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    Heave-Ho: How Does a Windlass Work?

    Image Credit: Flickr.

    Image Credit: Flickr.

    No one wants to spend their time at sea gathering up their crew to help hoist up a very heavy anchor. But why do that anyway when the magnificent windlass was invented to effortlessly do it for you. If you would like to hoist your anchor back up or drive one out without breaking a sweat, you would need to know how they work, right? Let’s dive into the process of getting your windlass running smoothly, and then you can check out our guide to the best windlass for your boat.

    How Does an Anchor Windlass Work?

    The anchor windlass helps to control the anchor chain, and it serves to let-out or heave-up the anchor rode on a boat. A chain cable allows the anchor to be raised or lowered. In most cases, the windlass is powered by an electric motor through a pulley system. It helps to pull the heavy weight out from the water.

    First off, a windlass is simply a winch. Unlike the vertical ones, a horizontal windlass’ gear box and motor are usually located above deck while the vertical windlass’ motor sits below deck. The windlass should be able to hoist the anchor and its rode (rode is the technical term for the rope or chain connecting your anchor and boat) if used in context of its working pull and not its maximum pull. Most boats have the manually powered windlass while the more modern ones are powered by the motor. Find the controls of your windlass, they can be buttons on your deck or installed on a remote. To find out if you need your motor running to drive your windlass, use the controls without the engine on. If you do need the engine on, make sure you can release the brake allowing the rode to run freely just in case you cannot start your engine.

    The windlass’ cogs allow it to either power down: slowly (with the brake on) lower the anchor and all its rode or it can freefall letting the chain go free (with the brake off). In deep water, a freefall may be too fast and may damage the windlass, but some of them do not offer the option of powering down so mariners must be cautious. While the anchor is down, easing the weight off the windlass provided by the shock of the wind and waves is recommended. This means using a Devil’s Claw (for bigger boats) or a chain stopper is not enough, but instead easing the weight on the boat and the windlass, you must use a chain snubber or an anchor knellet.

    The most strain on the windlass comes from the retrieval of the anchor. Motor up to the anchor slowly until the rode is absolutely vertical and then put the engine in neutral holding position. Raise the anchor vertically until it is safe on the bow roller. Do not pull the boat up to the anchor using the windlass and please try not to get your finger caught in the gypsy as both can have disastrous effects.

    Try to power down your rode and keep it free of any debris from the sea floor as some windlasses are not forgiving in that aspect. Use a chain snubber to ease the strain on your boat and the windlass. Don’t be reckless with your windlass and hoist your anchor back up vertically. Remember that almost every windlass has a brake so use that to your advantage when you’re in a hurry as well. The biggest tip is to care for your windlass, as they are absorbing up to four times the weight of the ground tackle.

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