Using the chart on Optimal Sail Positions, we can see which ship is the fastest or slowest in individual scenarios, and rate them on overall raw speed. It's actually really simple - the ship that is faster in the most scenarios is the ship with the most raw speed. Please note, that I am ignoring all other ship attributes such as crew compliment, manueverability, firepower, ease of use, etc. for the purposes of this discussion.
So, looking at the chart, here's what I have deduced:
Sloop 6
A 1×3
B 0
C 3×1
Brig 9
A 1×3
B 3×2
C 0
Galleon 8
A 2×3
B 0
C 2×1
ABC indicates placement, with A being the fastest, B being in the middle, and C being the slowest of the 3 ships.
The number next to ABC simply indicates the number of times it placed in that position for all of the chart's sail angles.
The multiplier is simply a basic rating system that adds importance to the higher placement. 3 for top, 2 for mid, and 1 for bottom.
The number next to the name of each ship is its overall rating based upon the information provided.
What's great about this system of measurement is that we can deduce which ship works best in other areas as well when compared to each other - for example, the aforementioned crew size, manueverability, firepower, ease of use, etc.
Then we use the same system again for all categories to see which ship is effectively the best ship all around based upon its overall rating.
I like this system because it's based upon facts and raw data and completely removes bias from the equation. In other words, it can't be refuted (unless my math is wrong 😅).
