Could a master time a press ship's arrival to avoid wages?

Could an unscrupulous East India Company master pay a naval captain to arrive at the right moment and avoid paying the crew?

The reply rejects the practical coordination needed to make that work, even if a master would have welcomed the saving.

Sailors fleeing a press ship could lose the final portion of their voyage wages. A viewer asks whether an unscrupulous master could exploit that by arranging the naval ship's arrival. The answer rejects the practical ability to coordinate the encounter that closely. The financial incentive alone does not establish that such collusion occurred.