sea anchor

American  

noun

Nautical.

1. any of various devices, as a drogue, that have great resistance to being pulled through the water and are dropped forward of a vessel at the end of a cable to hold the bow into the wind or sea during a storm.

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sea anchor British  

noun

1. nautical any device, such as a bucket or canvas funnel, dragged in the water to keep a vessel heading into the wind or reduce drifting

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Etymology

Origin of sea anchor

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

It was a six-man orange life raft with a sea anchor inside and no visible marine growth or markings.

From Washington Times • Nov. 9, 2020

A sea anchor that reduces their speed to about 2 knots, too slow to escape a ship.

From Scientific American • Aug. 9, 2013

He made an all-important sea anchor out of a life jacket, paddles out of his own shoes.

From Time Magazine Archive

They found five flares and a sea anchor inside the hatch of the raft.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then they rigged a sea anchor, a canvas cone dragged through the water to keep the boat turned into the storm.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong