4A2: Anchor Chain Locker & Anchor Jams
Anchor Handling:
The anchor is forward on the bow pulpit. It is raised and lowered by the
electric windlass. The chain goes from the windlass into the chain locker
through the chain pipe behind the chain wheel (“wildcat”). From here, the chain
goes into a bow chain locker.
Be careful when dealing with the chain! If a crew member is
operating the windlass be especially careful to keep fingers, hands,
arms, etc. away from the chain!
Use the foredeck windlass
remote control/counter or
control foot
switches, not the helm
switches, so you can see where the chain is
going and be sure it is
clear of the boat properly when raising or
lowering the anchor!
Lowering anchor:
If the chain jams while lowering anchor, it is because one loop of the chain on top of the pile has
fallen inside another loop of chain when the chain pile may have fallen over or shifted. There is no way
the chain can be tangled so that you will ever need to disconnect it! One easy way to disentangle the
chain is, while wearing gloves, grasp the chain on the forward side of the windlass, and, while lifting it
above the wildcat manually, rapidly yank it up and down. This will usually free it.
If, on the other hand, this “yanking” technique fails, look into the chain locker to un-overlap the
layers of chain in the pile.
Hauling anchor:
Be careful when dealing with the chain! If a crew member is operating the windlass
while a person is accessing the chain locker, be especially careful to keep that
person’s fingers, hands, arms, etc. away from the chain! Use a windlass handle or
broomstick to deal with the chain.
4A3: Anchor Chain Measurement
The chain is measured by marks on the chain. The markings are as follows:
10'
Red-Yellow-Red
100'
200'
300'
Red
Red
Red
50'
Y
e
llow
150'
Yellow
250'
Yellow
350'
Yellow
390'
Red-Yellow-Red
The Anchor Keeper safety hook
keeps the anchor from
accidentally deploying.
Section 4A: Anchor & Ground Tackle 4.2
4A3
A
:
Salt Water Washdown
There is a salt waterwash down spigoit on the port side next to the windlass. To use salt water
washdown for cleaning rode and anchor, turn on generator and windlass breaker. Also, the bow
thruster battery charger switch must be on.
