What is the definition of Anchor to Windward?

Answer 1

During a storm, if a ship is being blown toward a hazard, the crew can drop the anchors on the windward side of the ship (the side facing the wind) in order to stop the ship from running aground or wrecking. Such an "anchor to windward" is a final effort, when the hope of forward progress has been abandoned, and danger or disaster is at hand. Ships commonly have more than one anchor, so the use of the plural "anchors to windward," the indefinite article, or like constructions is also correct.

The phrase "anchor to windward" is also commonly used as a metaphor for a "last hope," with the ship understood to represent the protagonist, or subject. Often, the metaphor is extended to "losing an anchor to windward," or "losing one's anchor to windward," as a reference to the loss of a/the last hope, and the presence of an impending catastrophe.