Schooner Wharf Bar, the open-air waterfront landmark that started as two sailors selling drinks and loose cigarettes off their boat, is changing hands after 42 years under the same family. Evalena Worthington, who built the bar at 202 William St. with her late husband Paul, is moving on from the business that became one of Key West's most recognizable names in nightlife.
According to Keys Weekly, Evalena and Paul Worthington sailed into Key West in 1984 and started selling drinks and single cigarettes from their sailboat before establishing the business aboard the brigantine Diamante in 1986, as Keys News reports. The couple's lease of waterfront property from the City of Key West launched what grew into Schooner Wharf Bar, a spot the city reportedly bought to prevent overdevelopment of the harbor. Paul Worthington died in August 2020, leaving Evalena to carry the business forward on her own.
Who's Taking Over the Bar
Accounts of exactly who is acquiring the business differ. Keys Weekly reports that Evalena Worthington is selling Schooner Wharf Bar to Pat Croce and Co., a company that already owns Half Shell Raw Bar and the Green Parrot Bar in Key West along with eight other bars and restaurants in St. Augustine and Pennsylvania. Keys News, however, identifies the buyer as Tidal Shift Ventures LLC, a company formed by Jeff Sorg and Mike Croce, who are managing partners of the Green Parrot Bar and Half Shell Raw Bar; that outlet describes the prospective owners as operating restaurants and bars in Key West, St. Augustine and Pennsylvania as well as a boutique hotel.
The status of the deal itself is also described differently across reports. Keys Weekly states that the Key West Bight Management Board voted unanimously on Oct. 14 to approve the transfer of Schooner Wharf's lease from Evalena Worthington to Pat Croce and Co. Keys News instead reports that the board voted unanimously that same day only to recommend transferring the lease to Tidal Shift Ventures LLC, adding that, per that outlet, “Until the assignment receives final approval, the ownership transition remains pending.” A purchase price for the business could not be confirmed, according to atfkw.com.
The Lease Terms and What Stays the Same
Whatever the final structure of ownership, multiple reports agree the business is expected to keep operating as Schooner Wharf Bar. Per the same account from atfkw.com, the business name, rent and other lease terms would remain unchanged. The current 10-year lease began Oct. 1 and runs through Sept. 30, 2036, with annual base rent of $454,396.94 plus 6% of annual gross sales above an approximately $7.57 million threshold, the site reports. The proposed deal follows the sale of Dons' Place, also known as The Million Dollar Bar, the previous week, according to the same outlet.
Schooner Wharf's calendar of roughly 30 yearly events, including the Minimal Regatta, Battle of the Bars and Wreckers' Cup races, is a central piece of its identity on the waterfront, Keys News notes. The lease contains provisions addressing the continuation of the Minimal Regatta, the Open Air Art and Music Fair, and the Lighted Boat Parade, though public-area events still require city approvals. Separately, atfkw.com reports those traditions, including the Minimal Regatta, Wreckers' Cup races and Battle of the Bars, are expected to continue as terms of the transfer. The bar also hosts Mel Fisher Days and New Year's Eve celebrations.
A Living Room on the Water
Evalena Worthington has long described the bar in personal terms. Speaking to Keys Weekly in 2020, she said, “It quickly became the ‘living room’ of the waterfront community.” That sense of community ownership helped turn an open-air bar with no walls into one of Key West's most photographed gathering spots, and it's part of why Schooner Wharf landed a cameo in Kenny Chesney's “Carry On” music video.
Longtime Key West skipper Captain Kelly George weighed in on the change, calling the lease transfer a win-win and describing the 42-year legacy of Evalena and Paul Worthington as simply iconic. George thanked Evalena Worthington for four decades of drinks, charity events, New Year's Eve parties and the Breakfast Club, underscoring just how embedded the bar has become in local tradition. Keys Weekly reports it is still awaiting comment from Evalena Worthington on the transition.
