wow, you two were fast

thanks for taking the time.
yes it was a complete reinstall (no leftover folders - even cleaned up the registry).
as for your gameplay suggestions: what are areas you should avoid because of mines? i'm sure the captains those days had some general knowledge about which areas to avoid because of minefields? did they always sail all the way around the north of england to get to the atlantic?
edit: waited too long to push the post button again

thanks to ALL of you