 Casualties were heavy on both sides , and both vessels were in such poor condition that each commander thought he had sunk his opponent . Most of La Vengeance 's rigging had been blown away ; only the lower foremast , lower mizzenmast , and bowsprit were operational . Pitot set course for Curaçao and was forced to ground his vessel there to prevent her from sinking . The number of French casualties is somewhat unclear : official French accounts report 28 dead and 40 wounded , while accounts from Curaçao state that the French frigate had lost 160 men . Once Pitot reached Curaçao he was beset with further problems . La Vengeance remained out of action for months due to difficulties in acquiring support needed to repair the frigate from the Dutch officials there . A French expedition to seize the island brought the materiel needed to repair the frigate , but when asked to help attack the island Pitot refused and slipped away to Guadaloupe . 
