Will's Guide for Cannoneers

Cannon Basics
Cannons are the main firearms when it comes to sea battles. Every ship in the Caribbean is armed with at least 2 cannons. To use a cannon, go near the cannon to the point where it is surrounded by a circle of green light and press Shift.

TIPS
Shooting from a cannon may be a difficult task for some pirates. Others are excellent gunners on vessels. Below are some tips for becoming a better gunner with a cannon.
 * Use the wind, aim and shoot at an angle that corresponds with the wind direction. For example, if your are moving north on your ship and you see an enemy vessel on your left, aim you shots to the north west side of that vessel.
 * If you know that you are going to sink but you want to sink the nemy ship after your trip to jail, use firebrand rounds to weaken that ship over time.
 * If Privateering chases, try to hit the nemy ship with Firebrand as it will weaken that Ship's HP over time.
 * Firing at the same spot on a ship will eventually cause it to smoke and burn giving a damage bonus to shots made to the same spot.
 * In Ship PvP, fire your hull rounds at the waterline (the line where the hull rests in the water) shots going too high do less damage.
 * Chain Shots are best against Masts and Sails.
 * Firebrand, Round, Explosive, and Fury Rounds are best against Hulls.
 * Grape Shots are used for slowing down Ship Repair on enemy ships in SvS, and can be great at clipping sails at short range if set at Rank 5.
 * Thunderbolt is long range and is good against the Hull and Sails/Masts.