A November gale forced Hawke's main fleet to shelter in Torbay while Robert Duff remained near Quiberon with five 50-gun ships and nine frigates watching the invasion transports. Conflans sailed from Brest when an easterly wind arrived on 14 November. One British ship watching Brest failed to rendezvous with Hawke, while two vessels trying to warn Duff were driven away by the French. The victualling ship Love and Unity reached Hawke with the news the following day, and another vessel warned Duff. Hawke sailed towards Quiberon as Duff put his squadron to sea. The French still had to reach the troops south of Brest, so escaping the blockade left another movement to complete before an invasion could begin.
Notable Point · 1:32:38-1:35:12
A victualling ship carried the warning that brought Hawke to Quiberon
Failed rendezvous and intercepted messengers complicated the warning system, but the supply ship Love and Unity reached Hawke after the French fleet sailed.