On 12/4/08, as part of a “Florida Keys Wish List,” I posed the following question:

39. The conversion of Boot Key Harbor from an anchorage to a mooring field, has been one of the great success stories of the Florida Keys. Most of the sunken and semi-sunken vessels have been removed, and the water is much cleaner. Also, the city of Marathon has built a nice shoreside support facility (Marathon City Marina), with good dinghy dockage, wet slip dockage, showers and Laundromat. Will someone who has picked up a mooring at Boot Key Harbor lately please comment on the mooring field, and Marathon City Marina. Did you have to get on a waiting list to secure a mooring?

Responses follow:

We spent two weeks at Boot Key Harbor and loved it and Marathon. We were there in March and it was not too crowded. Others said that you did have to anchor out and waite for a ball to open in January and Feb. Keep in mind that the pump-outs are MANDATORY. Even the dirt bags in the derelic boats must be pumped out once per week.

We only draw 50 inches and had no problems with debth but we ran aground off of Largo when we left the channell but were fine when we followed Skippers Bobs direction.. There is some grass that has to be avoided. Not much to do there and had to hunt for a place to land the dinghy for our dogs.
George

In the [Boot Key] harbor today (Dec 7) we found maybe 50 moorings still vacant so the waiting list is not active yet.
Sadly, Smorgasboat no longer provides the water taxi service. They do however, still do harbor tours.
I can’t say too much good about Marathon City Marina. They seem to set the gold standard for everything having to do with running a mooring field and marina. I just learned today that they even have a TV camera to inspect the mooring tackle on the bottom for maintenance purposes. Who else does that? The pump-out boat, the handling of dinghies, and bikes, and parked cars, and mooring maintenance, and hazmat disposal. The bathrooms, showers and laundry are the only sucky things. But wait, they’re about to open a brand new bathroom/shower/laundry building any day now.
Dick Mills
SV Tarwathie

Prior to the opening of 60 or so additional moorings there was often a wait list. That hasnʼt happened to us since.
Bob & Toni Dorman

Click Here To View the Florida Keys Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Boot Key Harbor City Marina (a. k.a. Marathon City Marina)

Click Here To View the Florida Keys Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For Boot Key Harbor Mooring Field and Anchorage