Windlass scare....

TiggerToo

TiggerToo

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... well a bit anyway.

At the start of the season last week, I went to drop the anchor in Dandy Hole to stay the night after re-launching Tigger.

Everything seemed fine, until I took my finger off the windlass command but the gypsy just continued turning... I tried disconnecting the command, but the thing kept turning. After a few seconds of panic, I switched off all power from the batteries, just to get my breath back and remind myself of where the main windlass circuit breaker is.

After some investigation, it turned out that the solenoids controlling the windlass switch have corroded slightly and one of them got stuck in the "down" position. I cleaned it up a bit, sprayed a bit of WD40+ "contact oil" and got them freed up again. They seem to be working now. I think I will add to my maintenance checks a clean up and a light lubrication at the start of the season.

I would not like to think what would happen if someone used the windlass to winch someone up the mast, and the solenoid got suck in the "up" position! Better use manual power....
 
I heard of somebody using an electric winch to hoist somebody up the mast. The person winching had the same problem and in her panic got tangled in the winch and lost an arm. The person that went to help lost fingers.
 
geem said:
I heard of somebody using an electric winch to hoist somebody up the mast. The person winching had the same problem and in her panic got tangled in the winch and lost an arm. The person that went to help lost fingers.
Click to expand...

A self-tailing winch is worse. With a simple capstan or warping drum, you can instantly surge the rope around the drum to cease hauling, even while the drum still turns. Of course, this requires the person tailing to keep their head (the panic reaction is usually to hold on and pull!) and you really need a third person to go and kill the power while they manage the rope.

Pete
 
geem said:
I heard of somebody using an electric winch to hoist somebody up the mast. The person winching had the same problem and in her panic got tangled in the winch and lost an arm. The person that went to help lost fingers.
Click to expand...

We had a visitor to our stand last SBS. "I use the anchor winch to get me up" proudly showing a thumbless hand.

He bought one!
 
Graham_Wright said:
We had a visitor to our stand last SBS. "I use the anchor winch to get me up" proudly showing a thumbless hand.
Click to expand...

Years ago I was blowing up some stuff in Namibia, and a local explosives expert was hired to chaperone me. He had lost all but two fingers on one hand a few months previously ... in an explosives accident. Very reassuring.
 
TiggerToo said:
... well a bit anyway.

At the start of the season last week, I went to drop the anchor in Dandy Hole to stay the night after re-launching Tigger.

Everything seemed fine, until I took my finger off the windlass command but the gypsy just continued turning... I tried disconnecting the command, but the thing kept turning. After a few seconds of panic, I switched off all power from the batteries, just to get my breath back and remind myself of where the main windlass circuit breaker is.

....
Click to expand...

I use gravity to drop the anchor. It has never been known to fail.
 
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