Sailing begins after Pandemonium and centres on captaining a boat between ports, islands, charting points, encounters, tasks, and sea activities.
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SUPPORT • MEMBERS
Sailing
Learn the helm through Pandemonium, chart the coast, then branch into salvaging, tasks, and trials.
QUICK WIN
Sea charting gives one-off regional bonuses, so clear nearby chart points as your boat range expands.
UNDERSTANDING SAILING
Learn the system before you optimise the loop.
Sailing is a support skill with several viable routes. The best method is not automatically the one with the largest experience-rate number: startup time, travel, real input prices, useful outputs, and the amount of attention you can sustain all belong in the decision.
This guide treats levels as unlocks rather than a single uninterrupted race to 99. Use the route below as a strong default, then switch when a quest, diary, equipment upgrade, or account goal makes another method more valuable to you.
Boat hull, keel, sails, and facilities shape a voyage. Crewmates can operate eligible facilities, while active captain actions still matter.
Sea charting provides one-time regional objectives and completion bonuses. A Captain's log tracks discoveries and required tools.
Port tasks include courier and bounty work; shipwreck salvaging, ocean encounters, Barracuda Trials, and sea combat provide alternate progression.
LEVEL-BY-LEVEL METHOD FINDER
Set your level. Get the methods that apply now.
This is the working core of the guide: source-backed training sections filtered by current level and account type, with full rates, quantities, requirements, setup notes, and method tables kept beside their revision.
ACCOUNT
2 Sailing sections shown for Members at level 1.
Open a section for its full setup, evidence, and tables.LEVEL 1–30 • MembersStarting off (levels 1-30)
3 detailed notes
Starting off (levels 1-30)
Early Sailing is considered tedious, as the experience is relatively slow until level 30, when the first of the Barracuda Trials is unlocked.
Before players can start training the skill, the Pandemonium quest must first be completed. The quest will teach the basics of the skill, and give a raft as a reward. From here, players now have four methods of gaining experience: trimming sails, ocean encounters (described below), sea charting, and courier tasks. Players also receive experience rewards from several quests.
- Early Sailing is considered tedious, as the experience is relatively slow until level 30, when the first of the Barracuda Trials is unlocked.
Verify against Sailing training, revision 15285678. Community reference material is attributed to the OSRS Wiki; this fan guide adds its own planning tools and route framing.
Members • MembersQuests
6 data rows
Quests
The following quests offer Sailing experience as a reward:
| Quest | Experience reward | Sailing requirement | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pandemonium | 300 | — | — |
| Prying Times | 800 | 12 | 30 |
| Current Affairs | 1,400 | 22 | 10 |
| Troubled Tortugans | 10,000 | 45 | 48 , 34 , 45 , 51 , 40 |
| Fallen From Grace | 12,500 | 62 | 60 , 53 , 47 |
| The Red Reef | 15,000 | 52 | 48 |
Verify against Sailing training, revision 15285678. Community reference material is attributed to the OSRS Wiki; this fan guide adds its own planning tools and route framing.
FOUR EDITORIAL STARTING POINTS
Shortlisted routes with executable instructions.
Use the finder above for the complete method library. These four routes are the fan-guide shortlist: each includes its setup, repeatable sequence, realistic rate band, and most important failure point.
01About 10k XP/hr early
22 onward • LOW ATTENTION
Sea charting
BEST FOR
Learning routes and collecting unlocks
ECONOMY
One-time exploration rewards
LOCATION
Uncharted sea features in each region
REQUIREMENTS
22 Sailing and a seaworthy vessel
INVENTORY / LOADOUT
Repair supplies, charting tools, food, route-specific ship components
EXECUTION
- Plan a loop through several uncharted points instead of sailing to one marker and returning.
- Approach each feature, complete its interaction, and note hazards on the return route.
- Use charting for one-time unlock value, then switch once the region is exhausted.
0225k–200k+ XP/hr
30–99 • HIGH ATTENTION
Barracuda Trials
BEST FOR
Fast active Sailing
ECONOMY
Course rewards
LOCATION
Tempor Tantrum, Jubbly Jive, and Gwenith Marlin courses
REQUIREMENTS
30/55/72 Sailing; suitable hull and facilities
INVENTORY / LOADOUT
Best handling-focused ship setup, repair supplies, crystal extractor at 73 when available
EXECUTION
- Learn gate order and turning line on the lowest unlocked course before chasing times.
- Upgrade hull and facilities when handling or speed removes a consistent delay.
- At 93 with a rosewood hull and crystal extractor, optimise Gwenith Marlin laps for 200k-plus potential.
0330k–145k XP/hr
46–99 • MEDIUM ATTENTION
Courier contracts
BEST FOR
Structured repeatable progression
ECONOMY
Delivery rewards
LOCATION
Summer Shore, Rellekka, Prifddinas, and Lunar Isle contract boards
REQUIREMENTS
Regional level and access quests
INVENTORY / LOADOUT
Cargo capacity, repair materials, fastest appropriate hull and facilities
EXECUTION
- Take a batch whose destinations form a compact circuit, not simply the highest individual reward.
- Summer Shore gives roughly 3k–5k per delivery and around nine trips per hour in the 46–55 bracket.
- Progress through Rellekka/Prifddinas to Lunar Isle, where five-task routes from 84 can reach roughly 120k–145k.
047.5k idle to method-dependent active XP
15–99 • LOW ATTENTION
Salvaging
BEST FOR
Low-attention Sailing
ECONOMY
Salvage materials
LOCATION
Salvage hotspots appropriate to ship and level
REQUIREMENTS
15 Sailing; salvage station at 42; crew automation around 55
INVENTORY / LOADOUT
Salvage hooks/station, cargo space, repair kit, crew where unlocked
EXECUTION
- Fit the best salvage facility the hull can support and choose a safe dense hotspot.
- Actively collect for rate, or assign crew for about 7.5k–8k XP/hr of idle training from 55.
- Return before cargo or ship damage forces a costly interruption.
SAILING CALCULATOR
Turn a level goal into hours and materials.
Select a method for its realistic experience-rate band. Add XP and GP per action when you want an exact resource estimate for your chosen item.
The level formula is exact. Time and budget are planning estimates: your equipment, banking, failures, attention, and live Grand Exchange prices determine the real result.
SETUP PROGRESSION
Upgrade the part that actually controls the rate.
| Stage | Setup | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Basic hull, repair kit, charting/salvage facility | Reliability matters more than a marginal speed part. |
| Courier | Cargo space and route-appropriate sails | Avoid damage and extra trips before chasing raw speed. |
| Trials | Best handling hull and facilities | Upgrade the component causing missed turns. |
| 73+ | Crystal extractor with strong hull | Adds roughly 10k–15k XP/hr where crystal opportunities occur. |
THE ROUTE
From level 1 to cape
1
1–15
Complete Pandemonium
Start with Will and Anne at Port Sarim, earn your raft, then mix charting with courier tasks.The opening objective is access, not perfect efficiency. Use quests and inexpensive equipment to compress levels where possible, and avoid over-investing in a method you will outgrow quickly.2
15–30
Build a skiff and salvage
Shipwreck salvaging unlocks at 15; keep trimming sails and taking ocean encounters en route.This is where the skill settles into a repeatable loop. Upgrade the parts of the setup that affect every action, measure a representative session, and keep travel or banking from becoming the hidden bottleneck.3
30–60
Expand ports and task routes
Upgrade key boat facilities and combine port tasks with remaining chart objectives.At the mid-game checkpoint, compare the fastest route with account progress, useful outputs, and attention. A slightly slower method can be more efficient overall when it also supplies quests, diaries, or another skill.4
60–99
Trials, advanced salvage, and bounties
Choose focused Barracuda Trials, profitable sea activities, or a varied task loop.Late-game training is a sustainability problem. Recheck prices and unlocks, alternate high-focus sessions with calmer ones, and choose a route you can repeat without turning the cape into a chore.LOWER-INTENSITY ALTERNATIVE
Port tasks offer clear destinations and pair naturally with charting and ocean encounters along the route.
LEVEL REFERENCE
Milestones worth planning around
These are decision points, not instructions to stop. Boostable requirements and quest gates can change when an unlock becomes usable.
| Level | Unlock | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raft and Captain's log | Awarded through Pandemonium to begin the skill. |
| 7 | Additional courier capacity | Allows two courier tasks to be active. |
| 10 | Expanded early courier routes | Musa Point joins the starting task network. |
| 15 | Skiff and shipwreck salvaging | First major boat and activity expansion. |
| Mid levels | More ports, facilities, and islands | Routes broaden as the boat becomes more capable. |
| High levels | Advanced trials and sea activities | Long routes and stronger boat setups define late progression. |
QUEST ROUTING
Let account progress do part of the grind.
Quest experience is most valuable when it skips slow early methods or opens a training system you will keep using.
Pandemonium
Mandatory introduction from Will and Anne at Port Sarim; teaches control, docking, and basic tasks.
Current Affairs
Provides the current duck, a valuable charting tool for current-related objectives.
Sailing-era island quests
New ports and islands connect the skill to gathering, Slayer, Farming, and other progression.
CHOOSE YOUR ACCOUNT
The route changes with the rules you play by.
Spend for the time you value
Complete charting regions while their travel is convenient, use courier tasks to create purposeful routes, and add salvage or trials when you want focused training. Spend on boat upgrades that improve the activities you actually run.
Optimise the whole supply chain
Sailing training is structurally similar, but boat parts, cannonballs, repair materials, and facility supplies require more deliberate sourcing. Salvage and island resources can repay that preparation.
Know the edge of the map
Sailing is members-only. It is Old School RuneScape's first exclusive new skill and cannot be trained on free-to-play worlds.
REVISION-PINNED REFERENCE
The detailed tables behind the recommendations.
Pulled in one batch from the Old School RuneScape Wiki on August 2, 2026. Every table keeps its source page and revision so you can verify requirements or spot a later game update.
Quests6 reference rows
| Quest | Experience reward | Sailing requirement | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pandemonium | 300 | — | — |
| Prying Times | 800 | 12 | 30 |
| Current Affairs | 1,400 | 22 | 10 |
| Troubled Tortugans | 10,000 | 45 | 48 , 34 , 45 , 51 , 40 |
| Fallen From Grace | 12,500 | 62 | 60 , 53 , 47 |
| The Red Reef | 15,000 | 52 | 48 |
Levels 30-99: Barracuda trials4 reference rows
| Level | Trial | Swordfish | Shark | Marlin | XP / Trial | XP / Hour (Target time) | XP / Trial | XP / Hour (Target time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XP / Trial | XP / Hour (Target time) | XP / Trial | XP / Hour (Target time) | XP / Trial | XP / Hour (Target time) | — | — | — |
| 30 | The Tempor Tantrum | 634 | 19,342 | 1,103 | 21,938 | 1,907 | 24,519 | — |
| 55 | The Jubbly Jive | 2,392 | 64,746 | 4,270 | 80,905 | 8,176 | 88,923 | — |
| 72 | The Gwenith Glide | 4,100 | 113,538 | 9,315 | 144,543 | 19,410 | 184,369 198,119 (with crystal extractor) | — |
Experience rate estimates6 reference rows
| Level | Shoal | Rope (Shallow) | Linen (Down to Moderate) | Hemp (Down to Deep) | Cotton (Down to Deep) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | Giant krill shoal (Shallow) | 15,000-17,000 (no bait) 17,000-25,000 (w/ bait) 7,000-10,000 | 19,900 (w/ bait) 16,000 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 73 | Haddock shoal (Shallow) | Unknown | 20,000-22,500 (w/ bait) 21,000-22,900 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 79 | Yellowfin shoal (Down to Moderate) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| 83 | Halibut shoal (Down to Moderate) | Unknown | 33,000-36,000 (w/o bait) 21,000-23,500 | Unknown | Unknown |
| 87 | Bluefin shoal (Down to Deep) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| 91 | Marlin shoal (Down to Deep) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
SOURCE PAGES
- Sailing training ↗revision 15285678
- Ironman Guide/Sailing ↗revision 15284115
- Sailing ↗revision 15283789
- Sailing/Level up table ↗revision 15282922
Reference tables are adapted with attribution from the community-maintained OSRS Wiki. Editorial recommendations, method walkthroughs, warnings, and calculators are original fan-guide material.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Sailing FAQ
How do I start Sailing?
Complete Pandemonium, started by speaking with Will and Anne on the Port Sarim docks. It awards the starter raft and Captain's log.
What should I train first?
Early sea charting and courier tasks teach routes and provide progression. At level 15 the skiff and shipwreck salvaging create the first major branch.
KEEP RESEARCHING
Read the OSRS Wiki training reference ↗Game updates can change rates, requirements, and best methods. Check the community reference before a large purchase.
Ready to price the route?