Up-and-Down Anchor

Up and down describes the state of an anchor cable when it has been hove in until the chain leads vertically, straight down from the hawse pipe to the anchor, just before the anchor breaks out of the ground. The windlass operator reports “cable up and down” so the bridge knows the ship is about to be free; the next report is “anchor aweigh” once the fluke lifts clear. Up and down marks the moment the vessel is no longer held and begins to make way, a key cue during weighing.