[Edward Edgemenace]

Public isn't only to let the riff-raff on.

Opening a ship to public for just a moment to let a friend-of-a-friend get onboard, you can get undesirables. In a pick-up setting like SvS, where you need more crew but they won't join your crew until they see the ship you launch, public makes sense. But that's where it's the most trouble, only because they aren't added to crew (and can even decline!)

The only logical approach is that people getting on your boat, are automatically removed from any crew they are in and added to your crew. They leave your ship and launch their own? They should no longer be in your crew. Just going on shore leave is reasonable, but only if they return to your ship. If they aren't back in 15 minutes or so, send the navy guards after the scoundrels!

Edit: By the way, pirates on your FRIENDS list on occasion, can be just as bad as public. Guild lists have been known to have occasional problem pirates too. Both also are able to actually decline crew invitation, despite being on my ship. Arrrgh. I say the conscription gang ties them up, yaaaar!

At the very least, someone declining a crew invitation from a ship's crew-captain should just be removed from the ship.