Anchor

An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα (ankura ).

Anchors can either be temporary or permanent. A permanent anchor is used in the creation of a mooring, and is rarely moved; a specialist service is normally needed to move or maintain it. Vessels carry one or more temporary anchors, which may be of different designs and weights.

A sea anchor is a drogue, not in contact with the seabed, used to control a drifting vessel.

Read more about Anchor:  Overview, Evolution of The Anchor, Small Boat Anchors, Permanent Anchors, Anchoring Gear, Anchoring Techniques, In Heraldry

Famous quotes containing the word anchor:

    At anchor she rides the sunny sod,
    As full to the gunnel of flowers growing
    As ever she turned her home with cod
    From Georges Bank when winds were blowing.
    Robert Frost (1874–1963)

    the anchor weeps
    Its red rust downward,
    Louise Bogan (1897–1970)

    The Hacker Ethic: Access to computers—and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works—should be unlimited and total.
    Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative!
    All information should be free.
    Mistrust authority—promote decentralization.
    Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position.
    You can create art and beauty on a computer.
    Computers can change your life for the better.
    Steven Levy, U.S. writer. Hackers, ch. 2, “The Hacker Ethic,” pp. 27-33, Anchor Press, Doubleday (1984)