Hi Wade,
Teriffic report mate, I remember a couple of times in the dim past watching a similar occultation trick with the Pleiades (M45).
Good to see you went for those low-down Messier objects, but I think you might have muddled some of the designations up a bit. M61 (in Virgo -- another lovely face-on spiral with "broken" arms) doesn't hug the horizon except on rising and setting and isn't known as the Sunflower.
So I guess you meant M63 which is known as the Sunflower galaxy and hugs the northern horizon pretty closely. So that one was M63 methinks.
Now M94, so far as I know isn't known as the "Cat's Eye" galaxy -- in fact I don't think it has a "common name". The only Cat's Eye I know of is the stunning PNe which is way over the northern horizon for most of us here in Australia. M94 is also quite nearby to M63 in the sky (about 5 degrees eastward I think) so that fits the bill -- it was therefore likely M63 and 94 you saw (but no Cat's eye).
And yep, M5 is a stunner -- I think it somewhat better than M13. I seem to remember an article touching upon it recently.
Seems though you were low-down in Canes Venatici, you could also have tried for M3 which is also a very nice GC despite the low altitude at culmination from this far south.
Thanks for your report!
Best,
Les D
Contributing Editor
AS&T