Welcome aboard woodenboat!
You're going to have a lot of questions, don't be afraid to ask. This is a great group here, and everyone is willing to help.
A couple suggestions:
Make generous use of the tutorials. You can try doing things a little different, good practice for the controls, look around the boat, etc.
Always save in a new file. There is a known bug with saves. If you overwrite saves, the files will eventually corrupt. I do a save just before leaving port (fireftr). Then save just after leaving port, then whenever I think I need one (fireftr1, fireftr2, etc).
Read over all the "tips & tricks" and practice.
Finally, try the mods. They make a great game much better. You customize the game for yourself.
Now get studying, there's going to be test later. Ignore Wolferz, he always tells newbies to grab his oar.
