Controls

The left hand sails and trims, the right hand fights, the mouse looks. H shows this list in the game.

Keyboard

Action	Key	Notes
Helm to port	A or ←	Hold to put the helm over; let go and it eases back amidships. Double tap: hard over, held until the helm is touched again (Marlinspike, 2026-10-14).
Helm to starboard	D or →	Hold to put the helm over; let go and it eases back amidships. Double tap: hard over, held until the helm is touched again.
Make more sail	W or ↑	One step: none, topsails, full (Marlinspike, 2026-10-14). In a boat, a stroke faster: back water, hold water, easy, full.
Take in sail	S or ↓	One step: full, topsails, none. In a boat, a stroke slower. Clicking Sail on the station bar steps round none, topsails, full.
Brace fore yards to port	Q	Turns auto-trim off. Double tap: braced hard over, held until a fore-yard key or auto-trim is touched.
Brace fore yards to starboard	E	Turns auto-trim off. Double tap: braced hard over.
Brace main and mizzen yards to port	Z	Turns auto-trim off. Double tap: braced hard over, held until a main-yard key or auto-trim is touched. On the cutter: the mainsheet. On the brigantine: her gaff main's sheet.
Brace main and mizzen yards to starboard	C	Turns auto-trim off. Double tap: braced hard over. On the cutter: the mainsheet. On the brigantine: her gaff main's sheet.
Auto-trim on	F	Both yard groups follow the wind again.
Sheet the headsails to port	R	On the cutter too: her headsails, the staysail and jib together (Jim, 2026-10-15). Square-rigged ships and the brigantine: takes the headsails off the fore yards: they stay where you put them until auto-trim. Double tap: hard over, held. The headsails, staysails and spanker are set and taken in with the square sails (Marlinspike, 2026-10-07).
Sheet the headsails to starboard	T	Every ship, the cutter too. Double tap: hard over, held.
Port guns: Stand Down → Load → Fire at Will	J	Each press moves to the next order; the order in force shows on the station bar.
Starboard guns: Stand Down → Load → Fire at Will	L	Each press moves to the next order; the order in force shows on the station bar.
Port guns' ammunition	U	Ball → chain → double. Guns loaded with other shot draw it and load again (Marlinspike, 2026-10-06; on U and O since 2026-10-07). The game takes no Ctrl keys.
Starboard guns' ammunition	O	Ball → chain → double.
Boat: lower it, or go aboard the ship alongside	B	In your ship under 2 knots, lowers her boat and you go down into it (about 10 s); she lies to. In the boat, within 20 m of her side or a ship you have commanded, both under 2 knots, puts you aboard (about 15 s). Pressed again, stops the work. In the boat, W and S step the stroke (Marlinspike, 2026-09-30).
Go ashore, or put to sea	P	Corona del Mar. At sea: within 1 km of Corona and under 3 knots, in a ship or her boat; or anywhere, in the boat of a ship that struck. If you may not, it says why. Ashore: Put to Sea (Marlinspike, 2026-10-04).
Signal list	Tab	Opens without pausing; ↑ / ↓ choose, Enter makes the signal; Tab or Esc closes it.
Slower time	,	1×, 2×, 4×, 8×.
Faster time	.	1×, 2×, 4×, 8×.
Pause menu	Esc	With the map open, Esc closes it. With the camera on the mouse, the first Esc frees the cursor and the next opens the menu. Time scale, Controls, Fight again, Leave.
Controls panel	H
Log entry	F1	Write in your logbook; check Error report if something went wrong. The logbook goes to your account at the end of a battle, or back in port on Corona del Mar (Marlinspike, 2026-10-19).
Minimap range	N	Steps through three ranges, shortest to longest, in the deck view (Marlinspike, 2026-10-08). Clicking the minimap does the same.
Map	M	Opens and closes the chart; the fight runs on. While it is open, + / − zoom it and Esc closes it (Marlinspike, 2026-10-08).
Telescope	Shift or right Shift	Hold. Looks from your deck along the camera; ships show their labels in the glass (Marlinspike, 2026-10-06).
Camera closer	+	While the telescope is up, more magnification (up to 12×).
Camera farther	−	While the telescope is up, less magnification (down to 3×).

While the signal list is open, the up and down arrows move through the list, and the left and right arrows do nothing. A, D and S, the yards and the gun keys still work.

Mouse

Action	Input	Notes
Look around	Mouse	Click the sea to put the camera on the mouse; it holds where you point it. Esc frees the cursor.
Camera distance	Wheel	While the telescope is up, its magnification, 3× to 12×.
Station bar	Click a gun side, or Sail	Steps its order on: the same command as the key.
Ammunition switch	Click it, on a gun side	Steps to the next shot: the same command as U or O.
Signal list	Click a signal	Makes it and closes the list; a click on the sea closes it too.
Minimap	Click it	Steps its range, the same as N.

Touch

On a phone or tablet the controls are on the screen, held either way up; upright is the layout the game is made for. Every button does what its key does, so the yards’ hold and double tap work the same. Added to your home screen, the game runs without the browser’s bars.

Action	Touch	Notes
Helm to port	◀, held. Double tap: hard over, held
Helm to starboard	▶, held. Double tap: hard over, held
Make more sail	Tap Sail on the station bar: it steps round none, topsails, full
Take in sail	Tap Sail on the station bar
Brace fore yards to port	Trim, then Fore ◀
Brace fore yards to starboard	Trim, then Fore ▶
Brace main and mizzen yards to port	Trim, then Main ◀
Brace main and mizzen yards to starboard	Trim, then Main ▶
Auto-trim on	Trim, then Auto
Sheet the headsails to port	Trim, then Head ◀
Sheet the headsails to starboard	Trim, then Head ▶
Port guns: Stand Down → Load → Fire at Will	Tap the port cannon on the station bar
Starboard guns: Stand Down → Load → Fire at Will	Tap the starboard cannon on the station bar
Port guns' ammunition	Tap the shot beside the port cannon
Starboard guns' ammunition	Tap the shot beside the starboard cannon
Boat: lower it, or go aboard the ship alongside	☰, then Boat
Go ashore, or put to sea	Tap Go ashore, or Put to sea
Signal list	☰, then Signals; tap a signal to make it, or the sea to close the list
Pause menu	❚❚
Log entry	❚❚, then Log entry
Minimap range	Tap the minimap
Map	☰, then Map; ❚❚ closes it
Telescope	☰, then Glass to raise it; again to lower it
Look around	Drag on the sea	The camera holds where you leave it.
Camera distance	Pinch	While the glass is up, its magnification, 3× to 12×. On the map, pinch zooms it and a drag moves it.
Compass, minimap	The small button on its corner	Hides it; the tab left behind brings it back. Upright, a hidden minimap's place goes to the strip, and its tab stands under it.
Trim panel	Trim	A row for each yard group, the headsails first, with ◀ ▶, held or double tapped like the keys, and Auto. Auto, or a touch on the sea, closes it.