In Maritime Calling we want to give the player control over every part of the ship, including sails and steering.
The ship is only as effective as the wind blowing in it's sails and the steady hand that knows what do to. Most of your sails are square they are only effective with a tailwind. Comprehensive (but not too tedious) sailing simulation is one of our main focuses.
But a skillful captain has some tricks in his sleeves - it's been told that an able seaman could predict the wind by just striking a glance to the sky. By clever tacking, you beat any tricky wind that Fortuna may send you. Another strong asset is the triangle sail, which allow you to stop caring and love the wind, pretty much ignoring its direction.