Boot Key availability?

Is there any way to tell in advance if there will be a mooring availability in Boot Key?

I’m needing to move my boat from LB Key to the east coast to get ready to cross to Bimini, but because of things that have come up I may have to leave the boat mid May, and fly back to Texas, then come back in June to cross.

If I can get a mooring in Boot Key, is it safe to leave the boat for a couple of weeks? Is there another safe place to leave it for two weeks? What about No Name Harbor near Miami? I’d hate to have my new dinghy engine stolen...

Here’s my issue. We have about a month to cruise. Was going to be in May, but now it’s June. It will take me 3-4 days to get from LB to Marathon, and I was going to do that solo in May sometime so the wife and still had all of June to cruise in the Bahamas.

Or maybe I just cut the Bahamas part of the cruise to a couple of weeks, but that’s not enough to get to the Exumas. Might have to go back to Abaco, where I’ve been before and everything seemed closer and easier to get to.

Had a friend on his boat at Marathon Marina. Dinghy was tied to the larger boat, he was on his boat.


Line was cut and Dinghy was stolen during the night.


Expensive alternative - leave the boat at Faro Blanco. They share the basin with Coast Guard and one of the State of FL law enforcement agencies. Their boats are in and out all night which makes it a pretty safe option IMO.

If you leave your dinghy in the water, always a risk of engine and/or dinghy being stolen and that's true anywhere in the world you anchor. Some places more than others, but no places safe from that. You can reduce the risk with chains and locks and bars but even then not eliminate it.

I would have the dinghy up on the PH roof and the outboard is locked onto an engine bracket on the transom. But, it’s just a little lock.

It seems strange to leave a boat unattended on a mooring to me. But maybe that’s because I’ve never done that before.

cardude01 said:

I would have the dinghy up on the PH roof and the outboard is locked onto an engine bracket on the transom. But, it’s just a little lock.

It seems strange to leave a boat unattended on a mooring to me. But maybe that’s because I’ve never done that before.

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I just asked my friend who lives on his 38 S/V in boot key, he says people are leaving now and there are mooring balls open at this time. There is also a boot key page on Facebook, may be you could find some info there or ask the question.

Oh cool. Thanks. I’ll ask my wife to look— she’s on FB.