There isn't an equal distribution of the four card types. There are 14 pirates (black), 16 birds (red), 18 lightning (yellow), and 20 clouds (blue).

If you crash, and you can tell which card the captain lacked, then make a note of that. Most likely, he won't have it next round either.

If you have power or turbo cards, don't use them unless there's at least one player who won't benefit from their usage. So, e.g, don't use the spyglass unless at least one person has left the ship.