Interesting that this Key West city facility charges for power connections even if you don’t use them. Only in Key West!

The location is fine, worth the 4 nm traipse around Fleming Key to get there if you cannot clear the 19-ft bridge. It’s equidistant between the old town to the west and the three supermarkets to the east ‘“ about 1 mi each way. There’s an excellent bus service right outside the marina with three buses to choose from ‘“ schedule at marina office ‘“ for $1 per ride.
The negatives ‘“ the toilet for transients is open to the public and the two unisex showers are open at the top to the toilets with attendant smells and sound effects. Liveaboards and mooring field customers have their own facilities. My wife talked the marina office into giving us a swipe card for the former after supplying a graphic description of transient facilities for $1.90/ft. They also charge a $6.25/day `service charge’ for electricity. When I said I wouldn’t plug in, they said I had to pay it anyway.
I asked what the rationale was and they said they lose money on boats that have air conditioning and refrigeration and make up for it in this way. We have neither and I said I didn’t appreciate subsidizing those that do, especially since I buy ice from marinas so end up paying for my refrigeration and for others! The last marina we were at for three weeks was metered and for the 21 days I paid $5.85, or $.30 per day. Marinas need to install meters or determine what the power usage will be, and definitely allow clients to decline power.
The marina has no gate and is near well-used public thoroughfares. A guard walks down the dock occasionally at night. I know of no problems but’¦
Fair winds and following seas,
Austin Whitten, s/y Discovery II