Nelson overtakes the combined fleet across the Atlantic

The Royal Navy could afford to cover Gibraltar, Brest, and Ferrol because it had enough operational ships to place forces at each likely destination. Nelson reached Gibraltar on 19 July, three days before Villeneuve met Calder off Cape Finisterre, despite travelling farther. The comparison credits the accumulated skill of Nelson's sailors and officers for the faster crossing. A slightly more northerly course might have brought Nelson into contact with Villeneuve in mid-Atlantic or allowed him to join Calder before Cape Finisterre. In that hypothetical combined British force, Nelson would have taken command as the senior admiral. Route selection therefore affected both the chance of interception and who would command a resulting battle.