding in areas along the ocean and Peconic and Gardiner's Bays.

If Hurricane Jose moves farther east or weakens, impacts on the East End could be mild. However, if the storm shifts west, the East End could see heavier rains, stronger winds, and more coastal flooding.

A high surf advisory is in effect ,with waves 5 to 8 feet on Monday, increasing to 8 to 14 feet on Tuesday. Due to dangerous rip currents, Southampton Village beaches have been closed since Saturday night, after a man drowned in the surf.

Marine enforcement officers from the State Department of Environmental Conservation, on patrol in Montauk Harbor on Aug. 31, saw what they estimated was hundreds of pounds of fish being thrown overboard from a Montauk party boat and wound up ticketing eight people, including the boat's captain, Keith Williams.

According to a D.E.C. spokeswoman, the officers approached the 75-foot Fin Chaser, based on Star Island, and ordered the anglers to stop what they were doing. Their orders were ignored, she said.

The party boat's customers were cited for possessing too many black sea bass and porgies, undersized black sea bass and summer flounder, and for failure to stop dumping upon command.

Mr. Williams issued a violation for an incomplete trip report. Seven other violations, each carrying a penalty of up to $250, were issued, as well as a misdemeanor charge of failure to stop dumping upon command, for which the penalty is up to $1,000 and imprisonment of up to one year.

Environmental conservation law does not hold the owner or captain responsible for the actions of anglers on his vessel, the D.E.C. spokeswoman said, unless officers witness them assisting with or taking responsibility for what is occurring.

Details about what occurred on Aug. 31 were made public on Sept. 5 on Capt. Gene Kelly's website Montauksportfishing.com. In one of his weekly reports, he wrote that D.E.C. officers boarded the boat and began inspecting the anglers' coolers, finding that the first contained 96 black sea bass, "which is 93 over the legal limit."

While there is no overall catch limit for party boats, recreational anglers are subject to daily catch limits. At the time, the maximum was 3 sea bass, 3 fluke, and 45 porgies. (The limit rose from 3 to 8 on Sept. 1 and will rise again, to 10, from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, according to the D.E.C.)

"As they continued the inspection on the starboard side, there was a massive fish kill on the port side, with dead sea bass floating all over the place," Captain Kelly wrote, with "anglers who had not caught anything on the trip filing off" the boat. Additional officers were called to help recover fish from the water, according to the spokeswoman.

"After the dust cleared," Capt. Kelly wrote, "there were over a dozen coolers left with no owners," which held more than 1,000 sea bass.

The spokeswoman said 17 coolers went unclaimed. "Abandoned or dumped fish cannot be pinpointed to an individual and therefore we cannot estimate how many fish were over the limit," she said, adding that the fish that could be saved were donated to a Long Island charity.

In an email on Tuesday, Capt. Kelly said many anglers who fish for porgies take them home and sell them. With a bag limit of 45 per angler, "What would you do with that many porgies, except maybe sell them? Then when you catch a bunch of sea bass you will probably keep all you can because you know you can sell them." Party boat captains, he said, "would probably lose a lot of business if the clients thought they couldn't sell the fish."

Reached by telephone on Tuesday afternoon, Captain Williams said he wanted to view the account on montauksportfishing.com before commenting.

Those ticketed were given an October date in East Hampton Town Justice Court.

I’m pretty good when it comes to opening a bay scallop. I have probably opened well over 500 bushels over the course of 50 years. As such, I have to admit I’m pretty quick with my white, blunt-end Dexter scallop knife. When it comes to oysters, it’s a totally different story, as my pace is significantly slower. Unlike scallops, oysters are tricky little creatures, as each one is never completely alike in shape and size. I’ve even had to make two trips to the hospital to get stitched up after losing a battle between my left hand and an oyster knife while wrestling with an overly stubborn bivalve. I’ve also had many more close calls. 

As for the hard-shell clam, I’m more in my realm and comfort zone. While I will never achieve the natural dexterity and pace I’ve honed over the decades by opening a scallop, I believe I can hold my own among a number of folks when shucking our popular local quahog.

It was with that thought in mind that I decided to enter the clam-shucking contest at Harborfest in Sag Harbor last weekend. Saturday was a nearly perfect day with some strong hints of fall showing in the air. A cool, northerly breeze blew in off Shelter Island Sound as I signed up and paid my $10 entry fee at the windmill on Long Wharf for the 4:30 p.m. event. 

But there was a major problem at the shucking table behind the Sag Harbor Food Pantry stand. I was the only contestant who had entered. The contest was rescheduled for the same time on Sunday. This was truly a very anti-clam-atic turn of events. Crestfallen by the delay and solemnly standing with my very clean, yet lonely clam knife in my hand, I walked over a few feet and got in the long line for a tasting of the Montauk Brewing Company’s latest beer. 

Seems like the throngs of people clearly had a stronger thirst for the suds than a desire to taste some clams. But I admit that the icy cold beer did help soothe my disappointment.

Arriving back at the table on Sunday afternoon, it was a welcome sight to see that six people had entered the contest. Game on. The rules are pretty simple. Each contestant receives 12 chilled clams and has five minutes to open them “restaurant-style” — meaning that the inner meat cannot be sliced in half and must remain whole and free from its bottom shell. Clam knife at the ready, it was time to shuck away. 

Fumbling away with my first clam, which proved to be unusually difficult to open because it had literally clammed up, I noticed from a quick glance to my peers that I was already behind the pace. Within 30 seconds, it was game over for me. The first person to finish, well under the five-minute deadline by the way, was Peter Ambrose, a local caterer and veteran clam shucker who has won the contest several times in the past. Ambrose wears the crown as the Mickey Mantle of clam openers in my book. 

Despite my rather poor showing that afternoon, I did pry open my dozen clams (one of them was actually an empty dud), and had the pleasure of downing every one of them. Cold and briny, the clams matched well with the local beer on a beautiful, late summer afternoon.

Away from the shucking table, those fishing ocean skimmer clams for bait continue to reap a solid catch of black sea bass and porgies in Block Island Sound. As a reminder, while recreational anglers can retain 30 porgies over 10 inches, those fishing on party and charter boats can keep 45 fish through Oct. 31. However, as of last Wednesday, commercial fishermen saw their daily trip limit reduced to just 70 pounds of the abundant, silver-sided fish. The bad news for the commercial fleet started with the closure of the fluke fishery on Sept. 1. 

This combination of actions by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was a strong one-two economic punch to the stomach for sure. 

Much farther away from the porgy grounds, the action offshore has perked up of late for many anglers. “The canyons are coming alive,” said Capt. Steven Forsberg Sr. of the Viking Fleet. Forsberg took the Viking Five Star on a 48-hour trip to the distant canyons over the weekend and was enthused by the catch, which included a load of large yellowfin and bluefin tuna, a large swordfish, and a bunch of colorful and tasty mahi-mahi. 

Closer to shore, despite a long-period swell that lasted for several days, fluke fishing continues to remain strong in Montauk, with a good number of fish over 10 pounds landed as the season nears its conclusion next Thursday. Most of the action is now focused in the deeper waters on the south side of Montauk off the radar tower. Large strips of squid or fluke belly have been the popular bait of choice for those hoping to land a large, late-season flattie. 

Over at the Tackle Shop in Amagansett, Harvey Bennett was enthused by a win by his beloved Oakland Raiders on Sunday and by the excellent false albacore action taking place around Gardiner’s Island. “The fish are everywhere, but the best action has been near the Ruins and on the east side of the island,” he said. Bennett said blowfish can still be had in Three Mile Harbor, while bass and blues can be picked up near Gurney’s and White Sands on the ocean-side beaches. 

“The action on false albacore has been really good, especially at Shinnecock Inlet,” said Ken Morse of Tight Lines Bait and Tackle in Sag Harbor. “Any small metal lure will suffice, but make sure you fish it with a very thin leader.” Albies, as they are commonly called, have keen eyesight and shun lures fished with a thick leader. Morse added that bluefish can be taken on diamond jigs on the incoming tide at Jessup’s Neck, while porgies, weakfish, and blowfish can still be had from Noyac Bay to Cedar Point. Those focused on blue-claw crabs continue to experience excellent catches as well.   

“More and more guys are heading north into the Peconics to escape the robin invasion in Shinnecock,” said Scott Jeffrey of East End Bait and Tackle in Hampton Bays. “There they have found porgies, weakfish, blowfish, blues, and even a few fluke. Shore-bound anglers at the Shinnecock Canal continue to get a mixed bag of action, including snappers, porgies, and blowfish.

We welcome your fishing tips, observations, and photographs at [email protected]. You can find the “On the Water” column on Twitter at @ehstarfishing.

More than a week after Hurricane Irma barreled across St. John in the United States Virgin Islands, where many have close ties to the South Fork, people from here who have houses there, or who live there and were evacuated, are unsure when or if they will be able to return to the storm-ravaged island. And they are hardly alone. The powerful storm, among the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic, left a wide swath of destruction stretching all the way from the eastern Caribbean to mainland Florida.

“It looks like a post-apocalyptic wasteland,” Kim Nalepinski said of her community of Coral Bay on St. John. 

She was already set to fly north to visit her parents in East Hampton last Thursday, but as forecasts for Irma worsened, with expected landfall on St. John on Sept. 6, her boyfriend and her parents urged her to leave early and to take her dog, Banksy, with her. She did, arriving on Sept. 3 with the dog, a suitcase, and her iPad. “We didn’t know it was going to be a 5 plus, plus,” she said Monday while walking her dog at the town dock on Three Mile Harbor. “They turned it into a ‘plus, plus’; that doesn’t even exist.” 

After Irma hit the island as a strong Category 5 hurricane, it was a full day before Ms. Nalepinski got word that her boyfriend, Erich Eyler, was safe. The next day, he left her a voicemail: “Your apartment is destroyed. Your car is totaled. Coral Bay is ruined, and there’s nothing left.” His 40-foot sailboat had sunk, too. 

George and Terry Watson of Montauk, who have a house in Coral Bay, were much luckier, Mr. Watson said Tuesday. The house was unscathed, apart from some water damage. “That is nothing compared to some of the devastation,” he said. “I was ready for the worst. . . . We dodged a big bullet.” Ron and Sally Glogg, friends in Montauk who also have a place in Coral Bay, “were lucky too,” Mr. Watson said. 

“Coral Bay just had these tornadoes,” Ms. Nalepinski said, relating how the storm affected her part of the island. One house would be fine, and the one next door would be destroyed. 

Coral Bay is on the more remote east end of St. John, and its character is “a lot like our East End,” Ms. Nalepinski said. “A lot of people from Montauk have property there. . . . People feel connected to there; it’s like Rincon,” in Puerto Rico, where many Montaukers spend winters. 

Communication from St. John remains limited. News of all three tiny U.S. Virgin Islands has been hard to come by in mainstream media outlets, but islanders and their friends in the States have put together their own networks to share information about the damage, what sort of help has arrived, and what may be needed in the coming days, weeks, and months. St. Thomas, the closest to St. John, was also shattered; St. Croix, 40 miles to the south, was largely spared. 

By Monday, Ms. Nalepinski had heard that the National Guard had arrived and that private boats from Puerto Rico and St. Croix were taking supplies and offering to evacuate islanders who wanted to leave. 

“Every day, everyone goes to the ball field to see what’s next, to trade information, and to stand on line to use a satellite phone,” she said. A curfew was in effect on St. John from 6 p.m. to noon, and word was that a cruise liner was headed there with more supplies and more spots for those who wanted to leave. While St. John — at just 28 square miles, much of it National Park land — may not yet be the focus of intense relief efforts, “so many people are mobilizing money and support and planes,” Ms. Nalepinski said. 

Her own future is uncertain, but she is more concerned with the fate of the community she has called home for the past seven years. She has suggested St. John Rescue, an all-volunteer nonprofit that provides emergency rescue and medical support services, for contributions. It has set up a gofundme page for donations.

Although St. John Rescue reported Sunday that contributions had “helped us secure private jets, high-tech medical and rescue equipment, a K-9 rescue team, and the volunteer services of dozens of highly trained medical professionals,” it also said that “unfortunately, the need is greater than anyone anticipated. Many St. Johnians remain missing. Homes and businesses have been destroyed, public infrastructure decimated. Nearly every wooden structure has suffered severe damage,” and the island is in “desperate need of food, water purification, fuel, generators, medical supplies, and clothing.” 

Here on the South Fork, people like the Watsons, whose property fared well, are still not sure when they will get there to assess the situation. “I’ve heard all the power lines are down,” Mr. Watson said Tuesday. “I can’t go down there until they get power.” 

Ms. Nalepinski is in East Hampton indefinitely, with nowhere on St. John to live, her possessions destroyed with her apartment, and no word yet whether her job with a veterinary facility will even be there when she returns. Still, she is doing what she can from here to draw attention and help to her island community.

“The vibe is to rebuild,” she said.

East Hampton Airport, and the town board’s effort to win Federal Aviation Administration approval for a curfew or other restrictions that would limit aircraft noise, will be the focus of a series of meetings early next week.

At Town Hall on Tuesday, at a 10 a.m. town board work session, Bill O’Connor, an attorney, will brief the board on federal regulations covering local regulation of airports. 

Mr. O’Connor, whose firm, Morrison Foerster, has been hired to assist the town, will give an overview of the Airport Noise Capacity Act and the F.A.A. procedure, called a Part 161 process, that the town will pursue. He will review the components of the process, the timeline, and the associated costs.

The town board opted to initiate the Part 161 application after a court struck down its airport curfews and limits on noisy planes.

Also on Tuesday, Mary Ellen Eagan of Harris Miller Miller and Hanson, a firm that has been collecting data on East Hampton Airport traffic and noise complaints, will present its findings covering the period January through July of this year, including a comparison with data from previous years.

On Monday, the town board and its consultants will meet with different airport-related groups to discuss the Part 161 process and related issues. Meetings will be held with the airport management advisory committee, Montauk United, Quiet Skies Coalition, the East Hampton Aviation Association, and Say No to KHTO, as well as with members of the press.

East Hampton Town’s chief harbormaster, Ed Michels, was both master of ceremonies and the star of a brief Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee meeting Monday night, bringing the committee up to date on the activities of the town’s Marine Patrol, a division of the Police Department.

Members were surprised to learn that Marine Patrol, working with the East End Marine Task Force on Long Island Sound, has been carrying radiation detectors. “If you come into the Sound with weapons or terrorist operations, we will get you,” Mr. Michels said. “If you come in with radioactive isotopes, we’ll get you.” In an Aug. 19 test, he said, the task force had successfully located three hidden radioactive devices. 

On a lighter note, he reported that beach fires were less of a problem this summer than last year, with between 150 and 200 summonses issued for fires built outside metal containers. “That’s way down from the year before,” Mr. Michels said, “but you can’t stop them 100 percent, and you can’t be everywhere at once,” especially after Labor Day, when just one person patrols the beaches, down from 16 or 17 in season. Amagansett’s Atlantic and Indian Wells beaches were “hot spots,” he said with a smile, though “not as crazy” as before.  

The summonses used to be largely ignored by out-of-town visitors, Mr. Michels said, noting that most people have no idea that tearing up a summons can bring serious consequences. “One guy blew off his dog ticket. He got picked up in Hempstead” on a traffic infraction, he said, and spent a night in jail after police found the open East Hampton citation. 

Fines for infractions like unlicensed dogs start at $150, double if unpaid in a month, and keep going up from there, “so it’s in your best interest to pay immediately.” On the bright side, summonses can now be paid by mail, and since that became possible “compliance has been 90 percent.”  

There were seven arrests this season for boating while intoxicated, the harbormaster reported. “On Three Mile Harbor, we had a guy who jumped overboard” when Marine Patrol approached. “We get some really good moments out there, especially in Montauk.” Sometimes, he said, “you get into Montauk middle of the night, it looks like Montauk’s on fire. But if I get into an argument, it’s usually with locals, not the people from away.”

At its next meeting in October, the advisory committee will again discuss stop signs, particularly the idea of having one installed at the busy four-way Atlantic Avenue-Bluff Road intersection.

The nascent effort to mitigate the degraded condition of Long Island’s waterways got a boost last week when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced a $10.4 million shellfish restoration initiative that is also intended to bolster coastal resiliency. 

In the Sept. 6 announcement, the governor unveiled details of the plan, in which $7.25 million will be invested in public hatcheries across Long Island and the remainder in obtaining adult shellfish. Under the plan, the State Department of Environmental Conservation will establish a user-friendly website, hotline, and ombudsman to streamline the permitting processes for shellfish cultivation. 

Groundwater runoff and aging septic tanks are blamed for an overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorus in water bodies on the South Fork, which promote harmful algal blooms that have sharply reduced shellfish populations and habitat. The absence of shellfish results in further decline of water quality. 

Oysters and clams filter water naturally, with oysters able to filter as many as 50 gallons per day, hard clams about half that amount. Restoring native, self-sustaining shellfish populations will also add resilience to coastlines, according to the New York League of Conservation Voters, which cites studies demonstrating that oyster reefs can help with wave attenuation and stabilization of shoreline sediments. 

Five new sanctuary sites, including Shinnecock Bay, will be established in Suffolk and Nassau Counties to transplant seeded clams and oysters and expand public shellfish hatcheries through a grant program. Cornell Cooperative Extension and Stony Brook University will manage the sites in partnership with municipalities and volunteer organizations. 

Up to 179 million shellfish will be seeded over the next two years, enough to filter the water at the respective sites every three days. Shellfish will include a mix of adult and juvenile clams and oysters. The sites will be monitored to assess survival, growth, and reproduction in order to gauge the effort’s success and guide future seeding. 

Cornell Cooperative Extension will receive $5.25 million over two years to expand its public shellfish hatchery and plant shellfish at the sanctuary sites. A $2 million grant program will help build or expand public shellfish hatcheries. Discussions with the Towns of East Hampton, Southampton, Brookhaven, Hempstead, and Islip, and with the Shinnecock Nation, are underway, according to a release from Governor Cuomo’s office. 

The sanctuary sites were chosen in areas closed to shellfishing and that have marginal water quality, said Chris Pickerell, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s marine program director. “In other words, these areas have poor water quality, but not so poor that they will not support shellfish. The hope is that by introducing enough shellfish in high enough concentrations, we can jump-start the natural repopulation process while having a meaningful impact on water quality that should help to limit harmful algae blooms.”

Cornell Cooperative Extension will provide the program’s seed oysters and clams, Mr. Pickerell said, which will be produced at its hatchery at Cedar Beach in Southold. Part of the funding from the state will be directed to capital improvements to the hatchery to increase its production capacity, with additional funding allocated to hiring staff dedicated to the program. 

It is hoped that the first batch of oysters will be distributed next summer, with clams to follow in November 2018, Mr. Pickerell said. 

To achieve shellfish in the numbers and size needed for the restoration effort, clams will be raised in floating upweller system nurseries, known as FLUPSYs. A FLUPSY is a raft in which nutrient-rich water is circulated through compartments holding juvenile shellfish. 

“We expect to have as many as 41 FLUPSYs during 2018 and up to 70 in 2019,” Mr. Pickerell said, each able to hold around a million clams. “The plan is to get the young clams in these systems as early as possible and at a fairly large size so that we will be able to produce larger clams.”

At least one owner of a South Fork marina has expressed an interest in hosting a FLUPSY, Mr. Pickerell said. “We look forward to networking with anyone who wants to work with us on this effort,” he said. He hopes to work with the Southampton Town Trustees to increase the quantity of shellfish produced at Cornell’s new Tiana Bayside Facility in Hampton Bays. 

“We also work closely with East Hampton Town at all levels,” he said, and he hopes to coordinate with the shellfish hatchery, the trustees, and the town board. 

Barley Dunne, the director of the town shellfish hatchery, said yesterday that he had yet to hear from state officials or Cornell, but “I’m assuming it means expanding our production by several million shellfish a year.” He also hoped that funding would allow for another full-time employee so that additional work can be carried out. “It’s exciting, definitely,” he said. “Another chapter for us.”

As it does with its Suffolk Project in Aquaculture Training program, an oyster-seeding project known as SPAT, Cornell will engage the public in the effort. “There will be a significant youth-education component to our work,” Mr. Pickerell said, with a plan to develop and deliver shellfish-based science, technology, engineering, and math programming for youth throughout Long Island. “There is money in this grant to fund free classes for various age groups, and we look forward to integrating this programming into local school and camp curricula,” he said. 

“All in all,” he said, “this is a very exciting project, and I can’t wait to start.”

In the Democratic primary for the two East Hampton Town Board spots on the November ballot, Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and Jeffrey Bragman were the winners on Tuesday, besting Zachary Cohen, who had successfully petitioned to force the primary.

In another primary race, Julie Evans, a registered Independence Party member who is running for town trustee on the Republican ticket, appears to have won one of the nine trustee spots on the Independence Party ticket. Ms. Evans also successfully petitioned to force a primary after her party failed to endorse her.  

The unofficial results posted Tuesday on the Suffolk County Board of Elections website gave Ms. Burke-Gonzalez a comfortable lead with 1,194 votes. Mr. Bragman had won 810 votes, and Mr. Cohen 662. Seven write-in votes were cast.

The final tally could change the result, however. An official at the Suffolk County Board of Elections said on Tuesday afternoon that 162 absentee ballots had been received for the Democratic Party primary for East Hampton Town Board, along with 5 for the Independence Party primary for trustee. Absentee ballots had to be postmarked by Monday and must be received no later than Tuesday. 

If their victory holds, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez and Mr. Bragman will face the Republican Party’s candidates, Paul Giardina and Jerry Larsen, in the Nov. 7 election. Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc, a Democrat who is running to succeed Democratic Supervisor Larry Cantwell, will face Manny Vilar on the Republican ticket.

Ms. Burke-Gonzalez is the lone incumbent in the race for a seat on the town board. A former member of the Springs School Board, she was elected to the town board in 2013 and is in her first campaign for re-election. “I’m thrilled that the Democratic voters were engaged with our positive message,” she said yesterday, “and Peter, Jeff, and I will continue to work hard engaging folks on the issues important to all of us.” These, she said, include protecting water quality, creating affordable housing, and “serving children and seniors and hard-working families.”

The race was largely seen as one between Mr. Bragman, an attorney who is a first-time candidate, and Mr. Cohen, a past candidate for town supervisor in 2011 and town trustee in 2015.

In a debate at the East Hampton Library last month, all three candidates were largely in sync on many of the issues, though Mr. Bragman, a political newcomer, made several efforts to criticize and draw a distinction between himself and Mr. Cohen, who is chairman of the town’s nature preserve committee. 

Mr. Cohen’s campaign distributed mailings critical of Mr. Bragman’s dealings with the town’s planning board and calling him a bully. 

“I’m grateful for the support,” Mr. Bragman said yesterday of his victory. “I think we ran a very positive campaign, even when it got a little bumpy. . . . The voters showed they were not swayed by negative messaging.”

East Hampton Democrats will unite toward their common goal of victory in November, he predicted, “and everybody is welcome in the campaign. . . . We’re happy to have everybody working together, and that includes my opponent in the primary.” 

Mr. Cohen did not return calls seeking comment. 

“It’s heartening to see a lot of hard work on everybody’s behalf pay off,” Chris Kelley, the East Hampton Dem­ocrats’ campaign chairman, said on Tuesday night. “It’s a tribute to the Dem­ocrats in East Hampton that they were so energized and engaged in such an ebullient fight. We look forward to bringing everybody together and working hard in the general election to get Kathee and Jeff elected.” 

In the race for the Independence Party’s slate for trustee, Ms. Evans received 36 votes, finishing fourth of 10 candidates. The party screened candidates in May, selecting five Republicans and four Democrats. Joining Ms. Evans on the Independence Party line will be Diane McNally, Susan Vorpahl, Lindsey Hayes, Joe Bloecker, Bill Taylor, Rick Drew, Gary Cobb, and John Aldred. Rona Klopman, who is also running on the Democratic line, was edged off the  Independence ticket.

“It was gratifying to win the Independence Party line, knowing I am a member of that party,” Ms. Evans said yesterday. “I feel very good about that.” A licensed captain who operated a charter boat with her late husband, Ms. Evans earned degrees in environmental science and broadcast journalism from New York University and is a founder of the nonprofit Fisherman’s Emergency Fund.

A seat on the trustee board, she said, “is just an extension of the work I’ve been doing for many years. . . . The combination of my life experience on the water and in the water, and my education, will bring a lot to the trustees.”