France along with Spain joined on the side of the Americans and war was declared between France and Britain.
Britain did not attempt a close blockade of French ports, rather a screen of frigates kept a vigil while the ships of the line stayed at anchor at places like Torbay and Spithead.
One of those frigates, operating off Guernsey, was the thirty-two gun, twelve-pounder frigate HMS Quebec under Captain George Farmer.
Quebec had run aground on a submerged rock and had to throw excess weight overboard to refloat her, sacrificing his 12-pound cannon.
When repaired in Portsmouth there were no replacements at the time, so ship and crew went back out on station armed with only nine pounders.

On 6 October,  Quebec working with the cutter HMS Rambler of ten guns spotted a frigate and a cutter.
By 8:00 am they were found to be the French Iphigénie-class, 32-gun Surveillante, under captain Couëdic de Kergoaler and the cutter Expédition.
France along with Spain joined on the side of the Americans and war was declared between France and Britain. Britain did not attempt a close blockade of French ports, rather a screen of frigates kept a vigil while the ships of the line stayed at anchor at places like Torbay and Spithead. One of those frigates, operating off Guernsey, was the thirty-two gun, twelve-pounder frigate HMS Quebec under Captain George Farmer. Quebec had run aground on a submerged rock and had to throw excess weight overboard to refloat her, sacrificing his 12-pound cannon. When repaired in Portsmouth there were no replacements at the time, so ship and crew went back out on station armed with only nine pounders.
On 6 October,  Quebec working with the cutter HMS Rambler of ten guns spotted a frigate and a cutter. By 8:00 am they were found to be the French Iphigénie-class, 32-gun Surveillante, under captain Couëdic de Kergoaler and the cutter Expédition.
Action of 6 October 1779