Acts 27:13-20 13Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing to have obtained their purpose, having weighed anchor, they coasted along Crete, close to the shore. 14But after not much, a typhoon wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from it. 15And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, giving way, we were driven along. 16Running under the lee of some small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to secure the ship’s skiff, 17after hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship, and being afraid that they would run aground on the Syrtis, after lowering the gear, thus they were driven along. 18And since we were being violently tossed in the storm, they began the next day to throw overboard the cargo. 19And on the third day, they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm lay on us, all hope for us to be saved was at last abandoned.
The intensity of the plot significantly increases in these verses as Paul’s warning became a reality. The Greek of this passage is full of complex grammatical constructions, particularly using participles, which has the effect of moving the story along with some intensity. At first, things were looking good, with a favorable wind. Fair Haven to Phoenix is only 11 nautical miles and with good wind should have only taken a few hours. The decision by the centurion to go that direction seemed to be a good and reasonable idea. They could easily make the trip in a day, and once they were there, they could find a safe and secure harbor for the winter. Sailing along close to the shore provided more safety from the higher waves of the open sea.
Verse 14 introduces the problem. Crete has many high mountains, and the wind can come sweeping down them and can be a significant force. Luke uses a word that comes into English as “typhoon” (typhōnikos) and called the wind a northeaster. The ship could not handle the strong wind, and the sailors could not keep it on course, so they gave up and let the ship go with the wind, ending up about twenty-five miles to the southeast near the island of Cauda. At that point, the ship’s crew was able to gain more control of the situation and bring up the lifeboat. They were next able to send some type of supporting ropes under the ship in hopes of keeping it from breaking apart because of the strong waves.
Things continued to deteriorate as the danger began to grow and the outlook looked worse. Luke next retells how the sailors lowered the gear, which is unclear, possibly meaning some of the sailing equipment. With less equipment to be beaten by the wind, the ship had a better chance of not being torn to pieces. The sailors were afraid they would run aground on sandbars along the coast of northern Africa called the Syrtis.
On the second day, the situation had not improved but only worsened. The sailors were getting desperate at this point and began to throw the cargo overboard. Luke does not give details of what this cargo was, but it was deemed unnecessary, and by tossing it overboard, the ship would be lightened. Some of the cargo may also have become wet and ruined because of the waves. On the third day, the outlook was becoming desperate and a matter of life and death. The crew began to remove anything up high that might lighten the ship and keep it from tipping over. Verse 20 summarizes the hopelessness of the situation. Ancient ships could not handle powerful storms like what Paul’s ship was facing. Many days passed with no change of status. The sailors could not determine their location because they could not see the sun, moon, or stars, which were their primary sources for direction. Everyone began to lose hope, and the potential of sinking became a reality. Half of Paul’s warning had come true. The reader is left wondering about the second part of his warning about losing life.