Just had to cancel my preorder.
I agree that online registration and such are much better then starfish and similar ransomware but with my current internet connection I simply cannot guarantee to stay online THE WHOLE TIME without small periods of downtime. I simply cannot see how I should EVER reach British waters when UBI shuts me down once I leave Wilhelmshafen and my connection is resetting.
I seriously hope they drop the "online at all times" part fast. Once they do that I'm back on board and will happily buy the game. Hell, I even had plans on modding parts of it myself! But until then ...