"Bert van den Berg" wrote in message
b.com...
As far as manual windlasses are concerned..... yesterday I watched (and
heard) a manual windlass in action. The conditions were perfect, hardly
any wind but it took the poor fellow almost ten minutes to bring up his
anchor. The sailboat was around 35 feet long and the depth was also about
35 feet.

In my opinion an electric windlass is as much a safety feature as well as a
great convenience. If the weather had suddenly turned or the boat was
dragging anchor or someone else was dragging anchor and about to collide
with the 35 footer above I think the poor guy above would have been hurting.

With an electric windlass you don't really have to think twice about
re-anchoring elsewhere or dropping anchor at one spot only for a bit of a
dive or other temporary activity. With a manual windlass (or none) you
would think twice about doing same.

My two cents worth...


====================[reply}==================

And, two cents is about all your comments are worth because
your comments assume electric windlasses will work each and
every time. Too bad that is not the case. Ergo, this thread.

Like any other electrical system, electrical windlasses can and
do fail with great regularity and assuming they will always pull
the fat out of the fire, so to speak, is a disaster waiting to happen.

Your attitude indicates laziness, ignorance and overreliance
upon technology which technology remains unreliable and should
not be taken for granted, especially when safety and lives are at
stake.

Your rationale is tantamount to that of a diesel motor sailor who
takes a chance on motoring into untenable conditions because
he views his motor as infallible and thus takes chances he
would not normally take. When he ends up on the rocks because
of his attitude does he blame himself? No, he blames the motor.

The very same thing can be said about relying upon electric
windlasses on small, recreational sailboats.

Get a clue before you end up being the object of a maritime
rescue.

--
Sir Gregory

"Bruce in Bangkok" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 27 Jan 2014 17:58:48 +1300, "Bert van den Berg"
wrote:

As far as manual windlasses are concerned..... yesterday I watched (and
heard) a manual windlass in action. The conditions were perfect, hardly
any wind but it took the poor fellow almost ten minutes to bring up his
anchor. The sailboat was around 35 feet long and the depth was also about
35 feet.

In my opinion an electric windlass is as much a safety feature as well as a
great convenience. If the weather had suddenly turned or the boat was
dragging anchor or someone else was dragging anchor and about to collide
with the 35 footer above I think the poor guy above would have been hurting.

With an electric windlass you don't really have to think twice about
re-anchoring elsewhere or dropping anchor at one spot only for a bit of a
dive or other temporary activity. With a manual windlass (or none) you
would think twice about doing same.

My two cents worth...

Bert
S/V Guinevere


I surely agree. A year or so ago my wife and I set off for a little
vacation and decided to make a trip to Langkawi, Malaysia. We usually
stop several nights on the way and just laze along and the first night
we anchored at Phi Phi Island. The next morning the winch is dead :-(

Well, 10 Mtrs of water and 3/8" inch chain. I can do it! so hauled the
anchor by hand and set off for our next stop. And so it went for three
days...... But I can tell you I really, really, looked for shallow
water :-)

Perhaps you should consider that 3/8" chain is overkill. Duh! Hell,
you could lift your sailboat off the ground with 3/8" chain and the
MOST force you'd ever put on in even in a typhoon would be about
a thousand pounds. The wind just doesn't produce that much force
upon a battened-own sailboat.

You, sir, are no sailor!

--
Sir Gregory

--
Sir Gregory

On Mon, 27 Jan 2014 07:30:25 -0700, slide wrote:

On 1/26/2014 12:30 PM, Sir Gregory Hall, Esq· wrote:



Public admission of damaging or destroying coral reefs with
an all-chain rode noted! I don't know about elsewhere but
here in the Florida Keys it's illegal to anchor on coral.


OK, oyster beds then. Satisfied?

Oyster beds, more commonly known as "Pearl Farms" in this part of the
world are buoyed and policed. If you even approach them a power boat
loaded with energetic people will immediately roar out and prevent
you from anchoring there.
--
Cheers,

Bruce in Bangkok

On Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:25:28 -0500, " Sir Gregory Hall, Esq·"
åke wrote:

"Bert van den Berg" wrote in message
eb.com...
As far as manual windlasses are concerned..... yesterday I watched (and
heard) a manual windlass in action. The conditions were perfect, hardly
any wind but it took the poor fellow almost ten minutes to bring up his
anchor. The sailboat was around 35 feet long and the depth was also about
35 feet.

In my opinion an electric windlass is as much a safety feature as well as a
great convenience. If the weather had suddenly turned or the boat was
dragging anchor or someone else was dragging anchor and about to collide
with the 35 footer above I think the poor guy above would have been hurting.

With an electric windlass you don't really have to think twice about
re-anchoring elsewhere or dropping anchor at one spot only for a bit of a
dive or other temporary activity. With a manual windlass (or none) you
would think twice about doing same.

My two cents worth...


====================[reply}==================

And, two cents is about all your comments are worth because
your comments assume electric windlasses will work each and
every time. Too bad that is not the case. Ergo, this thread.

Like any other electrical system, electrical windlasses can and
do fail with great regularity and assuming they will always pull
the fat out of the fire, so to speak, is a disaster waiting to happen.

Your attitude indicates laziness, ignorance and overreliance
upon technology which technology remains unreliable and should
not be taken for granted, especially when safety and lives are at
stake.

Your rationale is tantamount to that of a diesel motor sailor who
takes a chance on motoring into untenable conditions because
he views his motor as infallible and thus takes chances he
would not normally take. When he ends up on the rocks because
of his attitude does he blame himself? No, he blames the motor.

The very same thing can be said about relying upon electric
windlasses on small, recreational sailboats.

Get a clue before you end up being the object of a maritime
rescue.


More glorious words of wisdom from the armchair sailor.
--
Cheers,

Bruce in Bangkok

On Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:58:02 -0500, " Sir Gregory Hall, Esq·"
åke wrote:

"Bruce in Bangkok" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 27 Jan 2014 17:58:48 +1300, "Bert van den Berg"
wrote:

As far as manual windlasses are concerned..... yesterday I watched (and
heard) a manual windlass in action. The conditions were perfect, hardly
any wind but it took the poor fellow almost ten minutes to bring up his
anchor. The sailboat was around 35 feet long and the depth was also about
35 feet.

In my opinion an electric windlass is as much a safety feature as well as a
great convenience. If the weather had suddenly turned or the boat was
dragging anchor or someone else was dragging anchor and about to collide
with the 35 footer above I think the poor guy above would have been hurting.

With an electric windlass you don't really have to think twice about
re-anchoring elsewhere or dropping anchor at one spot only for a bit of a
dive or other temporary activity. With a manual windlass (or none) you
would think twice about doing same.

My two cents worth...

Bert
S/V Guinevere


I surely agree. A year or so ago my wife and I set off for a little
vacation and decided to make a trip to Langkawi, Malaysia. We usually
stop several nights on the way and just laze along and the first night
we anchored at Phi Phi Island. The next morning the winch is dead :-(

Well, 10 Mtrs of water and 3/8" inch chain. I can do it! so hauled the
anchor by hand and set off for our next stop. And so it went for three
days...... But I can tell you I really, really, looked for shallow
water :-)

Perhaps you should consider that 3/8" chain is overkill. Duh! Hell,
you could lift your sailboat off the ground with 3/8" chain and the
MOST force you'd ever put on in even in a typhoon would be about
a thousand pounds. The wind just doesn't produce that much force
upon a battened-own sailboat.

You, sir, are no sailor!

--
Sir Gregory

An interesting statement albeit false. During the tsunami a French
woman anchored in Chalong Bay had her anchor chain snap.

But other than that a 3/8" chain is generally recommended for a 40+
foot boat and adds considerably to the anchor's holding power.

Of course, sitting there in your arm chair you probably didn't realize
that, after all you don't cruise, unless one counts your epic voyage
down the bay and back, so you obviously lack experience.

--
Cheers,

Bruce in Bangkok