Anchor retrieval problem

[westcoaster]

Greetings!
I recently returned from a single handed 10 week sailing trip. I traveled part of the BC coast anchoring in numerous bays and coves. My anchoring gear consists of a Lofrans Royal manual windlass, 5/16 ht chain and a 25LB cqr anchor with a swivel. Sounds good to this point, but for the majority of the time I had to retrieve my anchor by hand because the chain came in twisted so it did not sit as it should on the gypsy. On the odd occasion it would seem to come in correctly but would end up in knots in the chain locker. I have had this setup for 6 years now from new. It used to operate correctly but now it has become a major problem and is driving me nuts. It is also hard on my old body to haul in all that weight without the assistance of the windlass.
Any ideas as to what might be causing my problem? After 10 weeks of thought on this matter I am no closer to figuring out what is going on.
Thank you,
Peers Pendlebury