Windlass crumble pie

Ah now it was all going so well. All three fridges were going strong, the wind indicator that was confusing port and starboard suddenly got its sea legs. The weather is amazing if lacking in wind and I’d spotted some very promising anchorages to hang out for a week or so. On a whim I tested the windlass before we left our nice marina berth in Brest. Click! Nothing, no up, no down. For those deprived of a sailing life the windlass is the thing that hauls the anchor and its chain up. Our anchor chain weighs around 2.5 lbs per foot (about 3.7 kg per meter) and the anchor itself is around 80lbs (35kg) so given the tidal range here we will be in maybe 40’ (12m) of water that’s around a 200 lb (85kg) vertical lift and maybe there was a time and age when I could have done that but this isn’t it.

So the problem is usually electrical, we replaced the motor and gearbox 3 years ago so I was fairly confident but the electrics were fine so nothing for it but to pull it out and take a look. Easy peasey except that it’s down a hole (the chain locker) that with 300’ of chain in it is only very very slightly bigger than me and definitively not the same shape as me. Everything is hard down there and pokes into bits of you that don’t like being poked at, it’s over 30 degrees (90+) and I’m a guy who’s has become used to his comfort. The unit itself is heavy and awkward but I couldn’t believe my eyes when I loosened the bolts and the casing just flaked and powdered like the crust on an overcooked apple crumble. Can it really be that this was designed for a marine environment? The casting that joins the gearbox and motor to the shaft is barely recognizable - after only three years and yes - big surprise it gets doused in sea water from the hole the chain comes through - is toast - very burnt toast at that.

It may be that https://muir.com.au found a really good(cheap) source for the casting in China that results in the blue cheese crumble that I find under my deck. It could also be a thing called electrolysis but its hard to see how that could happen unless its a faulty unit with stray currents,

Sadly a replan needed, we won’t be finding that quiet peaceful anchorage and will need to find expensive marinas in peak season until Muir in Australia find us a solution.

But then - I’m sat in the cockpit at 8.30 in the evening with a glass of cold wine watching the kids on every form of small craft sailing around the bay on the little sea breeze that pops up each evening then dies away thinking life ain’t so bad