Pirate Crawl Classics Occupations

So I've been thinking more about seafaring skills and I think I have a better solution.  I recently got to browse through a copy of Dungeon Crawl Classics and I liked the skill system, so I'm using something similar for the Pirate game:

• Characters have an occupation from before choosing a life of adventuring
• Tasks requiring a skill check have a DC between 0 and 20 depending on difficulty
• Character with relevant Occupation roll 1d20
• Characters without relevant Occupation roll 1d10
• Roll is modified by ability score modifier where relevant
• Blacksmith making a battle axe uses STR modifier
• Blacksmith making a tiny key uses DEX modifier
• Simple career tasks may not require a skill check for a trained character.  If an untrained individual attempts these, the DM can decide on a case-by-case basis if a check is required.  For example:
• taking the helm of a ship for simple manoeuvres in fair weather- no check
• managing the rigging for simple manoeuvres in fair weather- no check
• firing a canon at a target- modify attack roll by DEX bonus if DEX was half of current value
• If a character spends a long time doing a particular career action they may gain an additional career.  The DM and players may negotiate this, but in general, it should be quite rare.  For example:
• If the ship's carpenter takes the helm on a regular basis for a year of game-time, he may add the Helmsman career
• If the ship's carpenter is constantly having to treat other wounded characters in the absence of a Doctor, over the course of years, he still is probably not going to add a Doctor career without years of study.  But maybe the DM will invent a Medic career which is more limited.
• If you want an Occupation that doesn't appear here, invent it.

Occupations

Here are some occupations and some of the things they can do:

• Seafaring Occupations- all know the basics and can serve as riggers, powder monkeys, lookouts, helmsmen in favourable conditions
• Sailor- tie knots, fix sails, traverse rigging even in foul weather
• as lookout, skill check to see underwater reefs 
• Helmsman- pilot a large ship or command an untrained person at helm
• manoeuvre ship effectively in combat
• skill check to traverse narrow passages through straits, reefs
• Navigator- read/draw maps, get boat from point A to point B
• skill check to go to particular hex(failure means ending-up travelling to an adjacent hex)
• Ship Doctor- know how to set broken bones, install peglegs, care for wounded crew
• skill check to double patient's healing rate
• Ship Carpenter- fix boat parts
• fix damage from canons, storms
• Ship Gunner- fire a heavy gun and oversee it's maintainence
• skill check to hit particular target
• Ship Cook- create a meal out of nearly anything
• Fisherman- catch fish
• Marine- soldier stationed on ship
• no penalty fighting on ship during high seas
  
• Other Occupations(what are you, a landlubber?!)
• Noble- member of noble class
• begin with more starting funds
• Smith- make simple things from metal
• Gunsmith- make/fix guns
• Leatherwork- make complex things from leather
• Performer- entertain people
• Professional Gambler- gamble
• Pearl Diver- swim, hold breath

A Word on Character Class

This skill system gives you a good deal of flexibility as far as what character classes you want to allow.  

• For Pirates in the line of Treasure Island you may only want to allow Fighting Man
• in this case you may want to add a Burglar Occupation who makes skill checks when thief skills are needed
• For more fantastical Pirate adventures like Adventures of Sindbad, you can just use standard DnD classes with the above occupations