Enter doesn't work for me anymore either, and the send button no longer shows anymore when I play on my chromebook.  Chat only works if i play on my cell phone now after latest game update.

--Update: chat now works, but only if i'm in tablet mode.  Better than nothing!  =)

How are captains getting lost in this game?  Is this a really common issue?

Great idea.  It seems the current system discourages players in the long run from collecting lots of ships.  Odd for a game about ships..