Well, we just got an update to sailing and bartering but it really only helps those working on getting a better ship, and doesn't really help those that are past that point.

There are a few things they could do which I think would help the sailing community.  These are my ideas which would bring it closer to the mechanics of the other tradeskills.

1.  When quests and events are created for tradeskiller, please include those of us who sail or barter.  A good example was the recent Old Moon event get tickets.  You could farm fairy dust, or witch's delicacy, blush leaves, etc but absolutely nothing for those of us who like living at sea.  Please find a way to include us in these events.  Maybe make a random item appear when bartering so we can take part too (like the blush leaf, fairy dust, hunting spark, mysterious catalyst, etc) then we can take part in these events, hand in for contribution exp, etc.  If something also dropped from sea monsters, then it would all be fair regarding these rewards (edit:  While you are at it, please add more events for guild experience as there is practially nothing a sailor can do to get guild contribution points... which means we have to go on land to help the guild and make our 10k points).

2.  Remove the totally annoying and pointless random events that happen when sailing.  Typically they are negative ones which cause damage to the ship or make sailors ill, etc.  You can be miles out at sea when you suddenty take damage from a Cox pirate?  How..  If they can shoot me out here, why don't they shoot people in Calpheon too?  Or a nice flat calm sea and we take damage from an invisible rogue wave?  Best one is when it's the middle of the night, pitch black, stormy with massive waves and suddenly "the crew feels happy under the blue skies!".  Man, I feel like turning around and dropping my crew off at the local looney hospital.  These events are just wrong.  Why don't they happen to other lifeskills?  Alchemy explosiions, cooking burns, horse stumbles, fishing line breaks, etc.

3.  Add some buffs.  How many potions give + to cooking speed, or processing, or alchemy speed, etc.  The only one that has any benefit to sailing is on the celerity draught which is super expensive to buy or takes a ton of components to make.  Please add some potions or something on the seafood cron meal to help sailors.  Sailing is the hardest lifeskill to level and has the second least buffs to assist (bartering being the worst but people have managed to 50 Guru that one).

4.  Please add some Leap quests for barting and sailing and maybe even honor to the families.  There are no [LIFE] Sailing or Bartering quests.

Anyway, thank you for helping people get boats.. .now do something to make them want to use them :)

Cheers

excellent post, plus one!