Real time, real world
The map is the Earth at 1:1 and the clock is the real UTC clock. Weather comes from live observations where available, tides rise and fall twice a day, and AIS traffic sails the real shipping lanes. The crew keeps sailing a set voyage while you are offline.
Time warp
On open water, away from harbours and other skippers, step the warp up with . (down with ,) or the ◀◀ ▶▶ control: 5×, 20×, 100× and — with a planned route — 400×. Fuel, wear and wages scale with it. The warp drops back to 1× near land, harbours, storms, other ships or the coast guard.
Survive
Fuel burns with throttle³, load and headwind — bunker at harbour fuel docks (the instruments show your range). Hull condition decays under way; below 30 % steering goes sluggish and leaks start; at 0 % you sink and the nearest lifeboat station comes for you. Repairs and a regular service at the yard, or a damage-control kit (K) at sea.
Contracts
Every contract you sign shows on the contract card at sea: the next step, distance and bearing, time left and the pay. A coloured light column marks the target in the world, the radar and the chart mark it too, and Route lays a course over water and hands it to the autopilot. Tows: find the disabled ship, come within 300 m under 3 kn and pass the tow line (J); harbour tugs take her over 4 km off the destination port. Supply runs: hold station by the platform and start the crane (J). Fishing: nets out on the bank (F), trawl under 4 kn, land the catch. Freight and passengers: moor at the destination.
Berthing
Come alongside a berth (within 60 m, under 2 kn) and press T to moor, or request tugs within 1.5 km. Outside the harbours press Q: every real quay near you that your ship fits — moor there and pay per day; the nearest harbour's services reach it by truck and phone. The berth card shows distance, bearing and depth; the radar marks the berth. Port dues, berth fees and pilotage are charged like in a real port.
Go ashore
Moored, press G to walk the real harbour: the harbourmaster has the contracts and job boards, the shipyard sells hulls, the chandler repairs and services, the market trades commodities, and the bar … knows people. E or tap at a door, G to go back aboard.
Trade
Freight, passenger, charter, fishing, supply and tow contracts; every harbour's board is on the chart and in Job boards. Markets have real stock levels (buying raises the price). The black-market contact pays five times the rate — with contraband aboard.
The law
Coast-guard cutters patrol chokepoints and hail ships. Heave to (under 2 kn) within 30 s or become wanted. Caught with contraband: heavy fine, impound if you cannot pay, forced reset for repeat offenders.
Multiplayer
Everyone sails the same persistent ocean. Close to another ship or in the same harbour you can trade cargo, form a convoy (escorts halve boarding odds) or board a slow ship — which makes you wanted. Sunk ships leave salvageable wrecks.
Navigation
Chart (M): drag, wheel or pinch to zoom down to street level, tap open water to add waypoints, long-press or right-click to remove one, Sail route hands them to the autopilot (P). Radar bottom right (N↑ / H↑), instruments bottom left, weather & tide panel.
VHF radio
Press E (phone: the handset button) for the radio. Pick a channel with the knob, [ ] or digits + Enter; Shift+E keeps a dual watch on 16. Bridges, locks and VTS answer only on their own channel and within their hours — Shift+Z tunes to the bridge or lock ahead. Choose a station (Tab) and a phrase (↑ ↓), hold Z to talk and release to send. With the radio closed, Z and [ ] stay with the sails. The red DISTRESS button (lift the cover, hold 3 s) sends a DSC alert to the coast guard.
Bridges & locks
The AIR chip (top left) shows your air draught and the next three bridges: green you pass with margin, amber under 1 m, red you need an opening or cannot pass. Press ; (phone: tap the chip) for the air-draught card: the clearance now, a side view to scale, ballast and folding. Click or tap a bridge or lock for its card. Boards read closed / open clearance ("3.6 / 24.0") and width; the gauge on the pier reads the clearance at today's water. In a lock chamber press T to make fast.