Abstract: An anchor is stowed entirely within a recess in the bottom of a vessel, by means of a fairlead within the recess comprising a sheave supported in a bracket pivotable about a vertical axis in the center of the recess, along which axis the pull of the anchor winch occurs; the bracket has a hollow space for receiving the shank of the anchor, and a spring-based roller holds the anchor line against the sheave. The lower part of the bracket has guide edges extending completely around the pivot axis except for a side portion corresponding to the width of the sheave for automatically guiding the anchor line onto the sheave.