*Capitaine de corvette* Sauvageau, aboard *La Panthère*, at sea Mon intendant, I have news of the action off San Rios, to protect our post there from an English raid. It is, alas, bad news. *Amiral* Daniau led the line in the *Nonpareil* to intercept the English squadron. We had two *petites frégates* and two corvettes, including my *Panthère*, as against their fifth rate, a curious galley-frigate, and a brigantine. The admiral set sail between the island of San Rios and the shoals to the west. The wind was out of the west, putting us in the unenviable position of a narrow passage with a lee shore, and the English coming down towards us and the island with the wind at their backs. ![[jul_11 - 1.png]] The admiral ordered the *Nonpareil* and the consort frégate to intercept the English and hold them long enough for our corvettes in the rear to come around and double their line. We could not match their firepower, even with our four ships, but we could almost certainly take one or both of their larger ships in a boarding action. I and the other corvette, *Le Tigre*, paid off and went to circle the lee of the island, but found that navigating the rocks there required us to take a much larger path than we had initially hoped. ![[jul_11 - 2.png]] Meanwhile, the valiant frégates closed with the English and attempted to board. But what followed was a sad shambles; the English broadsides carried away parts of the rigging on our frégates, and pierced their hulls wickedly. I saw the crews grapple both larger English ships multiple times, but never secure a foothold on the enemy; the lines were cut as rapidly as they could be thrown. ![[jul_11 - 3.png]] In the end, we saw both frégates strike their colours just as we rounded the rocks. We had no broadside to give to the English, but we fired our muskets and bow-chasers before realizing the day was lost, and paying off to make it to the east and home waters once more. ![[jul_11 - 4.png]] > *Well, I certainly should have brought the corvettes over the shoal, or just along at the back of the line. Trying to be clever and bring them around the island kept them from playing a role at any point in the game. This meant I was playing 16 points down in a 50 point game, a one-third handicap, entirely as an unforced error. Coupling that with bad boarding efforts, excellently avoided by the English, there was no hope! The broadsides of two powerful frigates at pistol range while I tried vainly to close, coupled with a brigantine taking free pot-shots at close range and threatening the objective, decided the day. My hat is off to my opponent, and I hand him my sword.*