Longship
Longships for the most part used two different kinds of anchors. The most common was a natural wood yoke formed from a tree branch. The weight was supplied by a stone passing laterally through the U of the yoke. The top of the yoke was closed by either a length of hardwood or a curved iron head, which kept the stone in place. One side of the head stuck out so it could dig into mud or sand. In the Ladby ship burial in Denmark, a unique iron anchor has been found, resembling the modern fisherman's anchor but without the crossbar. The cross bar may have rusted away. This anchor—made of Norwegian iron—has a long iron chain to which the hemp warp was attached. This construction has several advantages when anchored in deep waters or in rough seas.
Cemetery of Anchors
It is possible to observe a variety of anchors, from various periods of history, but specifically between the 16th and 20th century. There are approximately 40 examples of anchors from different boats from these periods. Many of the objects in the bay are testaments to past shipping accidents, committed by pilots that were unfamiliar with the characteristics of the bay. In many cases those pilots, always desperate to avoid shipwrecks would cut their lines in an attempt to find the open sea. By doing this, they hoped to avoid the dangerous southern or south-eastern winds, locally known as ""ventos carpinteiro"" ("carpenter winds"), since after shipwrecking the ships' wood would be reused by locals as building materials.