3rd Leg Day 10: The Big Cleanup, Last Puri And A RAS Exercise

Last Puri

Or is it khubz, perhaps? Today I made the last bread of the voyage. Literally. All the flour has now been consumed. I did not even bother to treat the sourdough nicely. I just fed it some rye flour and a little water after taking it out of the refrigerator, then left it in the cupboard for nine hours to wake up.

The oven has been decommissioned, so the bread had to be baked or fried in a pan. I chose to make a thin flat-bread, Even the flour mixture was sort of pot luck.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

3rd Leg Day 7: Persisting Doldrums And Puri

Puri

Puri is the collective name for bread fried in oil. You can make bread in several ways. With or without leavening. Then bake it in the oven, over the coals, fry it in a dry pan, light oil or deep oil. All came out slightly different, depending on the leavening, the flour, the yeast and the cooking method.

Vetkoek, the South African version of the bread, is made with yeast, cake flour, salt and water. We used white bread flour, brown bread flour salt, water and instant yeast.

This is part of our last legs dishes aboard. We have five odd days left on this voyage. We may make another batch of these breads using sourdough, and the rest of the flour, which includes rye. But that is for another day.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

3rd Leg Day 4: Another Loaf And A Visit from The Birds

We were all a bit weary from yesterday's dismal daily run this morning. The day dawned with some promise of wind, a small network of little ripples on the water. And the wind did come, except it was a headwind yet again. We altered course to be able to use it, but to no avail. The wind veered and we were back to square one. We resignedly furled away the sail and carried on motoring. At least we are making some way and are now crossing the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola, on which resides the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Real voodoo country.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

2nd Leg Day 28: Entering the Caribbean and a Sourdough Seed Loaf

Sourdough Seed Loaf

I made another sourdough loaf today, adding seeds and raisins. The sourdough starter was mixed during my 00h00 to 03h00 watch and left to proof until daylight. While this is not overnight, bear in mind that the ambient temperature is still over 28ºC/82ºF, so you get a fast reaction from your favourite sourdough.

The sourdough proof was used this morning to make the final dough mix, which was left in the cold oven aboard to rise.

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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

2nd Leg Day 24: Sweetcorn Rye Loaf, Navigation and Sweet & Sour Fish

Today the wind returned and we are able to motor sail. The wind is not that strong yet.

Dawid started coastal navigation lessons yesterday and got some homework, which he actually did. We reviewed it this morning. Another tutorial or three and he will be ready to do his practical work for real when we pass Barbados and reach the Windward Islands.

He followed on by preparing, kneading and baking his second loaf. A rye loaf with sweetcorn, as was his wont. He is turning out to be a real student. His surname is Schoeman, Dutch for shoemaker, but we are considering to change it to Bakker, Dutch for baker. However, with the navigation lessons also progressing nicely we need to think up a new pseudonym for him. Perhaps Dawid the Charter. Or perhaps Dawid the Plotter. The options remain open for the time. For Renier we have reserved the title Numero UNO, after his unbeatable performance to date.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.


Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

2nd Leg Day 21: Of Bread and Fish and Stirfry Chicken

 A somewhat Biblical day we had today, no less. We have a new novice baker on board. And three exited fishermen. After a few days of very little happening, we had lots of excitement today to make up for the tedium.

Dawid decided that he wants to learn to bake bread. The way he carries on he may just become the baker's apprentice, like the title of the book. However, first things first. We decided on an easy loaf for his first affray into the floury world of dough. The ingredients are simple and you get to experience all the facets of making bread.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.


Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

2nd Leg Day 12: Hand Steering and A Raisin Sourdough Loaf

 Yes, the vagaries of electronic engineering and software stability struck yet again. At a most inopportune time on this occasion. The autohelm lost its mind completely this afternoon. In weather that can only be described as uncomfortable. Large choppy swells, the odd one some four meters high. A wind of around 20 knots, gusting 25, cloudy and rainy weather with squalls to boot.

Of course, the day did not start this way, it just developed into this situation. The day dawned on cloudy skies with squalls. We did not see the sun come up this morning. It was actually tolerable, given that it is quite warm out here. Even the sea water is warm. Then the weather took a turn for the worse and we had a rough time for a while, being tossed about in the saloon.

I was kept quite busy during my watch, trimming the sails and making steering adjustments, especially during the last half hour. Small course adjustments on the autopilot are required to keep the sail from gybing. We had the wind directly behind us, which makes it very difficult to steer in choppy seas. The swells cause the boat to yaw, which in turn causes a gybe if you are not careful. We had lots of squalls approaching, the result of which is that we motored the rest of the day, as the wind strength and direction varies significantly during squalls and makes sailing nigh impossible in the direction we need to go.

Then, around the middle of the day, the autohelm lost its memory and all the control settings. For the second time. On the first occasion, we had calmer seas and could get a modicum of control back by performing a factory reset tot he equipment. Alas, this did not work this time around. We did not contact the factory, as we had already exhausted their expertise on the first occasion of failure.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

2nd Leg Day 6: Cheese & Onion Loaf, Squalls and Fish Curry

Today is Monday, 6 August. We have been at sea for six days since leaving St Helena, and 22 days since leaving Cape Town. We have about 35 days of the voyage left, depending on the weather.

Dawn saw an overcast sky, gray and rainy. Renier got his the first dowsing from a squall on the voyage during his 00h00 to 03h00 watch slot, I mine on the 06h00 to 09h00 slot. Dawid was spared a dowsing for this round. The weather was cool enough to warrant a T-shirt and a rain jacket. Later in the morning the clouds cleared somewhat and blue sky was to be seen all over. But the squalls stole our wind and we had to motor along. Needless to say, in these conditions we did not catch any fish.

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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

2nd Leg Day 5: Summer, Spit'n Polish and Sourdough

The days are getting more and more summery as we travel further north. The wind is holding up and we sailed 138 nautical miles over the last 24 hours. This in spite of a stoppage of over an hour for the fish yesterday after lunch. Good news indeed. We have now done 72 straight hours of sailing, barring four hours to charge the batteries. Good wind indeed.

I managed to get sextant sightings of both the moon and Venus early this morning. Then I had to dig deep in my mind (and the celestial navigation manual!) to perform the reduction calculations on these. I had two very good sets of sights, each set clustered close together, but disagreeing with each other.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

2nd Leg Day 3: Rye Bread, Beef Curry and Whales

Rye Loaf

The rye loaf was done on a fast track. I used instant yeast this time. The flour was a mix of one cup rye, one and a half cup brown bread flour and one cup white bread flour. The kneading board was floured with rye, which added another half cup of rye flour to the mix. I mixed this lot, adding some salt and the dry instant yeast, followed by 1 cup of lukewarm water.

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Authored by Johan Zietsman.


 Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

Day 10: Second Sourdough Loaf and a Start to Spit and Polish

The day dawned cloudy and grey. A thick woollen blanket obscuring the sun, but not our spirits. No rain, but thankfully a cool day where we didn't have to wear wind breakers or thick jerseys. Unfortunately also hardly any wind.

Today was the third day in a row where it was impossible to take a sun sight, or any other sight for that matter. I shall have to use some form of dead reckoning as a start to the navigation on the next clear day to enable my sight reduction calculations. Another challenge for primitive navigation methods not to take a peek at the GPS.

We are now closer to St Helena island than any other dry land on earth and hope to reach the island by Monday morning. A distance of just under 600 nautical miles remains. We are at present sailing along at just on six knots, nice comfortable speed in the flat sea. I say it is rather enjoyable, but from a different perspective it is rather like driving through the Great Karoo in a slow car. Or Texas, if you are from that neck of the woods.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.


Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

Day 9: Loaf Number Two on a Cloudy Day

Interesting day that we had today. Cloudy and mostly overcast, but no rain. The wind behind us at around fifteen to twenty knots, pushing us gently along. The weather stays cool at just over twenty degrees Celsius (around 68ºF), but it is discernibly warmer than a week ago and we are wearing rain jackets and wind breakers only when outside for extended periods.

No fish was caught today, probably because of the cool and overcast weather. We are still praying for the wind to stay. We sailed without motoring now for over 48 hours and only had to run the engines to charge the boat's batteries. A blessing, no less.

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Authored by Johan Zietsman.


 Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

Day 5: Cajun Style Snoek and a Rye Loaf

The day dawned breathless yet again. But what a sight! Pastel blue and pink skies in the west, with a hint of stripey clouds, somewhat hazy. A balm to the soul.

We motored the whole day in basically windless conditions. A lazy zephyr every now and then. Navigation instructions for getting to St Helena island from Cape Town appears to be: sail north along the west coast of Africa till you get to the town of Luderitz, then turn a bit left if there is wind. Else, go further north till you find wind, then turn left. If you bump into Africa far north, you have gone too far.

I know this is not accurate, but it gives an idea of the navigation decisions to be made. And it is relatively easy to explain to those not deeply involved in navigation.

Today was the day of baking bread. The first experiment with the gas oven proved to be a bit beyond me. I removed the grid in favour of putting the baking tin directly on the plate. This gave me some more height in the small oven for the bread to rise. Wrong idea. The silicone baking tin did not like the heat from below and burned. Luckily the bread wasn't spoilt. In fact, it was consumed at such a pace that I hardly had time to take a photograph before it was finished.!

The bread, however, did not rise as expected.

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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

Day 4: Headwinds and Making Bread

Thursday 19 July dawned with a light headwind that soon freshened. The skipper did a twenty degree turn to starboard, enough to use the breeze and so save on fuel. We need the fuel for the doldrums later in the voyage.

I was on duty 09h00 to 12h00. The sourdough starter that I made yesterday sat quietly fermenting in the cold oven. It was smelling quite delicious, a bit sour, but not ugly. I added a cup and a bit of white bread flour and mixed it thoroughly, adding a dash of salt. After some decent kneading, helped along by having to use my kneading hand as a prop due to the choppy swell, the dough was put in a lukewarm oven to rise.

Towards the end of my watch the dough had risen to double its size, so I promptly kneaded it down. Then the dough was folded and flattened for about five minutes or so. Then it went back in the cold oven to rest until tomorrow, when we shall bake it in our gas oven. A first for me, no less. I have never used a gas oven before. Now I do it on a heaving boat in the middle of the ocean.



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Authored by Johan Zietsman.


Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

Day Three: Endless Summer and Sourdough

Day three dawned on a magnificent blue ocean, hardly any swell and an open sky. Not a cloud in sight. The barometer showed 1020 hPa, a high pressure. The wind was on our bow, so we are motoring. We are just west of Port Nolloth, a small harbour on the west coast of the Namaqualand region of South Africa. What a change from the misty drab grey skies of Cape Town when we left.

Our sprout growing experiment seems to be bearing fruit, literally. All the seeds have sprouted. Now we wait for them to grow a bit bit bigger before we shall consume them. Perhaps with two minute noodles and some canned tuna. Perhaps we may even catch a tuna, we have the lines out. Then we can have fresh tuna mayonnaise and sprouts with the noodles. Or perhaps just sashimi with soy sauce and wasabi. Till it runs out of our ears. Whatever the case, it is really reassuring to know that we can have fresh vegetables every day.

I also started a rye sponge to bake bread in the morning. This looks likely to be another success. The rye sourdough that I brought from home appears to be quite happy to sit in the bottom of the cupboard where it is relatively cool. It has slowed down on fermentation, but hasn't gone into hibernation, so to speak.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

Day Two: Settling in with Chili con Carne and Chapattis

Sometimes you realise that there is a God and that He looks after you and cares for you. We left Cape Town around 06h30 yesterday morning in misty and rainy weather, expecting nothing better for the next five days. We were, in fact, expecting heavy seas to boot. And what we encountered was beyond our wildest dreams.

The sea was flat calm, no wind to speak of and the visibility was good to very good from about a mile out of the breakwater. We carried on to motor for the rest of the day, dodging the odd big ship, until 23h00 last night. Then the wind came up.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

Daaglikse brood 2: Rogbrood

Hierdie resep is vir 'n brood met 'n bietjie rogmeel. Ek het die meelmengsel aangepas vanaf my eerste poging omdat die deeg toegeslaan het. Daar was te veel growwe meel in die mengsel. Die brood het 'n soet smaak is is swaar. Dit sal deurgaan vir 'n lae GI brood omdat daar semels en heelkorrel rogmeel in is.

Ek kon net gebreekte rogmeel kry. Dit is erg grof, toe sit ek dit deur die koffiemeul vir so 20 sekondes. Die koffiemeul werk soos 'n versapper, so mens kry nog steeds growwe stukkies. Maar daar is darem genoeg fyn rogmeel om prakties bruikbaar te wees.


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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05

Naan Ter See

Hierdie is 'n resep vir daardie heerlike Indiese brood wat mens tradisioneel saam met speserygeregte eet. Daar is egter niks wat mens verhoed om dit saam met enige stowegereg te geniet nie. Dink net; warm brood wat jy so met die hand skeur en gebruik om bietjie-vir-bietjie die kos en die sous op te slurp. Heerlik, sê ek jou.

Hierdie is 'n suurdeegbrood wat mens in die pan bak, dus is dit maklik om aan boord te maak. En dit werk baie goed saam met stowegeregte waarvan die sous redelik dik is.

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Authored by Johan Zietsman.

Reposted from The Hungry Sailor on 2013-08-05