Capstans are used to wrap the ship at the marina. But occasionally, with the capstans also anchor ropes or fishing lines are pulled in.

Similar to the vertical anchor winches, the capstan consists of two parts, the work unit mounted on deck and the drive unit below deck.
The working unit consists of a driven drum. Around this drum the rope is turned and so it can be wrapped. The rope has to be kept on tension by the operator to get a fixed connection between the rope and drum. A release of the tension will automatically feer the rope. Normally the capstans are only driven in one direction, usually in a clockwise direction.

After completion of the process of wrapping, the rope must be fixed on a cleat or something like that. At MUIR, the on-deck units of the capstans are made of chromed bronze. The surfaces of the drums are extra grippy for the lines to prevent slippage.