While reading through the rules, I noticed what I think is an interesting issue. The volley chart shows which officers can be hit by a volley from Marines or troops. The chart goes from the Captain to the 6th Lieutenant. However, 1st rate ships actually have 7 Lieutenants. Is this omission intentional? I can see a rationale that says a 7th Lt. would be pretty deep in the lower gundecks, so not exposed to fire, and if he were there are certainly bigger problems to worry about. If it should ever become an issue, it seems there's an easy fix. When the 6th LT is called for on the volley chart, just roll a d12. Odds is the 6th LT, evens is the 7th.
Of course, it's always possible that I missed the explanation for this; after all, that's why I'm reading the rules for fun before the next game!
BWW