ashore in Valletta while Crafty lay at anchor in the fairway. The 74-gun broke from her moorings and came up so close behind the schooner that it appeared that Eagle might destroy her. At daylight Spencer saw the situation. The seas were too rough for Crafty to be able to launch her boats so Spencer waved to draw his crew's attention, and then, stripping off his coats and boots, swam out to her. Once on board, he secured a spring on the anchor cable then cut and ran to a more secure anchorage. Throughout this manoeuvre, Eagles crew stood by with ropes to rescue Craftys crew should that be necessary. Fate Crafty was on her way with dispatches from the Dardanelles when she stopped at Gibraltar. She sailed from Gibraltar on 7 March in company with the gun-brig but the two vessels did not coordinate. Crafty carried too much sail and Confounder too little, with the result that they separated. The next day Crafty encountered gunvessels from the Algeciras flotilla and although she escaped, she had a gun dismounted. She sailed towards the Barbary coast and on 9 March anchored in a small bay at north of Tetuan, awaiting a favourable wind. In the afternoon, while she was at anchor, she sighted three lateen-rigged feluccas coming towards her. She cleared for action, and as they approached, cut her cables and sailed to engage them. The three Spanish vessels were Gibraltar (aka Generalissimo), Hurón, and Pastora (aka Águila). Generalissimo and Hurón were armed with two 32-pounder carronades and two 6-pounder guns, and Pastora was armed with two 18-pounder carronades and two 6-pounder guns. All three had 70-man crews, augmented with volunteers. In the engagement Crafty lost her fore- and mainyards, which fell over her starboard side. When she could no longer maneuver, one of the three Spanish vessels placed a grapnel on her rudder, holding Crafty fast. The other two then came alongside, one on the bow and one on the quarter. Craftys crew was able to repel the first boarding attempt, but had to surrender after the second succeeded in carrying her. In all, Crafty had lost three men killed and 14 wounded. One of the wounded may have died because Lloyd's List report that the British had suffered four men killed and nine wounded in their attack. Spencer was wounded between the Spaniards' first and second attempts at boarding.