[QUOTE=blair;14391]They were located in the galley.
They have thumb screws on the end, with a slit at the base.[/QUOTE]

I believe that they secure pots (coffee or otherwise) on the stovetop.

That is correct it secures the pot/pan to the oven top!

The only time that we uee them is when we are underway and the admiral is in the galley cooking. Hang on to them you will find them to be very helpful.

You guys have no imagination, we could of had Blair running around for days.
We could have told him they were emergency VHF antennas, lightning diverters for the mast, compass correction rods to place around the binicle to correct deviation, some part of his tabernacle system or they are used for unclogging the head.

Honestly, jumping right out there and telling the truth, you guys would not make very good pirates, lawyers or politicians.

[QUOTE=Steve Frost;14409]You guys have no imagination, we could of had Blair running around for days.
We could have told him they were emergency VHF antennas, lightning diverters for the mast, compass correction rods to place around the binicle to correct deviation, some part of his tabernacle system or they are used for unclogging the head.
[/QUOTE]

You forgot tunable divining rods. Never know when you might have to look for water.

[QUOTE=Steve Frost;14409]You guys have no imagination, we could of had Blair running around for days.
We could have told him they were emergency VHF antennas, lightning diverters for the mast, compass correction rods to place around the binicle to correct deviation, some part of his tabernacle system or they are used for unclogging the head.

Honestly, jumping right out there and telling the truth, you guys would not make very good pirates, lawyers or politicians.[/QUOTE]

The problem is that this is the friendly forum! I use a couple of them where mis-information and BS are the main forms of communication.

BTW: Now he is going to believe whatever we tell him, think of the possibilities! He is new enough to the boat that I'm sure there will be many opportunities.

Blair,

I have not seen one removed from the boat, my first thought would be A chain plate. Bet someone here will recognize this component.

Blair thank you for your good sport regarding you initiation to our group, we truely are a supportive group with occasional spirts of humor.

Nope, I missed that fact, certainly not a chain plate.

It goes with your windlass. If the PO was kind enough to leave the windlass manual aboard you should see exactly what it is used for.

Mine lives in the anchor locker forward; you can tie it to something if you're worried about losing it in the drink.

That looks very much like the clutch adjustment tool for a Maxwell windlass. I don't know what model you have; mine is a VW1500, which has a slotted top ring. You stick the tool into the slots and push/pull it to loosen/tighten the windlass clutch. You then have to REMOVE THE TOOL BEFORE OPERATING THE WINDLASS. Otherwise, it will rotate with the windlass, which I can imagine could inflict serious injury (as can a windlass in general if not used carefully).

The attached is a pic of my VW1500 windlass; you can see the slots above the drum.

Blair, it's not going to do much good if kept in the nav station desk. I suggest keeping it in the anchor locker.

It helps you adjust the friction of the clutches inside the windlass. The top of the windlass turns, either by hand or with the assistance of this handle, to adjust friction on the two clutch discs inside the windlass. When letting the anchor down, you can back off the friction and let the weight of the anchor and chain lower the anchor to the sea bed. When retrieving the anchor, the friction must be tightened to prevent the windlass from slipping.

Once a year, the windlass is supposed to be disassembled, cleaned, and the two clutch discs (pucks?) greased, then reassembled. This will maintain the slippage when you want it to slip, and the friction when you don't want the slippage. Takes about 30 minutes to do this if done on a regular basis; longer if ignored for a couple years.

It is the clutch handle for your windlass.

It's best to store that in the anchor locker. Tie that to a string with the other end on the cleat inside to locker, so it doesn't get lost down in the bottom.

Your windlass only goes one direction. It's easy to slip rope, but if you want to reverse the chain, or if you get a jam in the chain feed, you'll need to un-clutch the chain section. The chain section, for reasons beyond my comprehension, is called a gypsy.

[QUOTE=blair;14428]possess a plethora of useful information!

I bet you are right. PO saved a lot of owner's manuals. I'll check it out later today.

Slightly OT, but maybe later I might be asking for some advice on Internet dating. I thought the boat might help, but I keep striking out.[/QUOTE]

See, I told you he'd swallow anything we threw out there :).

Keep asking questions Blair. I'm headed for the boat to see where my clutch tool mightbe.

Blair, you're dropping the word 'my sailboat' in your conversations with prospective dates. You should be more specific, saying "my Catalina 36 sailboat". That should solve the problem.

You're welcome.

[QUOTE=LCBrandt;14430]Blair, you're dropping the word 'my sailboat' in your conversations with prospective dates. You should be more specific, saying "my Catalina 36 sailboat". That should solve the problem.

You're welcome.[/QUOTE]

I recommend "my Catalina sailing yacht"