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Stop the chain when the anchor is within 3 feet of the roller. Turn the anchor so the point
is towards the bow. Very briefly tap the deck switch until the anchor slowly comes up
over the roller. Make sure the chain is snug but not stiff and tight. Engage the chain dog
and secure with a safety line.
1. Make sure the crew weighing anchor has been trained in using the windlass and
knows what you expect them to do.
2. Always start main engines before you begin to weigh anchor. Do not pull the boat
with the windlass – this could cause the windlass to fail and require manual (read
painful) retrieval. Keep the chain vertical when raising the anchor. This will
minimize windlass strain and anchor swinging.
3. Care should be taken that anchor does not swing into bow.
4. Stop the windlass when the anchor shank reaches the roller. Make sure the anchor is
aligned to have the points down. Carefully raise the anchor shank over the roller until
the chain is snug. Engage the ratchet on the windlass to prevent the anchor from
releasing unexpectedly and secure with a safety line.
5. When finished with windlass, turn off breaker at panel.
C. Windlass Emergency Procedures
1. If the windlass is slipping without taking up chain, the clutch must be tightened. The
lever for tightening the clutch is a 1”x1/4”x 18” aluminum bar with a steel pin on one
end, stored under the flip-up panel on the bow starboard side
2. Insert the lever in one of the slots near the top of the windlass and tighten clockwise.
1. If the windlass fails, the clutch lever may be used to bring up the anchor.
2. First, set the chain dog to keep the chain from going out.
3. Using the clutch bar, release the clutch by turning counter clockwise.
4. Insert the clutch bar into the lower slot with the pin end inserted pin up.
5. Engage pin on chain gear and pull clockwise as far as possible. Make sure the chain
dog is holding and re-engage the pin again and pull.
6. This works best if at least 2 people trade off pulling and one making sure the chain
dog is held in place. (As you can imagine, this is not an easy recovery but better than
using brute force to pull the chain and anchor up! It could be over 250 pounds.)
June 1, 2010