By the time Drake’s men reached their destination they were sodden, much of their gunpowder was useless, and even the strings to their crossbows were too wet to be efficient. The men would have to shelter and restore their weapons to order, and for more than half an hour Drake waited impatiently beneath a penthouse while the storm subsided, knowing that every moment that passed gave his enemies time to regroup.

John Sugden, Sir Francis Drake, loc. 257