about half past eleven
-- At what time do you think the _ Sémillante _ foundered ? -- It must have been at midday ; yes , monsieur , right in the middle of the day . But , my word , when it comes to sea fogs , midday is no better than a pitch-black night ... . A local customs ' officer told me , that at about half past eleven that day , as he went outside to close his shutters , the wind got up again and a gust blew his cap off . At the risk of being carried away himself , he began to scramble after it along the shore -- on his hands and knees . You must understand that customs ' men are not well off , and a cap is an expensive item . It seems that our man raised his head for a second and noticed a big ship under bare poles , running before the wind blowing towards the Lavezzi Islands .