Windlass – Blanca, 29Feb2016

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Happy Leap Day!

Well, I did get started on the water system last fall.  The new water-heater, water pump and accumulator tank are mounted, and the after water tank is cleaned and resealed with its deck-fill fitting and valve replaced.  Then it got cold.  I don’t think working on a fresh-water system when it’s in the 20s is such a good idea, so that work got postponed.

Also, last fall I acquired the anchor I’ve been hoping for.  It’s a 73 lb. Rocna, supposedly one of the best.  Add to that 200 feet of 3/8″ high-test galvanized chain and you have some serious ground-tackle.  In August I placed an order for replacement parts for the Ideal Windlass Company windlass that was on the bow.  Its mild-steel case was a rusty lump, and the weather-exposed motor was also a total loss, but the inner guts were all ok.  Ideal took some time to fill the order (they had to fabricate the new stainless case from scratch), so it didn’t arrive until just before Christmas.

Here’s the “new” windlass right after I finished cleaning and reassembling it.  (The old case is next to it.) 

Last weekend I finally finished up the installation, including running the heavy electrical cables from the main battery bank up to the fore-peak.  Everything works a treat– she hauls the anchor off the bottom of the slip and self-stows into the bow roller easy as you please.  All I need now is a washdown pump and hose to clean the mud off…

Next up is a rebuild of the gally counter-tops, which became necessary when I started to replace the galley faucet and found how rotted the cabinetry really was.  Corian counter material is bought and ready for work as soon as I finish the demolition and rebuild.  More pictures to come!

K