Windlass on Surprise

We are just back from our summer family sailing trip up the coast... Surprise was a good home and a feeder - in the Navy they say one cannot say more for a ship.

Here are some pictures from the trip - people have been asking me about our anchor windlass installation so you may have a place for that on the site.

That windlass is a Vetus. When I installed it I was asked at our sailing club how much power it draws... I answered 'about half a cheeseburger' which stunned my interviewer. Apparently he was shocked that I would fit a manual windlass.

We carry 150' of 5/16" BBB chain under the windlass, 200' of 5/8" nylon through the deck pipe to port. If you look closely at the spinnaker sheet snap shackle to starboard, you will see the marlin spike on a lanyard we keep in the anchor fitting for the starboard lifeline. Keeping the spike there keeps it handy for doing up and removing shackles from whatever anchor we put on the nylon anchor cable.

The reason the mahogony pad under the windlass extends so far aft is so that it covers the old hole from the old deck pipe we used for the chain before I got the windlass.

The other reason is just because I liked it.

Gord
Surprise, #426

Offshore Sailing by Bill Seifert with Daniel Spurr

We went to a Windjammers lecture to hear Bill Seifert and I was impressed enough to buy the book on the spot. I've heard a lot of people talk about ways to improve a boat, but I've never heard one person suggest so many good ideas that I hadn't considered. Part of the charm is the specificity of the suggestions. Everyone says you should secure your floorboards, hatchboards and batteries. Bill shows good suggestions on how to do so.

The suggestions are very practical for the do-it-yourselfer, too. Many show how to make or adapt inexpensive solutions. Tip #12 on closing the deck blower vents is one that will pay off for me without ever going offshore. I'll implement that one to stop the wintertime storms from finding their way belowdecks.

Besides modifications, the book also includes advice for operating offshore, cooking, boat selection, dealing with bureaucracy, and more.

Bill Seifert has worked at Tartan, TPI, and Alden Yachts. He's a veteran of many Marion-Bermuda races and now runs his own yacht management company. His tips are born of experience--not of book-learning--and it shows. He obviously knows his stuff.

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Page last modified: Friday 03-Feb-2023