Anchors’ Away!
The earliest anchors were rocks dating back to the Bronze Age. This is a good example of a permanent anchor; called a mooring and is rarely moved. Permanent moorings use large masses resting on the seabed which is not practical for temporary anchors which need to be stowed onboard. There are many different types of temporary anchors, which by mass, hook onto rocks or bury themselves in the soft sandy seabed.
The range of designs of the temporary anchor is immense. There are four basic types of anchors used; Hook, Plough, Fluke and Drogues. The Hook design is used for problematic bottoms such as rocky, heavy kelp or grass, coral, or hard sand. The Plough design is designed to bury themselves in the bottom as force is applied on them. The Fluke design is lighter in weight and uses resistance to dig into the seabed. The fourth temporary anchor is the Drogue design which uses water itself as a weight. Where ever there is water and a boat, there is an anchor. It is the nautical décor of every boat and dock.