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Oh Boy, the Windlass. On our old boat, Prydwen we had a Lewmar, low profile Anchorman manual windlass, and we loved it. When it came to Footprint, we knew both weight and power consumption were to be issues, and we also knew we would often be anchored in deeper water with plenty of chain - so any mechanical advantage would be helpful. Naturally we set off to purchase the same manual windlass we were used to.
Unfortulately, for some reason, this windlass has been discontinued, just. So we placed many orders with vendors that insisted they had one, only to discover days or weeks later, that they had to order it and it had been discontinued. Eventually we found on in Canada! (And paid for it).
We deliberately planned to have the Windlass fitted before delivery of the boat, and had Peter Kennedy fit it for us. Kyle had fitted the same windlass on Prydwen, and it was a relatively easy task. Fitting on Footprint was a little more complex since the cleat also needed to be moved.
To get the windlass fitted on Footprint, the cleat was moved, and the windlass mounted, with backing plate, where the cleat normally goes. We had a hawse pipe fitted - but deliberately got a large one - to allow for the thimbles and shackles between chain and line, and this had to have one side lip be cut away to allow smooth transition from the windlass into the hawse pipe.
The windlass gypsy manages both line and chain, and if you have a good connection between them, no intermediate fussing is required as line changes to chain. We don't have an ideal (for the windlass) connection, but manage anyway, and can always use the chain hook if necessary to suport the weight of chain while transitioning..
The fall of the line, chain into the anchor locker is very shallow so one of us sits at the anchor locker turning on the handle, and occassionally pulling away line/chain to the back of the locker - it works fine.
We use a chain hook on a scrap of line, and use this to take the strain of the anchor when underway. (So we are not relying on the windlass in any rough chop).
Since we are in the Cheasapeake, mud is the most common bottom. In Prydwen we would clean the anchor chain as we were raising it, with our a squirty boat hook (The Bridgenorth Bailer), and if really bad with a bucket of water as we were raising the anchor. In Footprint we simply pile the rode in the locker and then flush it all with a couple of buckets of water and let it all drain from the anchor locker.