Monarchs

Not royalty, rather butterflies. We must be on their migration route. We were moored at Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich CT. About a hundred monarch butterflies have flown past us in twos. They seem to fly in pairs about two feet above the water. Amazing they can make any head way against the breeze which was quite stiff.








Not as stiff as last night when John S'Bach saw 50.4 kts. on the true wind speed Ockam. It was a wild ride. Got the sail down as lightning showed and the breeze built. We had a strike quite close (about 20 yards on the port beam) to us. I was steering with one hand. Then just motored into the waves. Water whipped up like that is a truly awesome spectacle. MOVIE The four eyes guys were constantly wiping their glasses off, while the rest of us wiped our eyes and blinked a lot. Between the spray and the rain and hail it was hard to see at all. SILENT MAID shouldered her way through the crashing surf. Down below, the cacophony was intense, like being inside a big drum.
Spent the morning drying as much cabin stuff as possible. Mast boot leaks and we carried a lot of moisture down with us on our foulies.