Fair Havens

Fair Havens, a harbor on the island of Crete where Paul's ship stopped during his journey to Rome.

Fair Havens is mentioned in Act.27.8 as a harbor on the southern coast of the island of Crete, where the ship carrying the apostle Paul to Rome took shelter during difficult sailing conditions. The harbor's name, "Fair Havens" (Greek: Kaloi Limenes), suggests that it was a suitable place for ships to anchor and wait out unfavorable weather.

According to the narrative in Acts, Paul and his companions were sailing from Caesarea to Rome when they encountered strong winds that forced them to sail along the southern coast of Crete. After passing Cape Salmone, they arrived at Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea (Act.27.8).

While at Fair Havens, Paul advised the crew to spend the winter there, as he foresaw that continuing the voyage would result in damage and loss (Act.27.9-10). However, the centurion in charge of the ship decided to follow the advice of the pilot and the ship's owner, who wanted to reach Phoenix, another harbor on Crete, to spend the winter (Act.27.11-12).

The exact location of Fair Havens is believed to be near the modern-day village of Kaloi Limenes, which bears the same name as the ancient harbor. Archaeological evidence, including anchors and other maritime artifacts, has been found in the area, supporting the identification of this site as the Fair Havens mentioned in the Bible.

A harbour in the south of Crete, some 5 miles to the east of which was the town of Lasea (Acts 27:8). Here the ship of Alexandria in which Paul and his companions sailed was detained a considerable time waiting for a favourable wind. Contrary to Paul’s advice, the master of the ship determined to prosecute the voyage, as the harbour was deemed incommodious for wintering in (9-12). The result was that, after a stormy voyage, the vessel was finally wrecked on the coast of Malta (27:40-44).