Hi OldnSlow,
The controls of any vessel in SSE can be operated either by the mouse, the keyboard, a joystick or a gamepad.
The simplest way would be to opt for a "free roaming" mission. Choose the Atlantic as the environment and opt for clear weather. Further there is very less traffic and you can try out the controls and maneuver any vessel to your heart's content. You will then get the grips about all the controls for all the player vessels.
Check out these links and they will give you an insight about how to use the keyboard for controlling the vessels.
http://80.95.161.114/shipsim/forum/index.php/topic,23905.0.html
http://80.95.161.114/shipsim/forum/index.php/topic,23960.0.html
Regards
vin_sun