When you go stern to with lines ashore, or even onto a town key using your anchor not lazy-lines, the weight rests on your windlass.
Once setup and having lines to shore you should make sure you “TAKE A LOAD OFF“.
Do this by driving forward against your stern lines, releasing the pressure on the chain and then depending on your boat, either drop the chain block, put the bridle hook onto the chain and tie off on the cleat or tie that wonderful knot (the rolling hitch) onto the chain and tie off onto the cleat.
Once you have done this, ease off your engines, which will put the strain back on your chain, but now not on the windlas, but on the cleat and if need to ease out a fraction of chain to make sure you have no load on the windlass.
All three options will be easy to remove come departure time, just reverse the drive forward bit and undo.
2 Responses
This made us re think how we do things. So thank you. When med moored we don’t put the bridle on but the hook that’s near the windless goes on. Thinking about it, this acts as a safety stop but does not take the strain off. We are going to re gig it.
Thank you for that feedback. So glad that helped. We have a debt to repay for everyone that has put things forward to help us… I think sailors ar perhaps the most pay it forward types around 🙂