You can interact with your ship and make instant changes even when you're on land. If you have an officer who's very loyal and skilled, but is a bit of a pansy when it comes to a swordfight, you can instantly assign him to be a "passenger" on your ship rather than an active officer. This way you get all of the benefits of his skills without having to worry about watching his back in a fight. This is only a problem until you can equip your officers with some better weapons so they can take care of themselves. When you visit a town's shipyard you can repair, sell or buy ships and outfit any ship you own with new cannons and the changes are instant. When you buy goods for transporting like oil, cinnamon or linen, the cargo is instantly loaded on your ship the second you pay for it.​