*Oak & Iron* with Austin R. --- The French squadron’s flagship, the sixth-rate _La Sirène_, was intercepted by two Spanish ships, a fluyt (the *Vecino Malo*) and a light galleon (the *Vientos Justos*), near the island of Saint-Bénézet. These waters are known for their mess of shoals, but to make matters worse, it was early morning and a thick fog was still upon the sea. The flagship attempted to use the fog to its advantage while waiting for the rest of the squadron to arrive, but the Spanish ships made to intercept. > _The objective card was “Cut Off”._ ![[june_7-1.jpeg]] The French squadron had the weather gage, and the light airs made it all but impossible for the *Vientos Justos* to beat upwind, though the *Vecino Malo* fared somewhat better. The French commander, however, was conscious that his honour was on the line and, as soon as his escort arrived, he veered into the fog bank, intending to intercept and sink or capture the fluyt at least. > _The “Wind Decreased” event was drawn turn two, and never lost the whole game. “Reduced Visibility” was also drawn as the ships entered the large fog bank. With -1 speed from Wind Decreased and a base upwind speed of 1, the light galleon needed full sail (and thus no reloads) or seamanship actions to move upwind at all. It was a struggle!_ ![[june_7-2.jpeg]] Broadsides were exchanged, but the stout Spanish ships and their high freeboard kept the French from gaining much in the exchanges. The Spanish had some powerful hits, though, and the French admiral decided that a boarding action was his best chance. He swung around the bow of the *Vecino Malo*, cutting it off and boarding across its bows. > *I figured that even though the fluyt had put more fatigue on me, that Veteran Crew + Marines + being French + my long to their short meant that a boarding action would be better than dueling broadsides, the Spanish “Ruthless” notwithstanding. I was rolling 1 die for the seamanship action to board, and my jaw dropped when that die came up a skull—that is, a success!* ![[june_7-3.jpeg]] The action was close-fought, both crews bringing their best to the fight. The French sloop *La Railleuse* and corvette *La Panthère* were struggling to come up and engage in the action, but so was the Spanish galleon, so perhaps the boarding action would decide things. ![[june_7-4.jpeg]] But in the end, the wind shifted and the galleon gained speed and more sea-room, and came across the bows of *La Sirène*. A wicked bow-rake with Spanish aggression caused the brutalized crew of the sixth-rate to strike colours and surrender to the captain of the *Vecino Malo*. > *That was it. The bow-rake and the Spanish initiative card Aggression combined to do something like four fatigue in one hit; before the Close Combat phase, the sixth-rate was already shaken.* ![[june_7-5.jpeg]] The Spanish took *La Sirène* as a prize, but the day was all but decided already. The rest of the French squadron fought on, the corvette *La Panthère* getting a creditable stern rake on the *Vientos Justos*, but it was caught in irons and galleon turned round to bring its broadside to bear, with the newly disengaged fluyt doing likewise, and it was smashed to flinders. The captain of the remaining sloop *La Railleuse* struck, and the Spanish carried the day. > *It was a good game, well-fought and very fun. We both used all three Fortune, but every time Austin used it, it was on a roll that should have had even one success but had none—and then Fortune didn’t avail and it remained at none. So her victory was, I think it fair to say, all skill, as Fortuna didn’t see fit to bless her.*