There are many vital systems and hardware on a boat, but the anchor is one that is key to the safety of a ship and crew. These days, most sailing yachts are either factory-fitted or retro-fitted with an electronic windlass, making dropping and hauling anchor a breeze. However, the windlass relies on a well-designed and well-maintained electrical system in order to operate reliably and safely. On this Hanse 342, much of the wiring in the anchor locker and become corroded and much of the wiring was unsupported. In an area with heavy metal chain thrusting about, having loose and unwieldy wiring is a potentially dangerous combination.

I first set about replacing the lugs on all the 25mm2 battery cables, which had become severely corroded. Spade terminals on the control wires were also replaced. All connections were also protected with heat-shrink tubing. Cable clips were positioned to site cables away from the windlass machinery. The 5A fuse was protected in an IP65 housing, and for extra safety re-positioned inside the forward bunk. To finish the project off, a windlass remote control was installed, giving the operation of the windlass an additional backup option, should the main foot switches fail. The result was a safer, better organised and better designed system for the safely dropping and hauling the anchor.