Great tips overall, but if I may add a few additional points about this simulation...
- The captcha can show notches in either 30 or 45 degree increments. I thought that the extra challenge of discerning between the two would be interesting, but it seems to be causing more frustration than I would have anticipated. Definitely lessons learned from the feedback here. :)
- The fastest boat direction from the wind also depends on the wind speed, and this also depends on the boat itself. You can find a wind response polar plot for the boat modeled here shown on the site's help page [1].