That's good to hear. I try not to read up on it further, in case of spoilers. Playing it blind is so exciting! I wish the officers would interact with each other though, kinda like in Expeditions: Conquistador or Mount & Blade. All they do for now is boost stats and have extra missions of their own.
Oh, and I love my little starter boat. Wish I could keep her forever by simply upgrading it instead of trading it for something better as she seriously lacks the extra equipment slots. Not that I have the funds to do so, mind you. I've only explored 30% of the whole map and I've noticed that "port reports" don't really rake in a lot of money.
The random events while out in the sea helps to keep the monotony down too.