A few may have taken up their station there, without attracting notice among the townspeople." The opening of the passage known as the Canal of Lombardy was first visited.

To gain this, they had to retrace their steps for some distance, and to row through the town of Chioggia, passing several boats and galleys, but without attracting notice.

They found the mouth of the canal entirely unguarded, and then returned and rowed out to the mouth of the Brondolo passage.

Some blazing fires on the shore showed that there were parties of soldiers here, but no ships were lying anywhere in the channel.
After some consultation they determined that, as no watch seemed to be kept, it would be shorter to row on outside the islands, and to enter by the third passage to be examined, that between Pelestrina and Brondolo.

Here, however, the Genoese were more on the alert, as the Pelestrina shore was held by the Venetians.