Hey Dave,

Nah, not really... It was pretty obvious this boat has not moved at all, in a very long time... (grin)

Dave, you trawler trash would fit right here in Marathon... Not to mention, I paid $0.50/gallon LESS for diesel here, than I last did back up in Thunderbolt... (grin, bigtime)

OK, so I've scoped out the scene here a bit, anchored in Boot Key Harbor on Saturday... Really, they should just put a giant KOA Kampground sign on the bridge entering the harbor, and be done with it... NTTAWWT, of course... LOL!

OK, it's just not my kind of place, the appeal of sitting in such a place for months on end is lost on me... Frankly, the dozens of conch style horns that are blown to commemorate each and every sunset would drive me insane before the first week was out...

Having said that, the harbor does appear to be managed quite well, and the facility on shore at the City Marina is quite impressive... If one were going to park oneself in one spot for a period of time, this would be as good a spot as any to do it, I suppose... Didn't see any sign of the aforementioned "people anchored for weeks, waiting for a mooring", I could have had my choice of several available upon my arrival on Saturday AM... And, I was quite surprised at the amount of anchoring space in the harbor still available, I was expecting to find that very tight... That was not the case at all, however, I was very comfortable riding out the frontal passage late that night where I was, no problem at all...

Also, the harbor appears to be relatively free of seriously derelict boats, this one was about as funky as I saw... And, honestly, it's really not all that much more unsightly than some of the shoreside properties that line Boot Key Harbor, anyway...

The KEYNOTER (local keys paper) just had an article about raising the dock fees the city of Key West is gonna charge for pleasure craft, by something like 29%... Sign of the times, I guess... I've been in Marathon Marina outside the entrance to Boot Key harbor for a few days, very nice little spot, not terribly expensive, I've really savored the dockside living, the last I'll probably see for awhile... One last dinner tonight at Porky's, you really haven't lived until you've sampled their Fried Key Lime Pie... (grin)

best regards,

Jon