A method for operating an anchor winch of a vessel, the anchor winch comprising a winch drum for spooling a spoolable medium, which has an anchor connected to an end thereof, to raise or lower the anchor, and an electric motor configured to rotate the winch drum about an axis of rotation thereof during spooling in or spooling out of the spoolable medium, the method comprising: raising the anchor from a bottom of a body of water to above a water surface of said body of water by driving the winch drum to spool in the spoolable medium by the electric motor; and: monitoring, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water, a torque produced by the electric motor, or a quantity indicative thereof, characterized in that the method comprises: detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water, a first increase in the torque produced by the electric motor, which first increase has a value higher than a first predetermined torque threshold; detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water and after detecting the first increase, a decrease in the torque produced by the electric motor, which decrease lasts for at least a predetermined time threshold and during which decrease a rate of decrease of the torque produced by the electric motor is within a predetermined range; detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water and after detecting the decrease, a second increase in the torque produced by the electric motor, which second increase has a value higher than a second predetermined torque threshold; and in response to detecting the second increase, determining that the anchor has risen above the water surface of said body of water. raising the anchor from a bottom of a body of water to above a water surface of said body of water by driving the winch drum to spool in the spoolable medium by the electric motor; and: monitoring, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water, a torque produced by the electric motor, or a quantity indicative thereof, characterized in that the method comprises: detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water, a first increase in the torque produced by the electric motor, which first increase has a value higher than a first predetermined torque threshold; detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water and after detecting the first increase, a decrease in the torque produced by the electric motor, which decrease lasts for at least a predetermined time threshold and during which decrease a rate of decrease of the torque produced by the electric motor is within a predetermined range; detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water and after detecting the decrease, a second increase in the torque produced by the electric motor, which second increase has a value higher than a second predetermined torque threshold; and in response to detecting the second increase, determining that the anchor has risen above the water surface of said body of water. detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water, a first increase in the torque produced by the electric motor, which first increase has a value higher than a first predetermined torque threshold; detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water and after detecting the first increase, a decrease in the torque produced by the electric motor, which decrease lasts for at least a predetermined time threshold and during which decrease a rate of decrease of the torque produced by the electric motor is within a predetermined range; detecting, during the raising of the anchor from the bottom of the body of water to above the water surface of said body of water and after detecting the decrease, a second increase in the torque produced by the electric motor, which second increase has a value higher than a second predetermined torque threshold; and in response to detecting the second increase, determining that the anchor has risen above the water surface of said body of water.