Using the windlass with mixed rode

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Guinevere
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:31 pm

Using the windlass with mixed rode

Post by Guinevere »

Only having the boat for a few seasons and moored exclusively at slips, my first mate and I have been out practicing our technique with the anchor and windlass.

How do you best handle the transition between chain and line rode?

She can't take the tension off the rode long enough to move the rode between the drum and the chain sprockets on the windlass. I assume I should power the boat forward a bit to give her some slack and to prevent the windlass from dragging the weight of the boat forward as well.

I've also read about folks just using the chain sprocket to take up the rope rode but that seems like it would slip and be tough on the line.

We would appreciate any thoughts in general about deploying and retrieving the hook on the 350.

Bob
Guinevere
#243
Guinevere
#243
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TBOT422
Posts: 424
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2011 5:36 pm
Location: Clearwater, FL

Re: Using the windlass with mixed rode

Post by TBOT422 »

Bob,

A great question. We wrestled with this issue for a couple of years. The instructions in the manual say to use the upper part of the winch as a warping drum for the rode until there is a couple of wraps of chain around the winch, then engage a chain stopper to prevent the chain from sliding back out while you remove the rode from the warping drum and place the chain on to the chain sprocket. You can then release the chain stopper and bring the remaining chain in with the winch.

We didn't find this process very easy to do. First we didn't have a true chain stopper, so we employed a carabineer on a short line. Secondly, the warping drum does not tail the rode easily into the locker. It wants to tail off horizontally onto the deck. Since we only had about 25 feet of chain, and typically put out about 75 feet total, that meant we wound up with about 50 feet of sometimes filthy slimy rode on the deck that needed to be fed down into the locker by hand before we could bring in the last 25 feet of chain. All the while on a 'short string' which could break loose and slide in heavy winds. That was not a comfortable situation in frequently tight anchorages.

The winch on the C350 seems to be better suited to an all chain rode, but that adds the complexity of using some sort of snubber to take the shock loads off the chain. We finally compromised by installing 65 feet of chain. That allows us to put out all the chain and 10-15 feet of rode to absorb the shock load. Now we just bring in the 10-15 feet of rode which can be easily done by hand in light wind and drop the chain over the sprocket. In moderate winds you can motor toward the anchor and create enough slack to quickly pull in the 10-15 feet of rode and drop the chain over the sprocket before the boat drifts back onto the anchor chain. In heavier winds if would be safest to employ a chain stopper.

My suggestion would be to analyze the water depth where you typically anchor and use as much chain as you can so that you only need to put out a small amount of rode, making the transition from rode to chain much easier to deal with. We tend to always anchor in relatively shallow water. If the tidal change is 3 feet, you would want at least 3 feet of water below the keel at high tide, plus 4.5 feet of keel, and 4 feet from the water to the bow pulpit is 11.5 feet. 65 feet of chain plus 10 feet of rode provides a scope of 6.5:1, and the rode never touches bottom to get slimy or cut on rocks or other trash on the bottom.

Good Luck
Gary & Janet
The Best of Times (Hull #422)
tedseward
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2015 3:27 pm

Re: Using the windlass with mixed rode

Post by tedseward »

The answer is that you Never Ever use the windlass to pull the boat forward. Always use the engine to move the boat toward the anchor so there is no strain on the rode. Wear leather gloves and as the boat moves forward it is easy to pull the rode in by hand and let in fall into the anchor locker. As the chain comes up over the roller simply pull it in and around the windless. At that point you can step on the magic rubber pad and let the windless do the work of pulling the chain into the boat...again...NOT with any strain. My small wife and I manage this quite effectively. One hint is that as the chain gets tight because the wind or current is pushing the boat...simply stop the windless and wait until the helmsperson can use the engine and rudder to take the strain off.
AynB
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:13 pm

Re: Using the windlass with mixed rode

Post by AynB »

I can totally support TBOT422's final paragraph, with the following additional thoughts.
Basic anchoring is not what you should plan for. Rather you should plan and equip for the extremes.
Do as TBOT422 says and 90 percent to 95 percent of the time you'll be golden... but...
What if the weather goes to poop and you're out on the hook and the wind pipes up to over 50kts ( as has happened to us ).
Would't a little extra chain feel a bit more secure?
We changed over our primary to 200' chain with 100' of 5/8" rope after our first year of ownership. I cannot tell you how many times we have used all of that and wished for more when on the hook.
Our secondary has, as TBOT suggests, 65' chain and 200' rode with well maintained connections. Why? Because twice now, we have taken the 65' chain and added it to the 200' that was already out just for the security of it.

But, you have to take what we do with a large grain of salt. We sail in the PNW, we spend up to two weeks straight on the hook ( resetting every 3rd or 4th day ) and we have , let's say, variable weather conditions, and poor to fair weather predictions. Anchoring at the extremes.

Now as to your original question: When I choose to use our secondary, ( rock pick anchor ), we just wrap the rode on the gypsy 4 or 5 times and haul it in. When the chain hits the gypsy, it's own weight will , within a few turns drop the chain into the teeth and keep going. We ALWAYS power into the retrieval of the anchor, NEVER letting the windlass pull the boat. As for slimy decks... well , I suspect you have not had the experience of Gumboot Bay clay - takes about two weeks of rain to get it off!

Enjoy and be safe
Al
Guinevere
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:31 pm

Re: Using the windlass with mixed rode

Post by Guinevere »

Thanks Gary & Janet, Ted, and Al for your insights and comments. Much appreciated!

We'll head back out this weekend for some more hook practice and will bring along some leather gloves, too!

Bob
Guinevere
#243
Guinevere
#243
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