But with all the tackle gone, the ship was like Noah's ark. It had no power of its own, no way to control its direction. It was in the hands of God, and God alone. It was at this point that the scripture tells us, v 20, that they gave up all hope.
Why? Because the things they had trusted in were all gone. No money, no way to control the ship, they felt doomed. They felt doomed because they were not in control of the situation. The things they had placed their hope in were gone. There was nothing left. They had no control over the outcome.