Joking aside(I'm poking fun at Daves mutli season windlass install), I've been anchoring more as opposed to picking up a convenient mooring in several anchorages this season. I'm finding some new spots in some of my old favorite anchorages close to home. It's quite surprising how much difference one or two, or three hundred yards can make in the setting around our boat.

Wildlife that has adjusted to permanent mooring fields in popular anchorages behaves differently not far away for instance. Deer, seals and some birds that are pretty fickle about how close they'll get to regular human traffic will show themselves to a lone quiet boat.

We were treated to some spectacular seal activity in Pulpit Harbor a few weeks ago anchored well inside Billys Cove. Friends in the mooring field area were not even aware of the show we witnessed.

My windlass set up(decades ago and quite far forward), is not that great so I'm trying to improve it or at least how I use it. It's a two stage "stuff", starting with the nylon rode. I pull that in by hand and feed that through the hawse hole. Once I reach the splice, I go below. I've built a small boat hook and mounted it to the underside of the deck in the foreward anchor/sail locker. That makes it easy to pull the coils down into the aft area of the rode hold.

Then it's back on deck. I'll usually take the 40' of chain up without starting the engine(quite conditions). It takes some time to wash the mud out of the links with our deck wash(which I've installed below our foreward dorade box and access through a 4" screw in plate in the top of the box).

The 40' of 3/8" will stow now that the nylon is out of the way. Once I'm straight over the set anchor, I start the engine.

A mooring is much easier,... One reason most people prefer them. It's getting a little easier this season though as I'm using it more. Is yours completed yet Dave?