Could the French unchain their ships during the battle?

Could the French crews simply unchain their ships once the formation began to fail?

They tried, but the ships had been chained too securely to regain freedom of movement during the fighting.

Asked whether French crews could cut or undo their bonds, the answer is that they were trying. The fleet had done too thorough a job of fastening the ships together. Under attack from the English and then the Flemish, the connections could not be cleared in time to restore maneuver. The chained line became a trap the French recognized but could not reverse.