Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 27:9

"And when much time was spent, and the voyage was now dangerous, because the Fast was now already gone by, Paul admonished them," — Acts 27:9 (ASV)

Navigation in this part of the Mediterranean was always dangerous after Sept. 14 and was considered impossible after Nov. 11. The ship had lost valuable time since leaving Myra, and it was obvious that there was no hope of reaching Italy before winter. “The Fast” (i.e., Yom Kippur or “Day of Atonement”), the chief festival of Judaism celebrated on the tenth of the lunar month Tishri (between the latter part of September and the first part of October), was already past. So Paul warned that disaster would befall them if they tried to go further.