Day 6 - Key West to Marathon — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 48, fuel purchased $0, slip fee $0, daily high temperature 83°f

Tucked away in Key West harbor we were protected from the NE winds by Flemming Key. We enjoyed the sunrise and the respite from the winds that will be on our nose all day.

We hauled the anchor at 8:00 am and motored down the Key West Channel past Fort Zachary Taylor. The wind was on our beam until we turned the corner to enter the Hawk Channel on our way to Marathon. Then we motored 48 miles to our previous anchorage at Boot Key. Along the way we fired up the Magma grill and grilled sausages for lunch. The boat was a little rolly and the apparent wind on the grill was 20 – 25 mph but Chef Gabe grilled them to perfection with no casualties.

Boot Key is a mangrove island that forms the eastern protection for Boot Key Harbor at Marathon.

We dropped anchor close to the entrance of Boot Key Harbor. We had discussed going into the harbor and picking up a mooring ball because we planned to go into town to feast on stone crab claws. Upon further investigation we noted there is a power cable crossing the harbor entrance. The power cable is 65′ high and Pilar’s air clearance is 64′. We might have made it.

No mooring space is wasted in Boot Key Harbor.

As soon as the anchor was secure we dropped the dingy into the water. John and Priscilla took the dingy to explore Boot Key Harbor. There are a few marinas before the harbor entrance which is marked by an old bascule bridge that is now permanently open. We were looking for a seafood restaurant with a dingy dock. Just past Pedro’s fuel dock is Burdine’s Chiki Tiki bar and grille. They have a dingy dock. Unfortunately they do not have stone crab on the menu. We toured the harbor and very similar to Key West at least half the boats are derelict. It is unfortunate that so many moorings are taken by boats that are never used.

Boat for sale – contact John at Weber Yachts.

There is a huge dingy dock at the Marathon City Marina. We docked and went into the office. We inquired if there were any restaurants within walking distance and if there was a fee for the dingy dock. The attendant was very friendly and advised us there were no nearby restaurants and the dingy dock fee was $23. That fee included a mooring ball and free pump out. No a la carte pricing.

I used my phone to find “restaurants near me” and Castaways popped up. We had eaten there a few years ago. It is nicely situated on a canal next to a red neck trailer park. We took the dingy down the canal and found Castaways. They have a terrific dingy dock. I called them on the phone. Yes, they have stone crabs claws on the menu. The only problem is they ran out of stone crab claws. The Chinese have been buying all the stone crab claws at a higher price than the restaurants are willing to pay.

Some good eating!

We returned to Pilar and started calling other local restaurants and found one that claimed to have all sizes of stone crab claws from medium to colossal. Our plan was to pay a dingy dock fee at Burdine’s and take an Uber car to the King Fisheries restaurant at 10925 Overseas Highway (A1A). Upon arrival at Burdine’s a mature woman met us and asked our intentions. Gabe and I turned on the charm to win her over but it was not happening. We asked if we could pay a fee to dock our dingy. She advised we could dock for free if we ate at her restaurant. We said we would if she served stone crabs. She confirmed they did not serve stone crabs. I asked if we could leave the dingy if we had cocktails at her restaurant. Somewhat reluctantly she relented and wandered off. I guess you could say she was gettin’ crabby. We went up to the Chiki Tiki bar and ordered bad wine, a Sculpin IPA and a Diet Coke. I tried to order an Uber car but it was busy so I called the Bob Narley taxi service. They sent a driver right over. The five mile ride for three people to the King Fisheries was $5.00. We ate 1.5 pounds of medium stone crab claws and a Cuban sandwich. The restaurant is owned by a Cuban family and most of the patrons were Cuban so it was very authentic. After dinner Bob Narley took us back to Burdine’s. The dingy was still in one piece and we headed back to Pilar for the night.

Burdine’s Chiki Tiki Bar.

How ’bout them Cubbies!