• Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Home DIY Wiki Sailing Destinations Boca Chica Marina Key West FL

Boca Chica Marina Key West FL

Print PDF
As some of you already know, we were originally scheduled to spend a good part of our 30-day vacation traveling to Key West with our US 30', Wu-Wei. Unfortunately, after 4 rough days at sea with worse conditions looming, we headed back home, and decided to drive to Key West NAS to stay on the hard for a week instead...

While chilling in our $90-a-night 3-bedroom-condo within walking distance of Duval, we were plagued by terrible sunburn following a day at the Dry Tortugas (we got there on via charter boat- rough seas, too.) What's a burned-crunchy red sailor to do? Heck, we'll check out what could have been our dock.

I am not going to lie- really wasn't expecting much. My dock on a nice USAF military base is sub-par, and these Navy people were only going to charge me $25 a night with power and water for a dock. The base, (KWNAS consisits of several locations) was a typical old, run down Navy base. So, I wasn't expecting much for a marina....

WTF?!? Is THIS an actual military-base marina?!?! I've been to many a marina- THIS is the BEST marina I have ever seen in my entire life. There are million-dollar boats there. The water is CLEAR. Each cement dock (with cement pilings) have power and water. There is a nice dinghy dock, a restaurant/bar with $1 beer specials,laundry, showers, diesel, and a pumpout. But wait, there are mobile pumpout carts you can use, along with regular gear carts. There was even a private sand beach on the other side of the clubhouse! Had I died and gone to heaven? Why did we not have our cameras with us that day? Most boats at the docks made Wu-Wei look like a dinghy. We saw huge fish, jellyfish and tropical fish as clear as day swim along the live reef that hugged the marina.

If you are active-duty military or even carry the blue retiree card, and are a cruiser, you must definitely make this marina a stop. I have never seen anything like it- let alone on a military base! Sure, here in Tampa, we have brand-new docks- and yet, our marina looks like the ghetto compared the Boca Chica! Great facilities, docks, and location!

Chris