Drunk man steals tiki hut bar

For 30 years, Key West Race Week reveled in the weirdness of Key West, Florida. Sunsets are celebrated, roosters roam the streets, conch fritters are a recognized food group, drinking is an Olympic sport and everyone has a story.

Held during the week of the Martin Luther King holiday, 2017 was its last hurrah, but that hasn’t stopped Key West from being Key West. To spark those memories, this report comes courtesy of the Miami Herald:

A Missouri man was jailed after police said he was found in a stolen floating tiki hut in Key West. Tyln Earl Morlang, 26, was intoxicated when found alone on the distinctive charter boat, which belongs to Cruisin’ Tikis, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The U.S. Coast Guard spotted the boat — basically a bar under a tiki hut on a floating deck —while on patrol near Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.

Police said Morlang was alone aboard the vessel, powered by a 30-horsepower outboard motor and available for chartered bring-your-own-booze cruises. He was found slumped over the wheel, said FWC spokesman Bobby Dube. The boat was stolen from the Hurricane Hole marina on Stock Island.

FWC said the boat was damaged with burn marks on the bar. A VHF radio was also partially melted and residue was left from a fire inside a coconut and in a sink behind the bar. Officers found a 10-ounce can of lighter fluid on the deck of the vessel.

“He decided to build fires, to stay warm I guess,” said Johnna Sleith, one of the owners of Cruisin’ Tikis. “He started mini fires in cup holders and water jugs. It melted a lot of stuff.”

Key West lives on…