Technically Speaking...

But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. (Acts 27:41 NASB)

 In English, as in any language, there are sets of words reserved or with special meaning in certain specific contexts.  If I use the term schizophrenic, most people think of 'hearing voices' or 'multiple personalities' (Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I'm a schizophrenic, and so am I).  But psychologists and psychiatrists understand it as a mental disorder sometimes exhibiting hallucinations and delusions, but also other things like mental and emotional 'blunting', intellectual deterioration, disorganized speech and behavior.  It's a technical term, but it has usage in common vernacular as well.

Terms on ships, and especially cargo ships, is an area few of us have much dealings.  Most people, unless in trucking, have ever heard of a "Bill of Lading", but cargo carriers and shippers live off the term.  It's a technical term, but isn't in common usage.  Parts of the ship such as bow, stern, port, starboard, may be familiar, but 'spar', 'mizzenmast' (versus mainmast), and so on may not be that familiar to people who don't sail.  To find the other meaning, the less common words, you would need to look them up or, even better, have a conversation with a sailor.

Paul is traveling from the coast of Judea to Italy.  With him are Luke and Aristarchus.  Luke is writing the account of their trip, and this voyage is especially harrowing.  But to really tell the story and get the sense and feel of it right, Luke would need to know something of the process of sailing.  From the details he records, he seems to have a good grasp of nautical terminology.  He uses specific terms for the ship, but also for the weather, the techniques and strategies of sailing, and the terms for different sorts of shoreline and coastal features.  How did a medical person come up with all those terms?

I suspect that the good doctor talked a lot with the sailors on the trip, and on other trips.  I suspect that he got to know them, their jobs, the terms they used for things, and listened to their stories (where the best terms are discovered - some actually printable).  I suspect that Luke got out of his comfort zone, and into the zones of others.  And I suspect he learned enough about them to write them and their struggles into his account of Paul's journey.  Luke doesn't shy away from details about this trip, he delves right into them, demonstrating that even in this journey, Jesus leads Paul to Rome through every barrier.

Decisions are made in this chapter, and dangers are avoided; sometimes by the skills of the sailors and sometimes by the advice of Paul.  Some dangers are faced head on and survived.  There is a lot of detail in this chapter.  And Luke could not have written the detail without some familiarity with sailing, and I believe he got that from sailors.  It may sound simple, and it may sound obvious, perhaps his knowledge doesn't require familiarity with sailors.  In any case, I believe he got it on the journey, hanging out with sailors, and I learn a lesson from that.

I meet a lot of people, and not all of them are 'comfortable'.  Most homeless people aren't comfortable for me.   There are various reason for that, but part is fear.  But there is a society of people adrift that I don't know or understand.  And I won't unless I overcome my 'uncomfortableness' and become willing to engage them.  They have far less trust of me, and more reason to fear me than I have of them.  Not that there is no danger in dealing with them, but there is more danger for them; I represent a society that fears, hates, and mistreats them.

The question is really whether I am willing to engage in the world and context of others.  If I am willing, then my Master can use me to reach people outside my comfort zone.  If I'm not willing, then I hinder my usefulness to my King.  What I learn from Luke's technical nautical terminology is that he was able to go outside his comfort zone to engage people in a different world.  And so should I be willing to engage people different from me.  Luke was used by my Master in that experience, and after.  So my Master can use me if I am willing and available to Him.