NIGHT OF FLYING SQUID

An action filled night on board Truce.  We are into an area of unsettled weather and rain squalls.  Two hit us between nine and midnight.  The midnight squall was so strong and persistent that we stowed the mainsail and sailed on staysail only.

During the second squall I noticed a strong fishy smell.  Jessica had the flashlight and identified the culprit – a smashed up squid in the cockpit.  I also found squid on the side decks.  What was causing the squid to fly I wondered.  The rain at the time was torrential and the wind going crazy.  Did the squid jump out of the water on board or were they caught up in the rain?  I have heard of it raining cats and dogs but don’t really believe it.  But I have read that frogs sometime get into rain clouds before dropping back to earth.

When stowing the main I noticed a fishy smell around the deck and sail – but could not find any squid lying around.  I was also puzzled why the squid had a fishy smell when it was fresh out the ocean.

Daylight revealed the reason for the fishy smell around the main sail and an explanation for the squid in the cockpit.  Some airborne creature had shit all over the mainsail.  What a mess, we tried cleaning it off but had no luck.  The bird must have been eating squid as the excrement is ink black.  I suspect the same bird regurgitated the squid into the cockpit on his way past – hence the fishy smell.

This morning we had three hours of good sailing before the squalls stared again.  They really are tiresome. A very strong one hit us at three in the afternoon and laid on our beam ends.  I simultaneously let go the main sheet, disengaged the wind vane, let go the jib halyard and started furling the jib.  This was a particularly violent squall, I had been watching it come approach, nothing indicated it would be nasty.

This evening we had no movie showing, its too windy and wet in the cockpit.  Total Voyage distance 899 miles.