Boot Key Harbor

Overview

Boot Key Harbor at Marathon is the cruisers' harbor of the Middle Keys. The City of Marathon runs 226 moorings here, 211 for boats up to 45 ft and 15 for boats up to 60 ft – measured overall, including bowsprit, davits and dinghy. The town around the harbor is walkable, with groceries, a chandlery and a hospital.

Getting in

The main entrance is from the west, past the remains of the old Boot Key bridge. The city gives 6 ft at mean low water for the entrance and the channel inside; the Coast Pilot reports 7 ft with shoaling on the south side. The bridge's lift span has been removed, and according to The Boat Galley the old 65 ft power line has gone too.

The south entrance through Sister Creek carries only 4.2 ft at mean low water, with rocks awash on the east side of its mouth. From the Gulf side, masted boats cross under the Seven Mile Bridge at Moser Channel, which has 65 ft of clearance; the current there runs 1.4 to 1.8 kn. The radio towers on Boot Key make good landmarks.

How the mooring field works

There are no reservations. Moorings are assigned during office hours only, and only to boats already inside the harbor; arriving after hours, you anchor and call in the morning. When the field is full you join the waiting list in person at the office.

The field is for liveaboards: no wet storage, and a boat left unoccupied for 10 days counts as stored. Discharge is banned outright – through-hulls must be sealed, the pump-out boat comes once a week on your assigned day, and boats are inspected on arrival and at least every three months.

Anchoring

The city's anchorage lies south of the main harbor channel, between Sister Creek and the Boot Key bridge. Anchoring inside the mooring field is not allowed. Cruisers report poor holding near the old bridge, so back down hard. Boats at anchor pay for the dinghy dock: $25 a day, $105 a week or $260 a month, plus tax.

Good to know

• Fuel: none at the City Marina; several marinas in the west of the harbor sell gas and diesel, and there is a 50-ton travel-lift yard.
• Dinghies: must be registered and tagged, at most 12 ft long and 6 ft 6 in wide, with a 4–6 ft painter.
• When it fills: usually around Thanksgiving, and it stays full until at least mid-February.
• Seagrass: the flats around the harbor are seagrass; damaging it can bring large fines.