Hypothetical Scenario

[Grey_Fox]

At the start of WW1, the British were denying the German High Seas Fleet passage to the Atlantic by blocking the Channel with mines and destroyers, and the entrance to the Atlantic (between Scotland and Norway) with the Grand Fleet. The British could not conduct a close blockade becasue the German ports were too well protected, and the logistics for such a blockade would have been nightmarish.

What this means is that the High Seas Fleet had access to the North Sea, but nowhere else.

The scenario I want to get opinions is: what would have happened if the High Seas Fleet (or at least their fast warships) had sallied out during the crossing of the BEF, and either delayed or destroyed part of the BEF as it crossed? Would it have made much of a difference in the war?

I am asking this as my knowledge of the First World War is rather sketchy at best in many areas, and I've just started a book (Castles of Steel by Robert K. Massie) in order to rectify the situation. However, this is just about the naval aspects of the war, and ignores the ground campaigns. So, what would have happened if the BEF was delayed (or stopped) in crossing the Channel?