You can make explicit why it was not easy to stay in the harbor. AT: "harbor did not sufficiently protect docked ships during winter storms" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
Phoenix is a city port on the south coast of Crete. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])
# to spend the winter there
This speaks about the season of winter as if it were a commodity that someone can spend. AT: "to stay there for the cold season" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
These directions are based on the rising and setting sun. Northeast is a little to the left of the rising sun. Southeast is a little to the right of the rising sun. Some versions say "northwest and southwest."