A ship is running before the wind, in port-broadside view, in a rough sea. She sails under fore-course and lateen mizzen, with figures visible on the deck and the main yard sent down to the gunwale. The vessel is almost engulfed by the turbulent, undulating waves. The painting is broadly treated in the Dutch realist style. The grey palette evokes an impression of a storm. However both the ship and a bold stretch of water around it are illuminated fiercely by the rays of the sun which fall onto the surface of the sea from the right, the same direction as the wind. In the distance, on the left, the soft outline of another wallowing ship is visible. In the left foreground, a wooden spar floats above the churning water, while on the right, two dolphins plough through the sea towards a barely concealed rock. The absence of any visible land, the rolling sky and murky water contribute towards the impression of turmoil and the powerlessness of the ships. Their powerlessness contrasts with the potency of the natural elements.