physically." Whyte bent rules to accommodate the gay crowd. "We had a Hully Gully line right here in the restaurant. I would put a girl at each end—men weren't allowed to dance with men back then—and everyone would have a good time." Visitors in the 1960s included Hedy Lamarr, Betty Grable and Zachary Scott. Whyte, who owned 80 percent of the commercial property in the Pines, instituted the community’s central social activity schedule of "Low Tea" (drinks—particularly the "Blue Whale" cocktail of Curaçao liqueur and gin that turned patrons' tongues blue—at the Blue Whale from 5 pm to 8 pm) followed by "High Tea" (drinks at the Pavilion from 8 pm to 10 pm) followed by an evening of dancing at the Pavilion (all of which were Whyte establishments). Eric von Kuersteiner For three decades, John B. Whyte helped attract a celebrity crowd and developed the area with a more sophisticated cachet. In 2003, Whyte decided to sell all of his commercial holdings and sought out a specific buyer: Eric von Kuersteiner, who had been frequenting the Pines since the late 1980s. Whyte had an asking price of $11 million. His broker negotiated the sale for $9 million. Matthew Blesso, Seth Weissman & Andrew Kirtzman In 2009, Matt Blesso, Andrew Kirtzman, and Seth Weissman were a trio of investors known as FIP Ventures. Ian Reisner and P. J. McAteer In January 2015, the majority of the commercial properties and operating businesses, including the Pavilion and Blue Whale, were purchased at auction by Ian Reisner for $10.1 million in debt and equity. At that time, competing operator P. J. McAteer contributed three businesses (Sip & Twirl, Pines Pizza, Pines Bistro & Martini Bar) to the purchasing entity, Outpost Pines, in exchange for a minority equity stake in the new company. McAteer is the current operator of the Outpost Pines harbor businesses (Canteen, Pool Bar, Botel, Blue Whale, Bistro, Pizza, Sip & Twirl) with Reisner providing additional financial support. Life in the Pines While all of Fire Island may have an official year-round population of 310, the summer population swells to much higher levels, especially on weekends. In the Pines, the large houses are filled with summer shares and a four-bedroom house can easily contain eight people at a time. The population is primarily gay men 20–50 years old. It is affectionately referred to as "Chelsea with sand", with reference to one