Gnarly:
You can access the list of keyboard controls from within the sim by clicking the button in the lower right corner that looks like a wrench. I recommend that you disable “Precision Steering†by clearing the check box.
Handling the more difficult vessels, such as Red Eagle, is covered by numerous topics on this forum. You will need to search for them, or simply browse through the topics.
Steering for most vessels is best done with the wheel, using the mouse. You can get fine control over the wheel by moving the mouse away from center of the wheel to get a larger circle.
If you ask specific questions about a particular ship or control, someone will be happy to answer.
Marty