Windlass mishap - my wife came thisclose to losing two fingers yesterday

I see this as a hazzard that we all can relate to. I have about 30' of chain that my windlass handles very well, but where it is spliced to the rope, the windlass has difficulty feeding it into the locker. It often wads up where the splice is and I either reverse it back and forth, stop it an push it through the hole with my finger, or pull it down through the locker. Afther the splice begins to feed, all goes well.

After I crank the engines, I go forward to raise the anchor....usually without a problem. I never go that I don't think about a finger in the windlass.....so glad that your wife is OK.


Don
 
Four Suns said:
Personally, I think you could have handled it better. It would have been a great time to ask for some "concessions" in the negotiation. I would have said something like "I'll let the windless down if you'll have sex with me anytime I demand it for the rest of your life. If the answer is 'no', the windless may go the wrong way."

You blew it...
Click to expand...

Good time to negotiate, damn kids keeping their heads!
 
Also...FWIW. I think 9 years old is too young to be operating a windlass (for all the reasons above).
How about a less hazardous job like.
pulling in fenders
stowing dock lines
ect.
 
Oh man... I must be a child abuser. I've always had my kids help me pull up the anchor with the windlass. I've even made them (at 9 years old) walk behind this machine at home with a 5HP gas engine on it slinging a 2 foot sharp blade a few feet from them for several hours a week... cutting the grass...

They are still alive...
 
Kind of supprised you push on the rope against something that is turning. Yeah I could see bad things happening here. When it hits the transition I just pull up on the chain causing slack it feeds and grabs the chain, yes hand get dirty but no chance of loosing digits.
I do think 9 is plenty old to start learing some responsibility and work.
 
I think anyone who is into boating, regardless of age, should have a little skin in the game...I know I have left some in the e.r.
 
ACV97 said:
Kind of supprised you push on the rope against something that is turning. Yeah I could see bad things happening here. When it hits the transition I just pull up on the chain causing slack it feeds and grabs the chain, yes hand get dirty but no chance of loosing digits.
Click to expand...

This is my method also. I thought I was the only one with this inconvenience.
 
Your wife is very very lucky and Gary's wife is very unlucky.
Two summers ago there was a May Day in the North Channel a lady got her hand caught in the windlass and they could not get it out. They were 30 miles from help and on a sail boat. The coast guard was 5 hours away, two boats responded and the windlass had to be dismantled to get her hand out. Once the power boats got her to shore she was air lifted to Toronto for surgery, we heard a few weeks later they managed to save her hand and her fingers but was going to have a very long rehab. I operate the windlass from the helm, if I have to go forward to the windlass, the wife would operate it but not till she sees both my hands. The windlass is some thing that needs to be respected and not left to a child to operate.

Ken
 
Southpaw II said:
I see this as a hazzard that we all can relate to. I have about 30' of chain that my windlass handles very well, but where it is spliced to the rope, the windlass has difficulty feeding it into the locker. It often wads up where the splice is and I either reverse it back and forth, stop it an push it through the hole with my finger, or pull it down through the locker. Afther the splice begins to feed, all goes well.

After I crank the engines, I go forward to raise the anchor....usually without a problem. I never go that I don't think about a finger in the windlass.....so glad that your wife is OK.

Don
Click to expand...

Take a close look at the splice that connects the rode to the chain. Over time, these can some times start to unravel slightly causing it to bulge. It still holds but is not as slim as you would like to slip easily through the windlass. Its a hassle, but you might want to have it re-spliced.
 
A serious yet amusing post.
Honestly one of them things you don't think about until something bad happens. I'm always the lone soul operating it and usually do all the controls via the foot switches.
I wonder when a lawsuit will eliminate windlasses or make them install big ugly guards and bright yellow stickers?
 
Iprof said:
Your wife is very very lucky and Gary's wife is very unlucky.
Two summers ago there was a May Day in the North Channel a lady got her hand caught in the windlass and they could not get it out. They were 30 miles from help and on a sail boat. The coast guard was 5 hours away, two boats responded and the windlass had to be dismantled to get her hand out. Once the power boats got her to shore she was air lifted to Toronto for surgery, we heard a few weeks later they managed to save her hand and her fingers but was going to have a very long rehab. I operate the windlass from the helm, if I have to go forward to the windlass, the wife would operate it but not till she sees both my hands. The windlass is some thing that needs to be respected and not left to a child to operate.

Ken
Click to expand...
Most our boating is alone, hrs from help, cell phones don't work, etc. I try to be extra careful, some times the crew doesn't appreciate my efforts/directives(they think I'm a little bossy) and I suspect they have discussed mutiny on more than one occasion.:lol:
 
The nine years old acted better under pressure than Obama did during the debt raising.
 
I operate the windlass almost entirely from the helm...why not? When we're ready to drop anchor, I'll go and remove the safety cable and come back. Then I'll lower the anchor while I back down until the right amount of rode has been payed out. Then I'll throttle up a bit and set. I'll then basically do the same thing in reverse to retrieve the anchor. However I'll usually go up to the bow and use the foot switches (with my FOOT!) for the last few feet to make sure the anchor does not get turned 180 in the chute. Reattach cable and done. No digits anywhere near the windlass.

If it does get hung up, the safer way as someone mentioned is to reach into the anchor locker and pull on the rope or chain within as you operate the windlass until it catches...

In any case, the whole operation is left to a single operator. No discussions, no orders, no requests, no compromises... :smt001
 
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