I'm thinking something somewhat like that - but my main map I'm working on has a grid on it. Certain areas have a more "dense" grid which are where encounters are more frequent. Say for example around Havana or Cap Francois, which were major dockyards and ports in the Caribbean during the French Revolution, you'd be more likely to encounter ships. Versus say a grid sector that was out in the middle of the Caribbean.

It's not really a "tactical" map per say, but something slightly different for the more trafficked seagoing areas. My current thought is to leave the actual SoG playing area up to players, if you're in a coastal square, perhaps rolling a dice and on a 6 one edge of the board is coastal terrain or something. Any insight on the types of missions that could be undertaken? So far I've identified close/far blockade, convoy escort, military dispatch mission, cruising....I think that's most of what I have run across from a historical perspective thus far.