Abstract: An anchor rope lock that locks the rope in response to tension exerted by the anchor, and that unlocks the rope for retrieval or adjustment in response to tension applied to the free end. A locking shoe is mounted on a horizontal pivot axis for pivoting towards locked and unlocked positions. The rope passes under a lower surface of the shoe and upwardly through a passage in a projecting toe portion. As the shoe pivots towards the locked position, the lower surface of the shoe moves towards the upper surface of an underlying base plate so as to compress the rope, and the passage in the toe of the shoe moves towards a vertical orientation so as to force the rope into a bend so that the anchor rope is held firmly at a fixed length.