Hi, here are some older posts on the topic that may be of interest to you. I would also point out that the RN did suffer many reverses at sea, from the burning of the fleet during a Dutch raid on the Medway in 1667 to the fleet being driven completely out of the Pacific in the early days of WWII (to name just a couple).

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2nydmp/how_did_the_british_navy_remain_dominant_for_such/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3pn7v5/what_changes_occurred_in_the_construction/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2bpjog/what_did_a_naval_blockade_look_like_in_the_age_of/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3jh7og/why_was_horatio_nelson_able_to_succeed_so/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3ebdk5/how_did_nelsons_tactics_work_at_trafalgar/