When you connect online i know that it shows like how good you are with the yellow bars and dots...but i don't get like the levels. it's not very clear. It's just a jumble of dots. is it the more dots and stripes etc... the better they are at driving that type of boat ??
As long as you have your forum profile stored and connected while playing SS 2008, you will accrue points based on which missions you complete. For example, if you complete the Titanic to NY mission, you will receive quite a few points towards your "Passenger" rating. When you select the mission, the green bar will fluctuate to show you what you may potentially earn from completing that mission. When the "sliding" bars get full, you receive a promotion.
Hope this helps!