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GREY LADY OPERATING MANUAL
NW Explorations
Section 5: What to Do If
ANCHOR CHAIN WON’T COME OUT OF CHAIN LOCKER
The anchor chain is continuous, secured at both ends, and cannot tangle. But sometimes a pile of chain will fall over, and
one loop of chain will fall through another loop. Usually you can clear this by grasping the chain where it exits the hawse
pipe from the chain locker with your hands, and pulling it up or down to “jiggle” the loop out of the chain; you may have
to retrieve some chain to do this, in order to have enough slack to jiggle it! It is rare when this will not clear the jam. The
other solution: open starboard hatch and clear the tangle in the chain locker.
Caution: Turn off the windlass breaker in
the engine compartment to protect your hands when manhandling chain!
ANCHOR FOULED, CAN’T RAISE IT
This can happen if you “pull the boat to the anchor” with the windlass. You should move the boat under power until it is
over the anchor, or, even better, slightly ahead of it before hauling.
Usually this will clear it. Otherwise, take a line and form a fixed, loose loop around the chain.
Weight the loop, and lower it down the line until it reaches the bottom, sliding down the chain. Then, using the dinghy,
take the line forward past the anchor so that you can pull the anchor out, opposite the direction its flukes are pointing.
This should help you to pull the anchor free.
ANCHOR WINDLASS WON’T TURN
If the motor isn’t running, is the circuit breaker in the engine compartment on? If the motor is running, is the clutch
tight? Use the anchor windlass handle. Windlasses are equipped with a shear pin to protect them: if you sheared the
pin, you will have to haul the anchor by hand using the emergency handle.
BATTERIES (HOUSE) KEEP RUNNING DOWN
Have you run the engines or generator enough? Is something left on (like the engine room or mast lights, too many elec-
tronics, etc.) that is too great a load for the time you were not charging? Are you using the inverter for big jobs? Use the
stove or shore power. Have you had the inverter on whenever plugged in to shore power or running the generator? You
must, for the house batteries to charge!
ENGINE OVERHEATS
Is the drive belt for the water pump intact? Spare belts are in the engine room spares kit. Is the sea strainer clogged?
See that section in this manual. Is the impeller shot? If sea strainer is clear and belt is good, this is likely. Change (spare
in spares kit) or call a mechanic.
Do not run engine if it overheats!
ENGINE WON’T START
If starter does not turn, is transmission in neutral? Check battery, battery switches. Try turning “ON” the “Parallel” switch
in the engine compartment above the batteries (after starting, don’t forget to turn it off!). Or start generator, charge all
the batteries. If starter turns, assume fuel problem: did you bump a fuel valve on the manifold at back of engine room?
Make sure all open, if one was closed, re-prime engine or call a mechanic if you can’t do this (see Volvo Penta engine
manual).
