The partner of a Big Apple designer found dead on a boat at a ritzy Montauk yacht club issued a heartbreaking farewell online Wednesday – even as cops continue to probe her death.
“We dreamed big together, laughed harder than anyone else could understand and built so much from nothing,” Dylan Grace said in a moving Instagram tribute to Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, who was found dead at the ritzy Montauk Yacht Club Tuesday.
“I’m truly blessed and grateful to have had you in my life,” Grace wrote of Nolan-O’Slatarra, his partner at design company East x East. “Love you so much Mar. Fly high girl.”
Dylan P. Grace, a friend and business partner of Martha Nolan, uploaded a heartfelt post following Nolan’s death at the Montauk Yacht Club. Dylan Grace/Instagram
The 33-year-old was a popular NYC fashion designer, well-known as a local figure at the Montauk Yacht Club. Instagram/@marthanolanNolan-O’Slatarra, 33, was found unconscious on a boat docked at the club around midnight on Tuesday and later pronounced dead.
The popular Manhattan designer summers in the Hamptons, where she is a well-known local figure at the upscale waterfront community.
The yacht club’s clientele has included some of the nation’s most gilded figures, including JP Morgan, Vincent Astor, Harold Vanderbilt and Charles Lindbergh, according to its website. NY Post DesignSuffolk County police have not revealed the cause of death nor the circumstances surrounding the tragedy that has shaken many in Montauk – a summer retreat known for its wealth.
A native of Ireland, Nolan-O’Slatarra moved to the US at the age of 26 and began her career by launching pop-ups featuring the summer wear brand in the Hamptons in 2023, she told the Irish Independent in an interview last year.
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Last month, she celebrated a pop-up shop at the exclusive Montauk spa, the Gurney’s Resort.
The NYC designer was found unresponsive aboard the “Ripple” boat, where she was later pronounced dead. Dennis A. Clark
Local authorities have not revealed the cause of death, and have yet to rule of foul play. Instagram/Dylan Grace“We are deeply saddened by the tragic news regarding Martha Nolan and extend our sincere condolences to her family and loved ones,” the spa said in a statement Wednesday.
“While Martha was not an employee of Gurney’s, we were proud to host her East x East pop-up and admired her entrepreneurial spirit and creative vision,” the statement said.
Violent crime is rare in Montauk, and the yacht club has long been an institution there.
Nolan moved to the US at 26, and began her career as the design company “East X East”. Facebook/Martha NolanFounded in 1928 by developer Carl Fisher, the club’s clientele has included some of the nation’s wealthiest icons, including JP Morgan, Vincent Astor, Harold Vanderbilt and Charles Lindbergh.
Safe Harbor Marinas purchased the marina and resort in 2022.
Suffolk County homicide detectives are investigating Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death.
