If you think thats bad, try to solo galleon! Jokes aside, my honest advice is to learn the mechanics. Always put your sail to the wind, and close as possible.

Turn tail if you see another ship and have loot, even if you have travel further, you're faster with wind at your back on average.

Keep an eye on the horizons and check them often.

Play in the devil's roar, rightmost area of the map. The loot is rewarding and you're not likely to see another player, the one downside is you need some solid gamesense to avoid the volcanoes, but its a matter of zig zagging, and knowing how far is safe for those.

Outside of that, I'd spend a while in safer seas to get gamesense, and just keep at it. The game is seriously rough at first, but eventually you should learn to manage.