@slarow
Only reason being spite? Not true.
Sure, there are people and crews that can solo or duo a 4-man galleon, but this is far from the majority of the player base. I would argue that more people would feel out-numbered, out-gunned, and/or out-manned by such an encounter when solo/duo'ing on a sloop. This is simply a gameplay limitaton that most people will find hard overcome. To be left with this conclusion is hardly a nice experience, and if they choose to take their loot somewhere where they no longer have access to it then they should be allowed to do so - they dug it up and placed it on their ship, so they have that freedom of choice. The reason behind it is lack of any other option, the nuclear method. To view it as spiteful is the very thing some crews choose to see it as to then verify their next actions as justified - being to go after that same crew again, sometimes repeatedly - which is borderline harassment and hardly in the spirit of the game. If a crew is willing to red-sea their loot, then you should realise they don't want to engage. Personally, if I see this behaviour, I don't follow.
Not everyone has enough interest, let alone time, to invest heavily in becoming better at PvP - be that because of time constraints / wanting to do things other than play this game. I do agree that a skill-based / similar-sized / time-played matchmaking system would provide better encounters than currently, but this would take a lot of work to perfect for the former suggestion. The game shouldn't force anyone to feel like a huge portion of the game isn't playable without a larger crew, which I fear the recent wave of PvP'ers seem to be causing when casual players just want to come chill and fish. A specific example, but a valid one among others.
Again though, nobody should force anyone else to play how they don't want to. I feel like this is becoming more and more of an issue with recent personal experiences of toxic crews who follow you for hours just for PvP's sake because "that's all this game's about" or because "it's a pirate's game". I fear for the future of this game with those kind of mindsets souring new players' experiences who for all I know could put the game down the same day they begin their pirate adventures because of it.
Again though, love you all, see you on the seas 🌊