Just my $0.02, but I agree with CaptainHaplo about the fire. While it would be nice to see some increase in damage due to fires, I don't think a fire should doom a ship.
I, too, hope the ships aren't too easy to sink. I enjoyed the frustration of the occasional non-sinker and the thought process that went along with what to do about it (i.e hang around and wait, throw another fish in the fire, blast away with the deck gun,.....)
Thanks for the update, Werner, and all the hard work behind it!