Lawrence were extraordinarily rich fishing grounds, and French, Basque, English, and Portuguese fishermen had been harvesting cod and other species from these waters for decades.

The annual fishing voyages from Breton ports were a regular commercial undertaking, and the fishermen would have been familiar with the coastlines and islands of the region.

Exactly how Marguerite made contact with the fishermen — whether she signaled to passing ships with fire, whether they came close to the island for their own reasons and spotted signs of habitation, or whether there was some other mechanism — is not specified in the accounts.

What is established is that she was taken aboard and that she was eventually returned to France.