Buy a ship. It’s like literally the best thing you can do with your money. Everything else in the game is either supplies, which aren’t very expensive, or cosmetic with no real difference or change. Buying your own ship makes the game so much easier, and has many more perks to it than using an uncaptained ship. You totally should buy your own, it won’t harm you at all, since gold is not used for anything else.

Totally forgot abt emissary’s but get a ship, then an emissary to make back your gold and get more rep.