The Blue View - Electric Winch Handle

A frequent theme of my blogs is making Nine of Cups more geriatric friendly. As Marcie and I get older, we keep thinking of ways to make her (Cups, not Marcie) easier to handle. One thing we've contemplated is an electric winch. It often takes a lot of stamina and a fair amount of upper body strength to hoist the dinghy onto and off the foredeck, reef down the headsail, or hoist the main the last few feet, and having an electric winch that requires only a push of a button to do the job makes a lot of sense.

On the other hand, there are several negatives to an electric winch. One is that they are expensive – could we get by replacing only one winch or would we need to replace several? They are also power hogs, if only for a short time – running an electric winch might make the difference between having to run the engine to recharge the batteries on a given day or not. The biggest problem in my mind, however, is that there is no feedback with an electric winch. For example, when we are manually winching the main up and it seems more difficult than usual, there is usually a problem – the halyard is fouled, we forgot to release the vang, I forgot to remove a reefing pendant … Perhaps I'm particularly inept, but these things seem to happen frequently, and if we were using an electric winch, we probably wouldn't notice there was a problem until something broke.

One compromise that may make sense is an electric winch handle. These are handheld motors that plug into a winch in lieu of the normal winch handle, and rotate the winch electrically. I have seen several versions of these, ranging from a homebrew, do-it yourself type to an off-the-shelf purpose made device. The pros are that they are far less expensive than the cheapest electric winch; they are portable, and so can be used with any winch; and they provide a little more feedback than a standard electric winch. On the downside, they are large, clunky things, requiring a secure place to keep them stowed when not in use; and they are either battery operated and need to be kept charged or require a cable and electrical connections.

I looked into the alternatives, and here is what I found:

Home-Brew 1 - I found a clever design online by a sailor who dismantled a 12 VDC automotive winch and had an adapter machined for it that allowed it to be connected to the winch handle socket on a standard winch. He attached a couple of handles, complete with rocker switches to operate the motor. Power is provided via a heavy-duty cable and fuse. The winch motor is geared down, making it low RPMs and high torque. It looks kludgy, but it probably works. Its portability is limited by the cable. I think the cost would be around $200.

Home-Brew 2 - Another do-it yourself option uses a right-angle, battery powered drill and a purchased bit. The drill of choice is a Milwaukee 28v, as the more common 18v models don't provide enough torque or battery life. If it is used frequently, an extra battery may be needed. A weakness is the chuck screw, which has a tendency to shear off, especially when the drill is reversed. The total cost is about $400. It is also available with a reinforced chuck screw and a neoprene or hard cover from a couple of sources for between $700 and $1200.

WinchRite - WinchRite makes a self contained, battery powered winch handle that is a little less industrial looking. Friends I've talked to who have one have mixed reviews. One said that although they had several problems, the customer service was good, while the other had no problems. WinchRite has recently introduced a new model that is more robust and uses a lithium-ion battery. The cost from Defender is about $800. The battery is not removable, so there is no spare battery option.

So, what have we done? We are keeping the electric winch handle as a future possibility. In the meantime, we've made the two hardest winching tasks easier. I routed the dinghy hoist up to the windlass so Marcie, Cups' winch wench, can hoist it with a foot press. I also now climb the mast using ascenders, so she no longer needs to grind a winch to hoist me up. And, although there is still a little grumbling as one of us reefs down the genoa when the wind picks up, we can still manage to get it done. Plus, you ought to see Marcie's biceps after a long passage!

9 Museums That Knocked Our Socks Off

Museum noun mu·se·um \myu̇-ˈzē-əm\: a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public. An institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value; also :a place where objects are exhibited.

Merriam-Webster's definition makes it sound so banal when, in actuality, I wish M-W could instill a bit of emotion in the word … MUSEUM!!

We enjoy museums. Big museums, small museums, art museums, natural history museums, maritime museums … you name it and if it's affordable and nearby, we'll visit and enjoy. In our travels, we've seen the mediocre, the good and the outstanding. We always find some worthwhile takeaway for our efforts … some more than others. Note that in the following list we did not include museums we visited in the past before we started sailing like The Smithsonians, the Louvre, the Guggenheim, or the MET.

Here, not in any special order, is our list of nine museums that really knocked our socks off.

1. Museum of New and Old Art (MONA), Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Whenever we think of museums, MONA is the first one that comes to mind. We would not have expected to find a world class museum in Hobart, Tasmania, but we did. MONA is the eclectic, blow-your-mind, private collection of millionaire, professional gambler, David Walsh, and the largest privately funded museum in Australia. It delights, surprises and stings all at the same time.

2. Mystic Seaport – Museum of America and the Sea, Mystic, Connecticut, USA

Imagine a small 19th century New England seaport village on the banks of the Mystic River, complete with its own wooden whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan, tied up at the wharf. This open air museum is a trip back in time. We've visited several times and you can even dock your boat at their marina.

3. Te Papa – Museum of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand

What a gem! While in Wellington, we were docked next door at the Chaffer's Marina and visited Te Papa several times because once just didn't do it. The museum offers a wonderful taste of New Zealand’s nature, art, history, and cultural heritage. Amazingly, admission is free.

4. New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, USA

We visited this museum fairly recently on one of our trips back to the USA which made us wonder 1) why we'd never visited before and 2) why we hadn't visited New Bedford with the boat. The museum's collection of whaling information, artifacts and memorabilia is absolutely awesome. Walking the cobble-stoned streets of historic New Bedford gets you in the mood for the museum.

5. Western Australia Maritime Museum, Fremantle, Australia

“Perched on the Indian Ocean's shore, the Western Australian Maritime Museum is symbolic of Fremantle’s past, present and future as a coastal city and port. The Museum houses several unique galleries at different venues that explore WA's relationship with the sea. From leisure boats and handcrafted sailing boats to commercial pearl luggers.” We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

6. Peabody-Essex Museum, Salem, USA

As if being in historic Salem, Massachusetts isn't enough, the Peabody Essex Museum is the frosting on the cake. With a collection of 1.8 million pieces, the museum “offers outstanding works primarily from the 1700s to today: paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, textiles, architecture and decorative objects. Our African, American, Asian, maritime, Native American and Oceanic art emphasizes the lively conversation that occurs through creativity across time, place and culture.” You can get lost in this museum and never want to be found.

7. Museo Larco, Lima, Peru

We visited the Museo Larco on our first trip to Lima, Peru. An awe-inspiring look at Pre-Columbian art, culture and history including a gold collection that is beyond belief.

8. Mitad del Mundo, Quito, Ecuador

Straddling the north and south hemispheres or just standing on the Equator, the middle of the world, is enough to make you appreciate this museum and landmark just outside Quito, Ecuador. Ecuador, after all, translates to “equator” in English. We've crossed the Equator several times in the boat, but standing on it had special meaning. Not far away is the Intiñan Solar Museum where you can practice “equator” tricks, like balancing an egg on its end.

9. Museum Kurá Hulanda – Willemstad, Curaçao

Admittedly, we visited Kurá Hulanda more than a decade ago. This anthropological museum “focuses on the predominant cultures of Curacao. It offers a world-class chronicle of the Origin of Man, the African slave trade, West African Empires, Pre-Colombian gold, Mesopotamian relics and Antillean art.” We were very impressed at the time and when I checked it out recently, I found it had won a Trip Advisor “Traveler's Choice Award” for 2015 and was listed as one of the top 10 museums in the Caribbean.

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FAQ - Do you worry about pirates?

When we were in the Indian Ocean, David wrote a blog about piracy concerns in the area. Incidents of piracy in the Indian Ocean were all the news, especially after watching Captain Phillips.

We were very aware of potential problems off the Somalian coast. We planned to stay offshore well south of the questionable area. We were not particularly worried, nor did we have any problems, but we were certainly cognizant of the issues and aware of the four Americans aboard the yacht Quest who were pirated and murdered in 2011. When we were heading from the Guianas back into the Caribbean Sea, the questions were posed again. We received several inquiries from friends and readers about piracy in the Caribbean in light of several attacks near Trinidad and the Venezuelan coast, the area in which we would be sailing. This time we were more concerned.

Piracy has been a problem since men started plying the ocean waters. According to Wiki, “the earliest documented instances of piracy were in the 14th century BC” in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Seas. Certainly, Treasure Island and Pirates of the Caribbean has provided lots of piratical entertainment for audiences in a very romanticized way. In truth, however, the pirates who plied the Caribbean waters... and there were many... were known to be excessively barbaric and cruel. In the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730), L'Olonnais, Captain Kidd, Blackbeard and countless others wreaked havoc throughout the Caribbean. Some, like Sir Francis Drake and Henry Morgan, were sanctioned by the Crown.

Today's pirates of the Caribbean are not sanctioned by any government, but they are just as real and just as ruthless and bear no resemblance to Johnny Depp.

Statistically, piracy attacks are down worldwide, but that makes little difference to the individual yachts that are attacked. Actually, only larger ships are counted in the statistics and most yacht attacks are downplayed in the interest of local tourism.

Just after our passage from the Guianas to Trinidad in December, two yachts were boarded at gunpoint and robbed by pirates. The coast of Venezuela seems to be a particularly troublesome pirate hotspot at the present time.

So what can cruisers do to protect themselves against pirates?

1. Well, larger yachts hire armed security guards. We are not a larger yacht. We do not carry guns aboard. We figure we'd be outgunned anyway.
2. Officials say “avoid known pirate areas” (duh!). This makes sense if you're cruising and not passage-making. For sure, anchoring in known pirate areas is inviting problems.
3. Since we had no choice but to sail through an area known for piracy, we heeded the local advice. Most pirate attacks in the area have been in open boats with big, fast engines, so outrunning them is not a possibility. Instead, we stayed well offshore away from the Venezuelan coastline and away from the usual travel routes.
4. Traveling at night is recommended … on a multi-day passage this is kind of difficult, but if we were sailing between the islands, it's reasonable and would have done it.
5. Traveling in company is a recommendation. In our case, there was no one to travel with, so we traveled alone, but there's definitely safety in numbers. Forming a flotilla of boats to make a passage through a high-risk area makes good sense.
6. Some advocate “sailing dark” and “sailing silent”, ie no running lights, no radio communication. We did not opt to do this, but we've certainly done it on occasions in the past when sailing off the coast of Colombia into Cartagena.
7. Stay alert. I'm not sure what tactics you might employ to thwart a pirate attack, but you'd perhaps have more time to radio for help.
8. If you're accosted, don't fight. Your life isn't worth the gear the pirates steal. Easier said than done, perhaps, when you're the one being violated and it's your gear they're walking off with. Still, sage advice to live by.

Though the number of pirate attacks on yachts in the Caribbean seems to be increasing, we sometime wonder if part of the increase is due to the fact that more yachts are filing formal reports. Both the Venezuelan and Trinidadian national coast guards have increased their patrols in the area providing a bit more security, but caution and careful itinerary decisions rule.

We have been boarded while in a marina and while in a boatyard and had things stolen from the boat. Those are security issues, not piracy. The chances of being boarded by pirates, if reasonable common sense is used, are probably pretty slim, something like being car-jacked. Still, I'd say offhand, we're probably lucky. The only pirates we've actually encountered have been tradesmen and vendors who “saw us coming” in boatyards and a few friendly buccaneers in Charleston, South Carolina who politely reserved a boarding time in advance.