KEY WEST’S ‘MINISTER OF PIRACY’ PAUL WORTHINGTON DIES AT 72


An authentic sailor and boatsman, the late Paul Worthington was always more comfortable on the water than ‘on the hard.’ HARRY BOWMAN/Contributed
Paul Worthington looked the way a hard-living and accomplished sailor should, and he had the requisite seafaring cred to back up any stories told around a bar. And there were plenty of those.

Worthington, who held the title of Minister of Piracy in the Conch Republic Navy, died Aug. 23, taking many people by surprise. He was 72.

Known in Key West as co-owner of the legendary Schooner Wharf Bar with his wife, Evalena, Worthington had already lived a full life on the water in his native New England before arriving in the Florida Keys in the mid-’80s. He and Evalena started Schooner Wharf Bar aboard an old schooner docked in Key West Harbor before expanding and moving into its familiar space at the foot of William Street.

“Worthington was born in Boston into a boating family, and has been a licensed captain for more than 20 years,” states a 2000 Chicago Tribune article about Worthington’s enduring passion — historic tall ships.

Evalena Worthington is still compiling her late husband’s background and accomplishments. Stay tuned to keysweekly.com for a full memorial tribute.


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