I get sloops are technically supposed to be more maneuverable, but it doesn't do any good when brigs and galleys can get right on your butt where you can't do anything in about 2 minutes of chasing. Given how often the wind changes, the straight into the wind "advantage" the sloop has is effectively useless unless you plan to run off the map to sink. Maneuverability is as worthless as a castaway's chest when your ship isn't fast enough to make any use of it.
The sloop should be fastest with a headwind from any direction and at least equal going cross-wind with the brig.
Right now, Brigs are the OG because they're fastest with any wind except directly with or against and, again, with as often as the wind changes, the Brigs will almost always have the advantage unless the crew is unrealistically incompetent. They have 100% more firepower, 100% to 150% more crew than a sloop, yet are faster, and actually maneuverable for their size - in other words, broken. Brigs are broken. There's a reason crews prefer to go for them. It is by and far the "King" of all ships and unless they go against a master pirate who has been playing for years, or the brig crew is woefully incompetent, the brig will win 9/10 engagements against sloops.
I can't tell you how many times I've been chased by brigs, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it except accept I'm going to die. If I try to turn to engage, they're going to catch up, board and/or manage to turn for their own broadside which usually involves two of them shooting while the third boards. I can't fight off a boarder, shoot back, change direction, and fix my ship at the same time. The same is true of Galleys. Y'all keep saying how we should "get in the blind spot" but that requires getting so close to the ship they can board (see above problem with multitasking) Although galleys and brigs turn slowly, they still turn fast enough a semi-competent crew can keep sloops out of their blind spot. There is no scenario in which I can get enough room to breathe or turn and hit them if I'm going solo.
Sure, I could try to board them, but I prefer to solo sloop. If I'm on their ship, I lose what insignificantly miniscule "advantage" I have by managing to drop their anchor because I can't be in two places and 3 or 4 v 1 is not a fight most players could win. I get this is a game about crews and stuff, and I get soloing is inherently dangerous but, seriously, what in the name of Flameheart am I supposed to do when a Brig decides to attack? And they almost always do and there's not a damn thing I can do unless I want to go off the map and even that is a long shot. "Getting gud" as the toxic trolls like to scream doesn't help much when it's 3 - 4 v. 1 and the 1 is in a ship that couldn't outspeed a pirate swimming with two hooks, a peg leg, and a chest full of treasure slowing them down.
tl;dr, sloops are at a significant disadvantage, especially for solo players. They need to be significantly faster running towards, or parallel to, the wind. Brigs can easily chase down any other ship and need to have some of their speed and maneuverability reduced to balance them due to their crew and weapon advantage.
