How to Load a Stainless Steel Anchor Chain
Stainless steel anchor chain is not stronger than common steel anchor chain of the same size, but when you need to replenish or replace anchor chain, you may choose stainless steel anchor chain because of its ability to ward off rust and corrosion--particularly while stowed wet in your chain locker. Stainless steel chain offers one other advantage: weight. Stainless steel chain is heavier than common steel anchor chains, meaning that in a calm sea, you need to pay out less anchor chain to have the same weight on the bottom to hold you in place.
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Instructions
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Start the anchor windlass (a winch with a smooth vertical barrel--called a gypsy--and a second barrel, called the "wildcat," that has recesses in it that grip the chain) motor and test its operation briefly. Start the wildcat and test its operation.
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2
Set the brake on the wildcat and bring the end of the chain aboard. Wrap it around the wildcat and feed it into the chain locker, the compartment beneath the windlass where the anchor chain is stored, ready for use. When you are ready to load the chain, you are "ready to heave in."
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3
Shout "Heave around" when you are ready to load the anchor chain. Release the brake on the wildcat and begin to load the chain into the chain locker. When the first 10 links are on the floor of the locker, the crewman in the chain locker will advise the windlass operator that he is securing the chain by shouting "Belaying," whereupon the windlass operator will set the wildcat brake until the chain is secured to the padeye on the floor of the chain locker with a shackle and the crewman leaves the self-stowing chain locker.
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4
Start to heave around on the chain when the crewman who was in the chain locker is on deck. Continue to heave around on the chain until 2 fathoms (12 feet; one fathom is 6 feet) of chain remain unloaded, to routed to and secured to the anchor or another chain.
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Set the brake and turn off the wildcat. Turn off the winch and secure buckler plates (two-part plates that fit around the chain from either side, with a hole just large enough to pass the chain through the hawsepipe) over the hawsepipes (the pipe that runs from the deck to the side of the ship, allowing the anchor chain or rode to pass) for those vessels without bulwarks.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have a self-stowing chain locker, a crewman in the chain locker isn't necessary. You can estimate the size of the self-stowing chain locker you need by multiplying the number of fathoms of chain you will carry by the diameter of the chain (in inches) squared, then multiplying the result by 0.85.
