Roadstead

A roadstead or road[a] is a sheltered body of water where ships can lie reasonably safely at anchor without dragging or snatching.

[3][4] Protected from rip currents, spring tides, or ocean swell, a roadstead can be open or natural, usually estuary-based, or may be created artificially.

[6] A roadstead can be an area of safe anchorage for ships waiting to enter a port, or to form a convoy.

If sufficiently sheltered and convenient, it can be used for the transshipment of goods, stores, and troops, either separately or in combination.

[3][b] In the days of sailing ships, some voyages could only easily be made with certain wind directions, and ships would wait for favorable winds on a roadstead such as the Downs near the English Channel, or Yarmouth Roads by the North Sea.