We have the assymetric up again, it was calm most of yesterday and I motored from 1000 til sunset yesterday by which time there were sufficient zephyrs to maintain way. I poled out the genoa and we were doing 2-3 knots. Through the night I tried the main and poling out the genoa to stbd, windward, but this was no better so at breakfast time I set the assymetric and we’re now, when things are working well, doing 6 knots, as the wind changes this sometimes backs off to 3 but we are moving, and in the right direction, and it’s fairly calm swell wise, well there is still a long low swell but when we’re moving we hardly notice it.
I made bread yesterday, I have a proper mixing bowl aboard so didn’t have an issue with the dough sticking to the pressure cooker like I did on Freya. I had saved the plastic (?) loaf tin from a lidl’s sticky toffee pudding pudding, and used this. Obviously I had lost the instructions and was slightly worried that the temperature for sticky tofffee pudding heating was going to be low and I wanted a hot oven for bread so wasn’t sure whether the container (I wanted to say tin, but that didn’t seem right!) would melt and ruin it. It worked perfectly, I had liberally wiped oil on it and the loaf fell out when I turned it upside down. The loaf to me is great but it wouldn’t win a prize at a garden festival; it was quite small, but I used a full sachet of instant yeast so it rose enthusiastically but then fell a little so the top looks vaguely wrinkled rather than the more normal babies bottom like appearance I’d expect.
I had a couple of slices with 3/16” slabs of cold butter layed on it. Perfection!
I had a chicken and pepper risotto for dinner as I wanted something that some fresh bread would go well with which it did.
Next time I will make two or three loaves as the loaf is quite small and the gas to produce one two or three would be the same, I can freeze all bar one of them, they aren’t so good once frozen but still fine and I’m away sailing, not on a gourmet mini break.
It’s getting hotter all the time, today’s sunny too, I’m writing this down below to keep out of the sun. Fewer than 500 miles to go now and, according to the forecast, although light, I should have a breeze for the rest of the way which would be great. I emailed the marina with an eta of the 6th which will give me a day or two for jobs, exploring etc. before having to fly home for work.
Love the culinary detail!