I have been mulling over ways to have buffs in the game. You have debuff cannonballs, so how can you have a buff. Well, I thought of an idea that already kinda fits in. What if you could get a Treasure Chest that gives you the wind no matter which way it's actually blowing? It would be worth a fair amount, so keeping it or turning it in becomes a constant risk-reward decision. (In the way a mega powder keg is)

Obviously, this sort of system could translate into other buffs, and a way to get temporary power gains for that play session. In this way, it sort of has the weight a DayZ play session brings to your character after looting for a while. You would be less inclined to server hop.

I can think of a few buff chests:
Always have the wind (maybe its periodic like the crying chest?)
Resources over time
Chance on a hole to board itself

More ambitious tech / serious balance discussion required:
Shimmering sails/masts harder for other ships to see you at a distance

Just some ideas for what a buff chest could look like.