The French recaptured her at the Battle of Grand Port, only to lose her again when the British took Isle de France (now Mauritius), in 1810.

On 6 June 1780, along with Zodiaque (74 guns), Néréide captured a British privateer, the 10-gun cutter Prince of Wales off Madeira.

Néréide was part of the fleet of Lamotte-Picquet that sailed from Brest and on 2 May 1781 captured 18 ships in a convoy from Sint Eustatius.

After a pursuit of 12 hours and 123 miles, Nereide captured the French privateer Vengeance, pierced for 18 guns but carrying sixteen 12-pounders and 174 men.

[8] On 25 November 1806, Nereide was under the command of Captain Robert Corbett when she captured Brilliante, a Spanish privateer lugger of four guns with a crew of 50.

She was under the command of Enseigne de vaisseau provisoir Sugor, and was sailing from the Seychelles to Port Louis with dispatches.

[11][b][c] On 20 October 1808, Nereide recaptured HCS Sylph, a 78-ton schooner of the British East India Company's naval arm, the Bombay Marine.

In September, still under the command of Corbett, she played a critical part in the Raid on Saint Paul at Île Bourbon (now Réunion).

There Nereide and the landing party captured the frigate Caroline, and recovered the East Indiamen Streatham and Europa, and the 14-gun Bombay Marine brig Grappler.

On board Estafette the British also found 600 pieces of mail that provided an insight into the state of the French colony.

However, as Estafette approached the beach the wind strengthened and built up a powerful surf, which smashed the schooner ashore with enough force to break her and the accompanying boats apart: four of the 150-strong landing party were drowned.

All her former British officers and crew were in prison ships at Grand Port and qualified for the prize money that followed the capture of the island.