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Paul’s Voyage to RomeAwake!—1971 | April 8
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Seaman Edwin Smith commented concerning this critical part of the voyage in the March 1947 issue of The Rudder:
“In this instance they would lay the ship to on the starboard tack, that is, with the right-hand side facing the wind. She would thus be pointing about north, or away from the African coast and the Syrtis; and any headway she might make while hove-to would be carrying her on her course towards Italy, while her broadside motion (drift) would be, generally speaking, to the westward.
“On the following day when the gale continued unabated they lightened the ship. Every step hitherto taken indicates skillful seamanship, and so here, for all works on seamanship recommend this as one. of the things which should be done.” The measures taken turned the boat on a westerly course, avoiding shipwreck on the dangerous African coast.
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Paul’s Voyage to RomeAwake!—1971 | April 8
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A Reliable Account
This Bible account underlines the limitations imposed on ships in the first century—their need to find safe harbors, to use natural advantages offered by coastlines, and to avoid the open sea at certain times of the year. The sails, anchors, steering oars, and the skiff towed at the stern all agree with the descriptions of boats of the time. The undergirding and the lightening of the boat were methods resorted to in just such circumstances.
Reference to the grain boat from Alexandria agrees with the situation in the Roman world at the time. There was such a fleet in the Imperial service then, and an army officer became senior in command, as the Bible account shows.
The account vividly highlights the problems of a ship in working to windward, and the type of wind prevailing at the time of year in that part of the world. With a leading westerly wind, the some seventy miles from Caesarea to Sidon took about a day, but with a favorable south wind a fast passage of about a day was possible from Rhegium to Puteoli, a distance of about 200 miles.
Also, the accuracy of the boat’s course toward the Syrtis sandbanks occasioned by the wind blowing off the mountains of Crete is noteworthy. The subsequent alteration of course possible in such a wind could bring the boat precisely to Malta.
Seaman Edwin Smith was moved to conclude his comments on the voyage: “We have seen in our examination that every statement as to the movements of this ship, from the time when she left Fair Havens until she was beached at Malta, as set forth by St. Luke has been verified by external and independent evidence of the most exact and satisfying nature . . . All of which goes to show that Luke actually made the voyage as described, and has moreover shown himself to be a man whose observations and statements may be taken as reliable and trustworthy in the highest degree.”
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