en_tn_condensed/act/27/12.md

harbor was not easy to spend the winter in

You can make explicit why it was not easy to stay in the harbor. Alternate translation: "harbor did not sufficiently protect docked ships during winter storms" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive)

harbor

a place near land that is usually safe for ships

city of Phoenix

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. Alternate translation: "to stay there for the cold season" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)

facing both southwest and northwest

Here "faces northwest and southwest" means the opening of the harbor was toward those directions. Alternate translation: "it opened to the northwest and southwest"

southwest and northwest

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 "northeast and southeast."