@duneadah Ahoy there, I'm sorry you haven't yet received a reply.
Basically it works like this, you enter the lobby having chosen to join a random crew, the game will matchmake you into a crew with an available space and place you in a world with around 4 or 5 other ships.
There is no ship ownership and the steering wheel is just for the person who presses 'set sail' and launches the game, to avoid multiple players pressing the button simultaneously.
If you're joining a ship already sailing, they might well be in the middle of a voyage or just starting out.
You can also choose to invite friends to the lobby with you, to join your crew, either 1, 2, 3 or 4 players depending on ship and crew choices.
Does that help?