you need a good map
and a good strategy never hurt anyone either
if you were to ask anyone who has ever cashed out in this game id bet you anything they had a good map..all the stronger players have one of some sort or another
a map will help you farm islands and lagoons and also help you find fame resets ..fast...
it takes a bit of time to get a good map going but trust me..all them times you seen me cashout in the past theres no way i would have gotten there without a map
watch the home page to see how many active pirates are on the seas before you decide your stratagey for the day
monitor your attack logs to see who plays and about what time they play to give you an idea of whos on and when
keep an eye on how many times a pirate has attacked you in a week..then after 3 attacks you know you are safe from them till sunday
there is soo much more i could tell you but i dont wanna give away my other secrets of success..i have alot of stratageys and secrets that i use every day to play and im sure others have diff ideas on how best to play..
you can outsmart the strongest players in the game if you know how,but it does require time and effort
i know of players who have built a map on pen and paper..so its not impossible to do
even if you only spend an hour a day building a map...it gives you something to build on
hope theese ideas help you out a little..