FAQ on ships:

Q: What do I benefit having a ship?

You can access some areas you couldn't otherwise. You get to join the sailors'
guild and you can get to raise your 'arr' reputation which depends on many
things involved to sailing. 'Arr' reputation earns you +wis the more you gain
it. Additionally, ships are getting improved all the time and you can expect
combat and ship based events soon. They are fun and cool.

Q: What does it take to join the sailors and does it take free levels?

You need to be a captain of a ship to join the sailors, and it does not
require any free levels.

Q: How are the ships saved?

A: The ships are saved automatically. It doesn't matter where you leave them,
they will automatically return to the void and they can be summoned at the
beginning of the boot at any harbor.

Q: Do ships have any upkeep costs?

A: No. The only usage cost comes from summoning the ship every boot, and is
very low. Ship also experiences damage (maybe more when combat is
implemented), but currently I haven't seen a ship which has been damaged.

Q: Can I lose my ship somehow?

A: No, you can't. Currently there is not even combat where your ship could
sink. Even then, the ship should be possible to recover with a fairly small
fee.

Q: How much the crew costs and do they have any salaries that need to be paid?

A: The sailors and mages cost few thousand gp each and they don't need to be
paid any- thing later on. Navigators can be a bit more expensive, but you can
get an ok navigator for 100k.

Q: Can two or more people share the same ship?

A: Yes, and no. Only one can be the captain gaining access to sailor guild and
getting the reputation bonuses. However, you can set a ship's first mate and
bos'n, who have limited access to sailing commands. It is not possible to have
two people equally sharing a ship.