I'm with toon on this one. I was in a crew with a friend and I sat at the helm using broadsides as often as I could, and even though they didn't hit I ended up with some fairly high sailing EXP points (higher and quicker than just broadsiding ships). The ships do die quicker if you are using the cannons with your crew, but if you just sit at the wheel, the EXP comes to you.
Spandex
