Two weeks in to our new journey and things are going well, for the most part. We had our dinghy explode on day two. This called for an emergency run to Punta Gorda, where with the help of a friend we purchased a shiney new Dinghy from West Marine.

We had a quick turnaround and returned to Pelican Bay the very next day.

Enjoying the empty beach, nightly sunsets and the peace and quiet. We’ve both slept very well each night.

Problem number two reared it’s ugly head a few days ago. Our inverter has decided it won’t run the coffee maker anymore. This could be a disaster of epic proportions! I have to run the generator for a few minutes to make coffee. Fortunately we haven’t had close neighbors to disturb at 6 a.m. I tried boiling water and pouring it through but it took forever and the coffee was cool before it ever made a pot. On the lookout for an old-school percolator.

A new charger/inverter (exact replacement) would run about 1500 bucks. I fear will need to buy one soon, as the charge function is sometimes acting up as well. Break Out Another Thousand.

Made a run down to Fort Myers Beach to visit friends and do some reprovisioning. Dodged storms the whole way. We’ll stay a few days and return to Pelican Bay/Cayo Costa. Informal plans to go north to Long Boat Key and other parts soon.

We’ve done well conserving water. Still using less than 3 gallons per day, not counting bottled water to drink and make ice.

We don’t miss the marina one bit.

Check out the gallery for pics.