This participle describes the act of sailing slowly or making sluggish maritime progress. In Acts 27:7, Paul's ship sailed slowly for many days due to contrary winds on the voyage to Rome. The compound word combines "slow" (bradus) with "sail" (ploeō), creating a vivid picture of labored navigation against adverse conditions. The translations (Spanish navegando lentamente, French naviguer lentement, German retaining the Greek) all preserve the sense of impeded maritime travel that sets the stage for the subsequent storm and shipwreck narrative.