Originally Posted by
fredmiracle
It does seem like it belongs more in the realm of the campaign mechanics than the tactical game.
I could imagine, for example, that based on how far apart the ships were when they sighted each other (probably determined by spotting dice and weather), their sizes, and their relative speeds, each ship might draw one or more damage counters to represent damage from bow/stern chasers. If the chasing ship takes equal or more sail damage than the chasee ship, then the latter gets away. If the chasee ship takes more sail damage, then a battle happens, and both ships start with the sail damage indicated...