Boot Key harbor in Marathon

[SYMandalay]

I was in Marathon in April and before that in November. The harbor is very protected and convenient in many ways. It is plenty deep enough inside but the entrance channel shoals and we were nervous with our 6 1/2' draft but made it without touching. The moorings are all in place now and there is a very small area left for anchoring. You would have to be very friendly with your neighbors to be anchored there.

If you think $250 per month is expensive for a mooring, you will not be impressed with the cost of dockage in the Keys. It is many times that at a marina......even at the city marina in Marathon that runs the moorings.

We pass through the Keys on the way to the Bahamas and back. I do not like the Keys much........shallow water, no beaches, tumbledown buildings, high prices, etc. The good news is that they are equipped with good stores from groceries to hardware to marine equipment, etc. It is a better place for fishing than sailing IMHO.

Marathon is a good stop along the way and a safe refuge, but not a place I want to spend much time.

You might be interested in article #12 on the page below.

[S2 Dave]

Brak,
We stopped at Boot Key harbor on the way from Texas to the Bahamas. I now consider it a place to be avoided at all costs. Crowded, dirty, and a long walk next to the highway to get anything you need. We enjoyed Key West but found Florida in general to be way to restrictive.
We had seriously considered relocating to Florida until we found out how unfrienly their laws are to boaters.
Texas has brown water but plenty of wind and we are free to go where we want and do what we enjoy. We can just pick a shallow spot and run aground whenever we want and nobody comes out to fine us
Dave

[Iflyka200s]

Scary stuff...

I used to fly a Cessna 206 equiped with a belly camera. The guy I flew for had an OPEN US Government contract (NOT an easy thing to get) with NOAA to photo reef/grounding damage in and around Marathon/Key West...

Cool thing though... the Atocha wreck is VERY close to Marathon! Maybe you could find some gold to pay the fines!

Florida is a joke though (born in Coconut Grove) lived here my whole life! (need a job in Oregon/Washington please!)

Tim

[brak]

I am in Boot Key now (without a boat, just looking around). To the posters above - sure, Florida isn't really caribbean and Keys are not BVI. But it's about as nice as it gets within the US (perhaps with exception of USVI). I see lots and lots of sailboats here, and no need to mention power boats - so clearly they get around somehow.

Anyway, if anyone is around these parts and wants to meet or give me some local info - I'll treat you to a beer of your choice

[LynW]

I spent three weeks there April before last. A nice spot, very friendly, good seafood. I don't recall it cost anything to anchor (tho' despite its size the anchorage was rather crowded - a few boats preferred to anchor outside). Holding is good, we had no qualms about leaving the boat for a few days while we went touring.

However there was no way of getting ashore without paying for the dinghy! Some days the NE wind was so strong we couldn't use it without getting soaked. But the water taxi service is excellent and cheap.

[paul43]

Originally Posted by brak

That is not a cheap mooring. Wow. How is the anchorage there? Is it possible to anchor at all? What about docking - how's the price on that (I mean, if I've got to pay - might as well, I guess).

The chart looks good - looks like just out of the harbor, south-south-east, and open water, right? Is the bridge opening time restricted?

No cost to anchor, IF you can find a spot. Bridge opens on demand. Open water out thru creek, eyeball nav, or back out to the west.

[brak]

btw, looks like the road over the boot key bridge is now closed. what happened there? bridge still seems to work.

[AlanBrown]

What makes Boot Key Harbor so attractive is that it is well-sheltered from nasty weather and is easily accessible from the Gulf and the Atlantic (via Hawk Channel). Spent Jan.-April there back in 2004, some time at anchor outside the harbor, but the bulk of the time was spent on a private dock next to Burdine's Marina.

If you plan to spend some time in the Keys, you need access to a motor vehicle, or be prepared to walk or taxi. Stores are not close to one another and are deigned to serve the needs of shore-side residents, not cruisers. However, you can find just about anything you can possibly ask for within a 3-mile stretch.

Despite the distances involved to reach shopping, Marathon is probably one of the most cruiser-friendly towns in Florida.