An anchor on a ship is more than an important thing, it is a symbol of hope and tranquility on the water. This attribute will determine not only the comfort of fishing or stopping in some secluded bay for diving from the board, but also, most importantly, the safety of being on a journey in the sea. With a seemingly simple design, the anchor plays the most important role on any vessel - its purpose is to keep the yacht in place, whether it be on the coast or at sea. An anchor is indispensable if mooring is carried out in the worst weather conditions or during a storm
The invention of the anchor dates back to the 5th century BC, in ancient times it was made of wood, the Romans made anchors from an alloy of antimony and lead, and with the development of casting technology, the anchor was made entirely from various metals. We owe the invention of the all-metal anchor to the ancient Greeks. Regarding who first invented the 2-horned anchor, there is no consensus - someone believes that it was King Midas, someone is inclined in favor of Eulampius, others - that it was the Scythian Anacharsis, our compatriot who moved from the shores of the Black Sea to Greece. There is no doubt only that with the invention of the 2-horned anchor, this attribute of ships acquired a familiar form and over the centuries no fundamental changes were made to it, there were only improvements. In the 14th century, a 4-horned anchor was created, which, however, was not suitable for equipping large ships. Later there were anchors with both curved and straight horns, the latter being the most common. In the 19th century, the admiralty anchor was invented, which is still used today. And the first "anchors" in general were stones tied to a rope - by the way, such a simple and effective design is still used on the smallest ships (PVC boats, etc.).
For a long time, metal anchors were expensive and highly valued. And in Christianity, the anchor has become a symbol of hope - it is not for nothing that those who make a transatlantic voyage prefer to stuff an anchor on their hand, as a sign of distinction from other sailors.
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There are several of the most common types of anchors, of which you should choose the most suitable in terms of parameters.
Anchor “Admiralteisky” - a classic type of anchors that remain in the past and today it is more likely to meet it at an exhibition in one of the museums than on a real ship. Its design is quite simple, and the advantages are versatility and applicability regardless of the characteristics of the bottom. But the holding strength of the "Admiral" is directly dependent on its weight, and therefore its use on yachts today is meaningless - on the market you can find many varieties of structures that surpass the "Admiral" in reliability, functionality and other parameters.
Matrosov's Anchor is a functional and modern anchor, most suitable for large vessels. The main advantages are stability when dragging along the bottom, low weight and significant holding force. Such an anchor is firmly buried in the underwater soil, holding back the yacht even when turning around in a strong storm.
Danforth's anchor is the most popular type of anchors among modern yachtsmen, equipped with flat-shaped paws, as close as possible for better retention, an elongated shaft and a lightweight head section. Reaching the bottom, such an anchor breaks through the upper layers of the soil and goes to a solid base, firmly holding the yacht at a given point. With all this, the structure weighs very little, and in fact the holding force reaches 50 or more kg for each kilogram of the anchor's own mass! The design is most effective on sandy soils, but on stony and pebble soils it is ineffective.
Anchor-cat is a versatile variety and most of all applicable on ships weighing up to 450 kg. Such an anchor is able to hold the vessel on any type of soil, excluding stony or muddy ones. It can also be used on large ships, but only as a minor means - the anchor folds down and in this state it is convenient to hold it on the ship and transport it.
Plow anchor is a variety with increased holding power. As it moves along the bottom, the plow deepens more and more into the ground and is well fixed there, holding the vessel. The structure, consisting of 2 independent parts, is connected in such a way that it allows the vessel to be held in place even when it turns to a deployed angle. Various modifications of anchors weigh from 3 to 240 kg, and due to its ultra-compactness and ease of use, the plow anchor is very popular among sailing enthusiasts.
The main detail in the anchor device is the spindle - an axial rod attached to the anchor chain at the top, and at the bottom ending in “horns” that turn into pointed paws, and sometimes even immediately into paws, as on many yachts walking along the coast today. In some designs, there is an end rod-stock that can give the paws a position in which they better stick into the ground. Anchors of the modern type were created not so much with the aim of keeping the yacht in place with their heavy weight, but with the aim of providing a reliable and quick hitch to the underwater soil.
Mainly, when buying an anchor for a yacht, you need to pay attention to the following points:
You can calculate the mass of an anchor for a ship in the simplest way - for this, it is enough to lay 1 kg of mass for each meter, taking the length of the yacht from stern to bow. This value becomes minimal, and additional kilograms will only add confidence to the owner of the boat at the berth. The anchor possesses the strongest restraining force if the spindle rests on the bottom. Experienced sailors are advised to give 3-4 depths or more of the anchor chain (cable) - so that the spindle is guaranteed to fall on the ground.
It is best to have 2 anchors on the yacht, one at the bow and one at the stern. The first will serve as a worker, the second - as a safety one, and his presence will save you from unnecessary worries during the parking period.
Based on the above, it is worth noting that special attention should be paid to the anchor of the boat not only to its owner, but to those who take a yacht for rent, as planning of stops during the voyage will depend on the characteristics of the anchors available on the boat.
Finally, I would like to say that 2 famous ships: Noah's Ark and the Flying Dutchman, did not have anchors at all. Noah's Ark - because the land was simply not visible during the Flood, and the Flying Dutchman - because he could not stop until the second coming (at this time the curse that the enraged captain brought on his ship should lose its power).