Literal translation
to hit/miss the mark well or badly
Meaning
to show up at the right or wrong moment, depending on luck
Explanation
To hit good or bad luck depending on circumstances, like grabbing the last seat for the Toulon-Porquerolles crossing (bien encapé) or missing it by a hair (mal encapé). The verb encapa originally meant to take by the head, a sense that gave rise to understanding, but here it mostly keeps the idea of chance landing squarely on you. A rarer variant uses rescountra (to meet). Someone who encapes well will have capité well, meaning succeeded.