The day after their arrival, a westerly wind caused the small cable of the ship's anchor to break, placing everyone on alert. Although it was Sunday, ²⁷ in the afternoon Le Roy and seven of his men tried to recover the anchor from the bottom of the sea. Since it was stuck in the mud, the anchor ring broke, so they lost the anchor. On Monday morning, the captain went ashore to buy a new cable and anchor. He also tried to find an inshore pilot to guide them up the Seudre.

Friday, February 1, 1754 ²⁸

The winds were blowing from the NE as we arrived in the roadstead of La Rochelle, where we dropped anchor around 3 o'clock. We lowered the shallop, and the captain went ashore with five men. The men returned at 9 p.m. with the shallop. The captain remained ashore to report to the admiralty registry and find a pilot to take us up the Seudre.

Candlemas, ²⁹ Saturday, February 2, 1754

At 7 a.m., five men went ashore in the shallop to pick up the captain. They returned around 8 p.m. without a pilot. Around noon, there was a gentle westerly breeze. Our small cable broke. We cast our large anchor. I had the hawser clinched ³⁰ to the ancret. ³¹ I had it cast about half way with the large cable at the end. Two men kept watch all night.

Sunday, February 3, 1754

At 8 a.m., we lowered our lower yards down a portlast ³² in strong NW winds. At 3 p.m., 7 of us got in the shallop to raise our anchor. The anchor was stuck in the mud. We broke the ring. The anchor was lost.

Monday, February 4, 1754

Around 8 a.m., the captain went ashore, to La Rochelle, in a shallop belonging to a ship from Saint-Valéry-en-Caux that is anchored near ours. He hopes to find a new cable, an anchor and a pilot to sail up the Seudre. He returned around 4 p.m. with a pilot and brought an anchor in a shallop from the port. He did not find a new cable.