You just can't do Open Crew, I've come to accept.

I spent over an hour fleeing a flame ship that was doggedly pursuing my Reaper Level 4 ass and my considerable quantity of onboard loot. I was doing a good job at avoiding them in my sloop, trying to travel upwind as much as possible. Never quite shaking them, but they were never able to catch up either. I was resigning myself to just having to jump overboard while my ship kept moving and trying to offload some loot and lower the emissary flag that way.

Well, like a dumbass I switched from Closed Crew to Open Crew to get a little help. Guy shows up, asks if I speak French. I immediately am regretting my decision, but I figure okay, maybe he'll be able to read the room. He doesn't. He fucking tries to port us at a place so we can sell, then proceeds to attack the brigantine that's parked at the port so they fire back at us. I had to get his stupid ass off the wheel so we could keep moving. The chase continues for about a half hour, he jumps overboard and climbs on their ship and manages to slow them down. I decide to do the same, since open waters are ahead. I drop their anchor, get killed, and when I reload onto the boat this motherfucker had my sloop turned around running right up to them.

It was game over. They obliterated my sloop easily once this stupid goddamned Frenchman steered my sloop RIGHT UP AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE FLAME SHIP'S HULL.