Fixing a slipping windlass before it becomes a serious anchor problem
For a few months, the chain was occasionally slipping on the windlass aboard Meria. It was not bad enough to stop using the windlass entirely, but it was getting progressively worse. Because anything involving the anchor is worth fixing early, the problem was tracked down to a worn spring inside the unit. A friend named Jaden happened to be flying into French Polynesia to visit another boat, so she brought replacement springs along. Swapping out the old spring turned out to be a simple fix, and it appears to have solved the slipping issue completely.
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MembersAnchoring in a squall: what happens when the windlass clutch fails at 40 knots
Lauren Landers Sailing describes one of the scariest anchoring experiences of her sailing life, arriving at Moorea just as a squall built from 20-25 knots to 35-40 knots. She was already trying to drop the hook before the squall hit, but wh
Sometimes replacing the whole toilet assembly is faster than chasing seal failures
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On the master head, Lauren replaced the pump assembly but the toilet still was not working correctly. Her suspicion is that the hose itself has too much calcium buildup inside it, meaning the new pump is fighting against a restricted line.