Powered Winch and Windlass Safety: Keep Fingers Clear and Power Within Reach

Walk the boat and list each powered winch (halyard, sheet, mainsheet, furler), the anchor windlass, and every switch that runs them: foot switches, buttons, remotes and helm controls. Note the type: electric or hydraulic. Many boats have more switches than owners realize, including a helm button for the windlass.

In the Mollie case, the only way to stop the winch was a battery switch below deck. Check for each powered unit:

• Where is its breaker or isolator switch?
• Can the person operating the winch, or someone right next to them, reach it in a couple of seconds?
• Is it clearly labeled?

Practical Sailor notes that several winch makers recommend opening the breaker when the winch isn't in use, and suggests a master switch in the cockpit as a practical way to do it. Maxwell says to turn the windlass isolator off before leaving the boat. If your only cutoff is buried in a cabin, have a marine electrician add a labeled isolator or emergency stop near the operator. See fuse and breaker panels.

Practical Sailor's checklist for switch placement:

• You can see what's being hoisted or tensioned.
• Nobody can step on, sit on or fall against the switch by accident. Flip-up guards help, but they're often left open; recessed switches are better.
• The hand or foot working the switch isn't one you need for balance.
• You never reach past the winch or through the line tails to press it.
• The switch is more than 12 inches from the winch.

Remotes should be labeled. If your switches fail these tests, plan to move or guard them.

With the area clear and nobody touching lines, briefly press and release each switch. The winch or windlass must stop immediately every time. If it ever keeps running, sticks, or starts on its own, stop using it and have it repaired. The Mollie winch had exactly this kind of known fault.

Maxwell's guidance:

• Use a chain stopper or a snubber, not the windlass, to take the load at anchor.
• Motor up toward the anchor while retrieving; don't use the windlass to drag the boat forward.
• If the anchor is stuck, take the load on the stopper and use the engine to break it free, not the windlass.
• Never use the windlass or chain stopper as a mooring point.
• Don't rely on the windlass to hold the anchor in its roller underway; secure it with a separate lashing or pin.
• Wait for the windlass to stop before switching direction.
• Run the engine while raising or lowering anchor.

See anchor windlass care and anchor rode and scope.

• Keep hands well away from the drum, the self-tailer, the chain gypsy and the chain pipe whenever the unit could turn.
• Practical Sailor suggests tailing with your hand at least a foot from the winch, and keeping hands about 6 inches clear of the drum when adding a wrap.
• Tie back long hair, tuck in loose clothing, drawstrings and lanyards, and remove rings and bracelets.
• Never stand on a line tail or inside a coil; flake it beside or in front of you.
• Chain jams are a hand trap. A twist in the chain (a "hockle") can jam the gypsy or the chain pipe, and the urge is to reach in and yank it while someone holds the switch. Kill the power at the breaker or isolator first, then clear it by hand or with a tool. Practical Sailor's prevention tips: once a season, pull the whole rode out of the locker, lay it out straight on the dock and feed it back in neatly; a shallow locker or a long chain pipe makes twists more likely.

The Mollie accident started with a hoist rope left wrapped on the winch from an earlier job. When a winch isn't in use, take the turns off. Before clearing a jammed line or override, turn the power off first, then work it free by hand.

Practical Sailor says Lewmar forbids using electric winches to hoist people. If you must send someone aloft on a powered winch, crank it by hand with a winch handle and tail it by hand, with a clear view of the person or a dedicated spotter. Don't use the self-tailer alone. Note the winch handle lockout: inserting the handle cuts power only when it's fully seated, so never leave a handle in an electric winch. The same care applies to any rig work; see mast stepping and unstepping.

Stow a sharp serrated knife or rope cutter in a sheath near the powered winches and at the bow. If someone is trapped and the power is off, cutting the line may free them. Think before you cut a halyard holding a load or a person aloft; have a plan to control what's on the other end.

Before guests or new crew use a powered winch or windlass:

• Show them the switch, the cutoff, and the knife.
• Only one person operates a powered unit at a time, and they can see the line or chain.
• Agree on hand signals between bow and helm when anchoring (up, stop, down).
• Kids and pets stay away from the bow and winches during anchoring and hoisting.
• Before dropping anchor, look around the bow for swimmers, divers and snorkelers; a falling anchor and running chain are dangerous to anyone below.
• Anyone can shout "STOP!" and the operator releases the switch and cuts power.

BoatUS's windlass maintenance advice includes turning off the windlass breaker or main battery switch before working on it, sealing and greasing hand-switch connections, and checking foot switches for failed gaskets, cracks and corrosion underneath. Corroded switches and solenoids are a common cause of units that stick or act up. If the windlass has its own circuit breaker or thermal cutout, never bypass it or replace it with a bigger one to stop it tripping: it protects the motor and wiring from overheating, and frequent trips mean the windlass is being overloaded (often by hauling the boat to the anchor) or has an electrical fault. See anchor windlass care and sailboat winch service.

At the dock, have each regular crew member, on your call, release the switch and then reach and turn off the cutoff. Time it. If it takes more than a few seconds, the cutoff is in the wrong place.