Great replies. However, I should have probably made it clearer that those suggestions I put out were actually more about In world weather and its effects on ships then In battle effects.
The in battle effects on this game are for the most part excellent, and other then perhaps playing with some variation in wind force and its effects on the speed of ships in battle, ((such as having enough wind force to make skippers take in sail while in battle, rather then say making waves still larger, )) all the other points I suggested were actually about in world. In world, the interaction between chasers and those chased and those hiding, or using weather to escape, if they could, THOSE are the effects that I think would make the game more interesting.
((One more point about In battle weather. Really as most battles happen around or near ports the seas even in harsh weather don't need to get larger making aim so much more difficult. I am really just interested in seeing us have to adjust our rigging to fit wind conditions in battle. ))
If IN WORLD ships could not move or actually went into IN IRONS when the wind was against them... that would force us all to tack around the map, and make the strategies of getting there that much more challenging. The Heal of your ship IN WORLD needs to happen depending on what tack the ship is on and again wind power. Wind power should variate IN world.
And as long as I am on this subject someone suggested to me a while back, "Wouldn't it be interesting if instead of the constantly cycling wind clock, our weather reflected actual weather patterns as have occurred in the area of the Naval Action map in the last say twenty years of accurate recording. Wouldn't that be extraordinary if that could data could be part of IN WORLD use? Modified of course, but still, then strategies would have to take in the fact that wind might be blowing a certain way for days on end, or the prevailing realities of wind currents in the West Indies. Just a thought.
On all this, I recognize a black and white all or nothing approach probably won't work. But perhaps a nudge here and there toward something a bit more real would be very satisfying for all those drawn to this game because we have had nautical experiences in real life.
Anyway thanks for giving these ideas thought.