The Windlass

This is the Chinese symbol for wind.

As Splendid was born in China, and is Chinese, I plan on respecting her heritage with some symbology. Once her hull is painted I will hand paint this on her stern as a reminder to keep the wind at her back. I will also have it tattooed on my back as a reminder to keep my “personal” winds at my back. Neither Splendid or I like sailing to weather.

I must say I do like tattoos. After living in Polynesia, perhaps the most famous of all tattoo cultures, I gained a respect for the art. The shark tattoo that I got in the Marquises was given to me by an artist that I spoke to extensively of my life. In turn my life is represented in the intricate details of my tattoo.   

Life on a boat is so appropriately parallel to how we must maintain or personal lives. We have “must fix”, and “want to fix” projects both personally and that of our boats.

In order for me to move Splendid I must understand my rights, this is a “personal” issue that has only recently fell into my “must fix” box. Last night I went to hoist the dinghy and my windlass quit, this has now turned into a “must fix” project as well.

The most appropriate event was after I hoisted the dinghy I went to go lay back down in my hammock and it broke on one end and I hit the deck pretty hard. I take this as my fine ship telling me it’s time to get off my ass and start attending to my long list of projects.

I know so many of you are outfitting boats, and what ever you do don’t get a windlass without a manual override. It’s one thing is you have a 30 pound anchor, it completely a different story when you have 300 feet of chain and an 80lb beast (Manson Supreme) as I do.

Life is hard sometimes, weather its pulling up personal anchors, or actual ones by hand. I didn’t have a windlass on Namaste for years and was fine, my anchor was 45lbs, and I a large man.

I have a Lofrans tigress that I recently salvaged from a shipwreck. It needs a few parts and has the wrong sized gypsy for my chain. I also have my ideal without manual override sitting on deck which I will start pulling apart today.

A windlass is one of the most expensive pieces of gear you can buy for your boat, really, make an informed decision before you buy one. If I had the money I’d buy a lighthouse windlass, but I don’t see having a spare 5k lying around any time soon.

Also your anchor package (Anchor, chain, windlass) is your insurance on a cruising boat and where you should focus a good deal of money if you plan on keeping your boat. You could keep insurance but most international cruisers do not as it can be limiting (have to be in certain places at certain times of the year) and they don’t have the money for it, or care for the restrictions. Again, the lack of insurance demands one take personal responsibility for their homes.

Contrarian,

You have been so right over your last few blogs. When we follow the positive things in life, positive is borne from it, when we follow the negative, negative is borne. I recently decided not to take my job in April because I do not wish to fill out a W4, nor enter the United States at the moment. For me, although a financial sacrifice, a positive move. As a result some very positive things are falling into this space. I also seem to have a charter in May from a really cool guy that is going to pay me in the camera package I want so I can get back to filming. I have been really lost without a source of creative output. I must bang my flip camera on something hard to get it to work, and sometimes it doesn’t want to work at all. I’ve wanted a Cannon T2i with various glass for a while. Focusing my days on filmmaking is a welcome idea, and I want to film in the San Blas.

And Andy, I choose door number 2, hopefully with a good woman, not a crappy one. I need to pull up my personal anchors, and as Splendid so eloquently put it last night by dumping me on the deck, to get off of my ass.

I need to upgrade my macbook to a larger hard drive and get a backup drive to store all the new video. Film making is my craft, and the camera my hammer. I need to bang my hammer, not my fist.

Over the years so many have thanked me for being there for them, getting them through dark times, and inspiring them to follow their dreams. For the first time in the better part of a decade I thank you for being there for me, inspiring me, and supporting me through a difficult time.

I’ll be off to Panama city in the morning to bring the windlass to an electric motor shop and get my Power Of Attorney mailed off to the states.

Peace, Love, and coconuts.

Published in Alex Dorsey