It is recommended that you gather a crew before going to sea

Feel free to talk to the inhabitants on the islands, some of them give you useful hints and tips about Privateering, while others will sell you valuable ammo and items you'll need eartheternal gold for ship combat. You can even take quests to defeat other players in ship combat.

Captain Garcia de Avaricia dispenses good advice - like don't return to his island empty-handed, always bring something nice, like a crate of gold.

It is recommended that you gather a crew before going to sea. Having other people on board allows the captain to concentrate on maneuvering and broadsides. This gives your ship a powerful punch with special ammunition that only talented cannoneers can use.

At any time, you can press "~" in order to see how many ships are currently Privateering, as well as, their score and bounty. (See Bounty and Scoring) Chances are you'll want to find an ocean with a lot of Pirates already playing in it as it'll make for a more exciting and challenging battle.

Keep in mind, you will not be able to launch Privateering for the French or Spanish side if either team already has more ships at sea and is too powerful.