28th February 1701.
The course of the battle might have sounded long, but in reality, only four days had passed. During those four days, Vijay did not allow the battleships he was travelling with to stop even once. Ever since setting off from Cape Town, the battleships had been running continuously, without rest.
Normally, a fleet's movement is limited by its slowest vessels, forcing the entire formation to cruise at a relatively steady pace of eight to ten knots, far below the maximum speed the battleships could achieve. This time, however, Vijay chose to take a risk. He advanced with only the battleships of the reinforcement fleet, leaving the remaining warships behind. Freed from slower ships, their speed increased dramatically, and it was because of this decision that he was able to reach the battlefield ahead of schedule.
