While anchored in Panama City a sailboat drifted away from the anchorage. Cruisers that came for the rescue found the boat with the anchor up on deck. When the owner returned
he said that another boat with a remote control could have triggered his windlass and picked up his anchor. The anchor was jammed into his anchor roller.
Can this happen like a garage door opener?
Why would anyone leave the windlass breaker on when not in active use? Anyone stepping on the foot switch would instantly trigger the chain to possibly grab a toe, a towel, or a dog tail. That's why I use the high intensity red LED lights to indicate an active windlass circuit, as well as illuminate the potentially dangerous area at night.
While anchored in Panama City a sailboat drifted away from the anchorage. Cruisers that came for the rescue found the boat with the anchor up on deck. When the owner returned
he said that another boat with a remote control could have triggered his windlass and picked up his anchor. The anchor was jammed into his anchor roller.
Can this happen like a garage door opener?
While the anchor may have been hauled up by the windlass unintentionally, that was far more like caused by a fault in the power circuit--and particularly so if the yacht was fitted with on-deck foot switches--than by an errant wireless signal. We are fitted with a wireless controller for our windless and it is only effective if one is within 50 feet or so of the receiver (under our forward berth). Moreover, the windlass only operates so long as one is depressing an up or down button. It is too improbable that someone else's wireless signal might have tripped an unoccupied yacht's controller for a long enough period to fully hoist its anchor.
On the other hand, I have seen a defective foot-switch activate, and continue to run, a windlass until the power supply was cut-off. In that case, the couple that owned the yacht was preparing to leave the boat for the evening and had the windlass activated 15 minutes later, they might not have found the yacht upon their return. These situations, of course, speak to the need to disconnect the power to the windlass once the anchor has been deployed and set. On our boat, we have an indicator LED that illuminates whenever the windlass power supply is connected so there's no doubt about the power status of the windlass.
As to the merit of the wireless controller, we have found it very beneficial and I have no difficulty deploying or recovering our anchor from the helm.
FWIW...
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I thought about a wireless remote. Even bought the electronic components to do it. But, because I've seen the anchor chain bind up before it goes into the chain locker on occasion I'm thinking it might not be a good idea after all. My thinking now it is better to be where the action is even if it means running back and forth between the helm and the bow while raising the anchor.
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Re: Remote Windlass Control ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by micah719
Say....whoever said the windlass has to be at the bow anyway? Weight is supposed to be kept off the ends, isn't it?
. . . could the windlass be put abaft the foremast . . .?
If the windlass is abaft the foremast (you have a schooner or a brig?), and if the anchor roller is forward, how will you get the chain around the foremast to the windlass? [now where's that smiley scratching its head?]
If the windlass is abaft the foremast (you have a schooner or a brig?), and if the anchor roller is forward, how will you get the chain around the foremast to the windlass? [now where's that smiley scratching its head?]
Well, a simple solution is to put a bow roller on its side and bolt it to the deck. I use those roller assemblies for boat trailers to guide my reserve chain from a midships bilge to the forward anchor locker, and it works very well.
For a fancier unit, model the chain guide like a snatch block. Have a sturdy roller mounted to the deck, and perhaps have a strap that keeps the chain from hopping out. I believe I've seen these in industrial cable systems.
The chain will chew up the deck beneath, so you can use a strip of metal, synthetic planking, or that white plastic you buy at West Marine. I use a plank of apitong, a Brazilian hardwood used in trailer beds, sitting in the bottom of a plastic industrial rectangular drain, to slide the chain from one bilge bay to another. I'll have to send pics at another time.
Sorry, I timed out on the edit changes. The chain is going to chew up the deck as it slides, so you need to consider a sacrificial barrier. I have used metal, those synthetic wood planks for patio decks, Starboard, from West Marine. My own boat uses apitong, a Brazilian hardwood often used in trailer beds. To move from bilge bay to bilge bay, I built a chute using a rectangular, box-like industrial drain from Home Depot, and laid the apitong in the bottom. At each end I use the roller guides (in galvanized steel frames) to direct the chain around corners at each end. I just realized I didn't have any pics. I'll correct that soon.
I am getting Lewmar H3 install with remote control with rote read out on it I wish to conduct single handle anchoring control buttons on deck for back up
I use a helm mounted anchor control. I can't ever see the chain marking so I use 8 inch cable ties with the tail sticking up. 1 for 50 2 for 100 etc. They go right through the windlass and last a long time. They stick up and are easy to see going over the bow roller.
will the wireless remote signal penetrate the hull and activate the receiver from about 3 meters away? Or will the aluminium hull block the signal, like it does with my bluetooth phone signal?
Thanks from Keith.
I have an aluminium boat and was not sure of the same question.
In practice it has worked fine.
My solenoids are not far from the front hatch, but the receiver (or aerial) can be mounted remotely if needed.
The price of these units is only low so it is worth the gamble.
For some anchoring manoeuvres, such as anchoring with a stern tie up the remote is handy.
As a word of warning they are not well made so make sure they are just back up.
As with most pieces of equipment there are different views on value and use. I have controls on bow and at helm with a counter and chain and rode are marked. I single hand a lot but not always. I choose which method to set and raise according to the prevailing conditions. In many anchoring situations the use of remote works well(good view of the bow is helpful) . On retrieval when anchor is at 8ft from bow the auto stop activates and I go forward and visually bring in the last bit of chain and clean as necessary. This has worked for me over the last 10 years on a 38 and 50 ft boats with many hundreds of uses with no bow damage. Regarding bow damage from an anchor a lot of that I believe is related to design and technique. On my boats I can see windless well from helm so handling a jam not much different than being on bow. I have been told by people who make custom windless and reel units that some of the greatest stress is when anchor comes up to bow roller and over. Therefor I use a special Ultra universal joint at that point and often go forward as above to clean last bit of chain and make sure anchor aligns well with roller.
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