I have this orange rubber hammer that I beat on the anchor chain to free it from the jaws of the windlass. Yesterday I bruised my wrist, scaped my knuckles on the deck and "purpled" my thumb when I mistakenly put my knee on the control pad for the windlass which brings the anchor up at the same time I was trying to put it down! I then fell backward to get myself free of it. Because of my stupidity with injured pride, I had to hear David semi yell at me about safety for a brief time until he lovingly asked "Are you OK?"
Let me tell you that this first month of living on a cruising boat has been a huge learning curve that I feel "I'll have to walk the bike across" at times. Other than the intricate steps to deploy and raise the anchor, I've had instructions on various other procedures such as how to hold the bow of the boat into the wind (while he messes with the anchor). I got the steps to turn on/off the generator that we run 2-3 times a day to cool the refrigerator/freezer and operate that darn electric (yes I said electric) stove. Besides the generator there is a 3 foot AC/DC control panel with about 35 switches that I'm still trying to remember the difference between. I am the fender and line girl that has to dress the boat up when we come into a marina to pumpout because we really don't know what side we are going to dock to and then I hurl lines at some person on the dock. In Lake Mead when you see 30 feet of water, it's time to put on the proverbial brakes; well out here we don't get off 1700 rpm until we get below 7 feet in the intracoastal waterway. Thank God for those Power squadron classes on charting and radio usage. I'm having to read the chart plotter, radar, depth gauge and speed while weaving my way through the green and red markers after considering the tides and current while asking for a bridge opening! (I used to think multitasking was driving, talking on phone, eating and writing down an address at the same time).
Yet I'm loving this extended vacation that I've been on since the middle of April. Very steep learning curve but I believe new learning staves off Alzheimer's. There has only been one time in 6 weeks that I had to separate myself from David in the V-berth and "pray" (no, really that is what I did) for an attitude adjustment. Time and prayers help a lot of things, attitudes included. Last night I laid in bed and laughed until I cried thinking about how I must have looked to David out there on the bow of the boat fighting with that windlass. Just imagine it and laugh with me and not at me! (Better yet, pray for me).

Yvonne on S/V Abundance