Avoiding Winch Overrides

[Dan Dickison]

How do you keep line from lapping on the winch?

Dan Dickison responds:
Thanks for your question. When a line led to a winch is allowed to come in at an angle higher than the first wrap on the winch, it will likely override itself. Sailors have various colorful terms for the worst of these occurences (ranging from ogre to a--hole), and though some may seem inappropriate, they do serve to describe difficulties such an override can lead to. 

The secret to avoiding overrides is to make sure that the line leading to the winch drum comes in from below the first wrap. Also, once you've wrapped a line on a winch and begun to turn the drum, keep a constant tension on that line as it comes off the drum or the resultant loose wraps might cause an override. Of course you need to be aware of the angle of the line as it exits the winch and keep it above the uppermost wrap as well.

Here's hoping that this information is useful to you.