Sorry to head about the problems--but it is typical of cruising--and not all that unusual. It just happens--and even if they had done the entire check list--it might have still happened. The failure of the windlass was always a worry for me. So we had alternatives. One boat had a second large bronze manually operated windlass, with two chain gypsies and two Capstans, behind the electric one. It used two 6 foot SS bars to turn the gears--was slow, but two people could work together and make fairly quick work of getting the chain and anchors up. Another idea is either a direct gear on the capstan--or a good 2 tor 3 speed sailboat winch as a back up. I also like a manual winch on the stern--if necessary, you can swing the stern around and use this to get the hook and chain up. Bob Austin