Just cross the T like good old Nelson did! Works a treat. So in game time line up all your chaps and then as the enemy is oncoming just turn your ships 90 degrees to the enemy and rake their ships from front to back. Its also very useful to use the line formation to use the figure 8 tactic around the enemy ships. Just make sure you are aware of the running of the wind and keep with it so you can move and dont loose your speed. As soon as you loose your speed your dead. Just do figure 8s around the enemy in line formation and give him broadsides.Another tactic I find is split your fleet into 4th,5th and 6th lines whatever the ships with the most damage output into one group and then your smaller weaker ships into another group. Now this really requires no brains as you use your smaller ships as cannon fodder send them in and get them to fire ball and chain to demast the most powerful enemy ships and leave them to this task, except u will loose some of the smaller ships but you will have taken away the enemies ability to move without sails. Once your cannon fodders has taken a mast our two from some of the enemy capital ships sail your undamaged more powerful group in and rake the enemy, I use my bigger ships at this point to rake the demasted capital ships with cannister shot to kill the enemy crew and then because the enemy cant escape I just board them with more crew and take their ships and hey ho you have more ships as your booty! Hope this helps, works for me anywaysMag