Even a French-Spanish victory at Trafalgar would probably have left a damaged fleet facing further British squadrons farther north. Its survival in those later encounters is posed as an open question. Intercepting the enemy far from Britain reduced the need to divert close-blockading forces to meet a threat nearer home. Maintaining those blockades sustained economic pressure on France; relaxing them would have prolonged the war in this interpretation. The French shortage of frigates made that wider contest harder, despite their limited ability to fight ships of the line directly.
Notable Point · 59:23-1:01:04
Why a distant interception protected Britain's blockade
The Trafalgar counterfactual asks whether a damaged victorious fleet could survive further British interception, then explains why Britain wanted to fight far from its blockade stations.