Our excitement for our first sailing voyage across the Sea of Cortez to Baja quickly turned to disappointment when an unexpected mechanical problem with our windlass forced us to abandon our plans. As people of faith, we are encouraged by the belief that there is a divine purpose for this misfortune and turn our focus on what needs to be done to move forward and find joy in our circumstances.
Working Together
Tyler undertook the arduous task of removing the windlass motor from the underside of the mounting bracket inside the chain locker, which required him to work in a contorted, nearly upside-down position for hours. He replaced it with a new motor ordered from Lewmar UK, which we picked up in Tucson, Arizona, and brought back to Guaymas. Our marine electrician sourced the correct gauge marine wire and other necessary parts locally to replace the damaged welding wire once Tyler installed the motor. While Tyler labored over the windlass project and we awaited Jesús’s return to handle the wiring, I focused on a couple of other projects.
This was a perfect opportunity to flip the anchor chain, inspect it, mark it, and splice it back to the 10 feet of three-braid nylon anchor rode (rope) that secures the anchor rode it to the anchor locker. This rope also facilitates a quick cutaway in an emergency. YouTube proved invaluable for learning how to splice the rope to the chain. The nylon rode connects at one end to our 300 feet of galvanized chain and at the other end to an eyebolt inside the chain locker. Flipping the chain allows for a thorough inspection of the full length of the chain for excessive wear. By simply detaching the anchor at one end of the chain and the rope at the other end, and switching them around, we can ensure more even wear on the chain.
The windlass failure underscored the importance of reviewing our maintenance log to identify any equipment due for routine maintenance or service. The winches stood out as requiring attention. It’s recommended that winches be serviced annually and it doesn’t appear it has been done for quite some time. Once the chain was secured back in the chain locker, I turned my attention to servicing all six manual winches. On a sailboat, winches are mechanical drums that help control the lines and sheets (ropes) attached to the sails. They provide mechanical leverage when hoisting, trimming, and pulling in ropes that would otherwise be unmanageable on a 45-foot sailboat.
However, servicing the 1988 Barlow winches was a different story. Each winch took an entire day to disassemble, clean, and reassemble. The process was unbelievably messy, and it’s clear that these winches hadn’t been serviced in a very long time if ever. Without a guide to follow, I recorded each step of the disassembly to ensure I reassembled correctly. See the video below for details on the service of Barlow or similar Barient winches.
Having no previous experience servicing winches, I turned to the internet for guidance. Our winches, manufactured by Barlow, are no longer in production, so there was limited information available aside from a schematic diagram. In theory, servicing them was straightforward: disassemble each winch one at a time, clean each part, lightly grease it, and reassemble. Sounds easy, right? Online resources suggested that servicing winches from other manufacturers should take about 30 minutes to an hour per winch.
As December progressed and we busied ourselves with boat projects we enjoyed the company of our dock neighbors and the festivities of the season. With the weather cooling a portable electric heater we picked up in Tucson along with some sweatshirts and pants provided additional warmth in the evenings. This was not something we were prepared for when we packed to sail Mexico waters. Little did we know we would require warm attire. We anticipate we will be ready to depart on our second attempt to cross the sea very soon.
