Malta. The day after, the Aragonese set sail southwards, leaving Syracuse and reaching Capo Passero. After resting overnight, the Aragonese fleet set sail for the south east coast of Sicily, rather than head for Malta directly. After putting in at Fonte di Scicli, Lauria landed all his men to rest in Scicli to prepare themselves for the coming battle. Battle Before leaving Scicli, the Aragonese took with them a small barge, with eight oars. Their plan was to use it to scout Grand Harbour secretly, without being seen. The fleet embarked early, and reached the entrance of Grand Harbour at daybreak, just before matins. Two small scouting galleys entered the port, led by the small barge at a "distance of a cross-bow shot." The barge entered through the port's channel straight in the middle, with the other scouting ships remaining on guard at each of the points of the harbour's entrance. The barge approached the castle, and found all the Angevin galleys with their oars unshipped and beached. Counting twenty-two galleys and two smaller ships the Aragonese barge then returned to Lauria to report its findings. Roger of Lauria ordered his followers to put on their armour and set his galleys in order of battle. The Aragonese sailors wanted to enter harbour quickly and use the element of surprise, crying to "Let us attack, for they are all ours." Lauria refused and bade his sailors to blow their trumpets and announce their arrival in the harbour, saying that he did not wish that anyone would say that the Aragonese had only defeated their enemies because they found them sleeping. Muntaner explains that this was Lauria's first battle since being made admiral, speculating that he wished to show his naval prowess. Lauria sounded his trumpets and began to enter Grand Harbour with his galleys formed in line and lashed together. The Provençals awoke and found Lauria's ships with raised oars. A hundred noble Frenchmen quickly came down from the castle, and reinforced the sailors in the galleys which put to sea. Cornut sounded his trumpets, hoisted his sails and set his galley onto Lauria's. The fleets met in the middle of Grand Harbour, in an "attack so vigorous, that the prow of every galley was shattered, and the battle was most cruel and fierce." Crucially, as soon as the Provençals opened their volleys of arrows and missiles, Lauria ordered all his