When King Enrique reached Seville, he saw how stricken and confined the city was, owing to the Portuguese fleet which had blockaded the river mouth. Some claim that at that time, of the entire fleet, no more than sixteen galleys and twenty-four naos were stationed there, but they do not indicate which had stayed and which had not, nor who the masters were. At once, the king ordered twenty galleys to be launched, but there were insufficient oars to fit them out, because King Pedro had ordered many oars to be taken from Seville to Carmona when he was equipping that town, with the result that the galleys could not be completely fitted out. For that reason, 100 oars were distributed to each galley, which remained still eighty short, and it was assumed that these 100 oars were just adequate for reaching the Portuguese fleet and doing battle with it. Many of the seamen, however, were much opposed to this, declaring that, equipped in that fashion, the galleys were courting very great danger, because the outgoing tide would hurtle them into the embrace of the Portuguese fleet, which had the assistance of armed naos, and that their galleys could be sent into disarray and be defeated.

Nevertheless, King Enrique sent many knights, men-at-arms, crossbowmen and other troops aboard the galleys, and they sailed off down river, whilst the king departed by land with many companies. When the galleys reached Coria on the River Guadalquivir, the Portuguese learned that they were approaching and bearing many valiant troops bent on doing battle with them, and that the king too was approaching by land with great companies, ready to help them if they were needed. Realizing that the approaching forces were fresh and relaxed and that they were in the presence and full view of the king, who would double their eagerness to fight, in addition to the great support which stood in readiness to help them, and recognizing that, on the other hand, they, the Portuguese, were weary, frail and very ill, they took the decision to put out into the open sea. There, if they sought to do battle with them, they would have an advantage over the Castilian galleys, as they could not be helped at sea as effectively as they could while still in the river. Accordingly, all the naos and galleys put out to sea.