Winch etiquette – the safe use of winches

Graham Sharp
Mar 26
2 min read

I found myself explaining winch etiquette several times on a recent trip so I thought I would post this blog, explaining what winches do, how they work and how to keep your fingers and hands safe!

What do winches do?

Mechanical winches are an important workhorse on any boat and fulfill 3 important purposes:

1. The crazed surface of the drum supplies friction, enabling you to hold large forces by keeping the line taught on the drum.

2. They supply mechanical advantage – typically turning the winch handle anti-clockwise turns the winch drum fast, turning it clockwise turns the drum slowly, applying more force.

3. The act as a cleat, trapping and self-tailing the line so they can be operated single handedly and remain secure.

The line is always wound on in a clockwise direction.

Staying safe

Keep your fingers out! It’s that simple, but often in the heat of the moment hard to do.

The line should always be gripped with the clenched fist pointing to the winch and fingers tucked in. Without practice, it feels unnatural and clumsy, especially when adding wraps, but with practice it becomes instinctive.

Never use your fingers or open palms to add wraps to the winch, especially if the line is loading up, for example, as the Jib sail catches the wind. Its easier to explain by video: