Acts 27:13
And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
This moment belongs to Paul's long and tedious voyage to Italy, to Rome, endured as a prisoner in chains. The voyage began with Paul and other prisoners placed in the care of Julius, embarking on a ship from Adramyttium and sailing with Aristarchus toward Italy along the coast of Asia. The hardship of his lot was greatly lightened by the permitted companionship of Luke and Aristarchus, with Aristarchus sharing his bondage from choice that he might minister to him in his afflictions, and afterward being called his fellow-prisoner. It was a time when sea travel was especially hard and dangerous, when mariners relied largely on the sun and stars to navigate, feared to venture into the open sea at signs of a storm, and found safe sailing almost impossible during part of the year.
The centurion followed the judgment of the majority against staying at Fair Havens. When a gentle south wind blew softly, they supposed that they had obtained their purpose and could reach their intended harbor. They left Fair Havens for Phenice in Crete, expecting soon to reach a better place to winter. They sailed close by Crete, but the favorable beginning was short-lived, for a violent storm soon followed the south wind and caught them unprepared.
The journey begun under apparently favorable sailing conditions fulfilled God's purpose, with the ship's crew witnessing God's power through Paul and Gentiles hearing the name of Jesus, and many being converted through his teaching and the miracles he performed.