We backtrack over to Cayo Costa & ease our way thru some “skinny” water. Anchor well set, & we take the dinghy ashore to change out the painter; getting rid of the rusted shackle & yellow polypropylene line! Over to the park service dock for some beach time. There’s the smallest sailboat on this dock w/2 folks living aboard; must be < 20 feet. Scary…

Unbeknownst to us, the park service runs a tram to the beach. We might’ve taken beach chairs had we known! There are campgrounds & 12 rental cabins, a community bathhouse (ICK) & not much else. No, thank you… However, there’s a Texas flag flying at one of the cabins!

The beach is OK, water not so great. Local fisherman says the discoloration is fresh water released from the Caloosahatchee & really is irritating to hotels & resorts in the area. No swimming for us, just a nice walk on the beach & some time for tanning. Waiting for the tram results in a failure of my NoSeeUm insect repellant! Back to Cabbage Key for the night.