Nelson's misdirection and Villeneuve's escape

Nelson deliberately made his presence known off the Spanish coast and then shifted to the other passage, expecting Villeneuve to avoid the reported British position and sail into a trap. Leaving the first channel unwatched was overconfident despite Nelson's numerical advantage. Villeneuve shook off the frigates watching him, and a Spanish merchant escaped British observation to warn him where Nelson was waiting. Villeneuve then passed west of the Balearic Islands and avoided the trap. One unobserved merchant and imperfect scouting had overturned an elaborate operational ruse.