How to sail your ship in Caribbean Corsairs
In Caribbean Corsairs you set your speed with the sails and steer with left and right. The sails stay where you leave them, the ship speeds up and slows down gently like a real ship, and it turns faster when it moves faster. Keep clear of the islands and the edge of the sea chart.
How do the sails work?
Hold W, ↑, RT or + Raise sails to raise your sails. Hold S, ↓, LT or − Lower sails to lower them. Let go, and the sails stay where they are. This is called sail trim: you set it once, and then you only need to steer.
The Sails gauge at the bottom shows how high your sails are, from 0% to 100%. Every battle starts with the sails at 50%. Going from empty to full takes a little under two seconds of holding.
Your ship does not jump to a new speed. When you raise the sails, it picks up speed over a few seconds. When you lower them, it glides on and slows down bit by bit. Plan ahead: lower your sails before you reach an island, not when you are already there.
How fast can your ship go?
The KNOTS gauge shows your speed. A knot is the speed unit sailors use. With full sails and the wind behind you, your ship goes about 12 knots. Sailing straight into the wind, full sails give you a bit over 9.
The rival ships sail at a steady speed that the game does not show. These are hidden numbers from the game's data, before the wind:
| Battle | Rival speed |
|---|---|
| 1. The Smuggler’s Cove | 5.5 |
| 2. The Emerald Passage | 6.5 |
| 3. The Crimson Fleet | 7 |
So with full sails you are always faster than every rival, even into the wind. That is why "sail away while you reload" works so well.
How does steering work?
Steer with A / D, ← / →, the left stick or the ↶ ↷ buttons. The rudder, the board at the back of a ship that steers it, needs a moment to swing over. So a turn starts gently and then gets stronger.
The most important thing to know: your ship turns much faster when it is moving fast. A ship with almost no speed hardly turns at all. If you want to swing around quickly, raise your sails first.
When you fire, the cannons push your ship a little to the other side. You can feel it as a small jolt.
What does the wind do?
The WIND arrow shows where the wind blows. The wind blows the same way for the whole battle, and in every battle.
- With the wind behind you, your ship reaches its full speed.
- Sailing into the wind, your ship is about a quarter slower.
- Sailing across the wind is somewhere in between.
The rival ships feel the wind too. If you need to escape fast, turn so the wind arrow points the same way you are going.
Islands and shallow water
There are six palm islands on the sea, and they are in the same places in every battle. The SEA CHART shows them as green circles.
When you get close to an island, the screen warns Shallow water — turn away from the beach! If you hit the beach, your ship bumps off and loses some hull. A slow bump costs very little. A fast bump costs more. Islands also stop cannonballs, so you can hide behind one while you reload.
The edge of the sea
The sea in Caribbean Corsairs is round, with the islands in the middle. When you get near the edge, the screen warns Edge of the chart — turn back! If you keep going, your ship is stopped and pushed back. The edge does not damage your ship, but you lose speed and time.
Bumping into other ships
If your ship bumps into a rival, both ships lose the same amount of hull. A soft touch does nothing, but a fast crash hurts. Ramming is not a good plan: your hull has to last the whole battle, and a rival you crash into is right beside you, ready to fire.
Common sailing mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| The ship won't turn. | You are too slow. Raise your sails, then turn. |
| You keep hitting islands. | Look at the SEA CHART before you turn, and lower the sails a little near land. |
| You stopped at the edge of the sea. | Turn back towards the islands as soon as you see the warning. |
| Rivals catch up with you. | Full sails, and turn so the wind is behind you. |
| You sit still while reloading. | Keep moving. A moving ship is harder to hit. |
See also
- Cannons and broadsides: how to line up a shot while you sail.
- Hull, damage and repairs: what bumps and hits cost.
- Advanced tips: using wind and speed in a fight.
- Controls and Ship settings: all the sailing buttons.
- Hoist your sails: play Caribbean Corsairs. Like speed and stunts? Try the Shanghai Roadster guide.
