I like the wind strength thought for affecting different classes of ships. It will add realism and immersion that is currently missing.
Chasers, I would like to see something like, no normally mounted chasers. If you have a ship that will allow a chaser being moved to the bow, have the game mechanic of selecting an action in battle that has your crew move one or two guns to the bow. It should take some time, not instantly, 5 minutes or such. Would add more realism and would allow you to select that if you so choose but would not be instantly available when a battle started.