The tall ship's superstructure was like a wall to the galleys, with the Tanilia raining shots down on the galley from on high.
On the crowded decks of the galleys, the Venetian sailors had no protection and nowhere to hide, only able to return fire with muskets and crossbows amidst enemy lead.
The deck became a battleground, and the sailors became musketeers, as a duel of projectile weapons unfolded upon the high seas.
The Venetian captains all knew that their only hope of victory was boarding. To continue this fight, morale on the galleys would surely collapse first.
Officers on the galleys urged the rowers to row furiously, trying to approach the enemy's large ships from the front, where the firepower was weakest.
Meanwhile, the Tanilia tall ships tried to maintain their distance as much as possible, bombarding the galleys with the cannons mounted along their sides.