[Renoir]

If possible use 12 plait instead of the 8. The 12 plait is much easier to splice as you can pass inside the line; one cannot do that inside an 8 plait.

Otherwise, using either 8 or 12 plait use a Dacron "interface" line which will not chaffe on the chain nor the nylon rode to which it is attached. Use double-braid Dacron, as large a diameter as will fit into the last link of the chain, making an eye splice (small as practical) in the last link. Make another eye splice in the other end sufficiently large so as to pass an eye formed in the rode. Make an eye in the end of the rode sufficiently large so as to pass through the Dacron eye and thence COMPLETELY over a laundry basket holding, say 600 ft, of the rode.

Because the 8 and 12 plait rodes fit so compactly in a basket the eye size will not be all that large, about 2 ft dia for 5/8 inch line, for example. The connection between the rode eye and the Dacron "interface" to chain eye forms what looks like a square knot yet is balanced for each material and very strong. I got the idea for this from Brion several years ago and use it to advantage in many applications, such as dock lines to cleats where the Dacron eye attaches to the cleat horn and the other end eye attaches completely outboard of any fairlead to eliminate any chaffe on the nylon dock lines.

The best windlass application for this setup is with a dual gypsy/wildcat; one retreives the nlyon and Dacron on the drum wrapping about 3/4 of the drum with the bitter end of the chain; stopper the chain; take the chain off of the drum and place it on the gypsy and continue to retreive the chain. If one does not have a chain stopper use a small Dacron line from a cleat forward to the chain clapping on a Prussic hitch and then relieve the chain from the drum transferring it to the gypsy then remove the hitch and continue using the windlass. Some gypsies with rope/chain "bastards" will work with both yet I have discovered that these "bastards" will not work well with the non-chain when retreiving under heavy tension and I begrudge the resulting abuse of the rode strands.

It is not possible to use a rope-to-chain splice with nylon alone that splices to multiple links without chaffing the nylon strands; forget that if you want a bullet-proof anchor tackle.