OSRS Sailing Complete Skill Guide 2026: Boats, Routes & Rewards

Getting Started with Sailing

Sailing is a members-only skill released on 19 November 2025. To begin, talk to Will and Anne at the Port Sarim docks to start the Pandemonium quest. This introductory quest grants your first boat — a Raft — and the Captain's log, which tracks your Sailing progress. Board your boat via the gangplank on the east dock of The Pandemonium.

To sail, click the helm at the back of your boat to steer. A white arrow indicates direction. Use up/down arrows to adjust speed — reverse is possible. Set or unset your sails to start or stop. Gusts of wind appear around the sails — trim them within 12 seconds for a speed boost. Building a Wind Catcher (Sailing 53, Construction 47) reduces trimming effort and generates wind motes that grant XP and speed boosts when released.

Boat Types and Upgrades

There are three boats in Sailing, each serving different purposes. The Raft (Level 1, 1,000 coins) is a small 1x3 boat with 1 facility hotspot and no passenger capacity — it's fragile and best for quick teleports. The Skiff (Level 15, 15,000 coins) is a 2x5 boat with 7 facility hotspots, 5 crew slots, and 2 passenger capacity — it's fast, mobile, and required for Barracuda Trials. The Sloop (Level 50, 200,000 coins) is a large 3x10 boat with 11 facility hotspots, 10 crew slots, and 5 passenger capacity — it's sturdy, ideal for combat, salvaging, and trawling, but cannot fit in small spaces.

Boats can be upgraded with facilities built at hotspots. Key milestones include the Bronze salvaging hook (Sailing 15), Iron helm (17, resists gentle rapids), Bronze cannon (28, for boat combat), Keg (33, holds ales for passive effects), Teleport focus (55, fast travel), Rope trawling net (56, for deep sea trawling), Bosun's workbench (63, auto-repairs boat), Greater teleport focus (75, better teleports), and the Eternal brazier (78, prevents icy seas).

• Raft: Level 1, 1,000 coins — fragile, quick teleports.
• Skiff: Level 15, 15,000 coins — fast, required for Barracuda Trials.
• Sloop: Level 50, 200,000 coins — sturdy, best for combat and trawling.
• Key upgrades: Wind Catcher (53), Teleport Focus (55), Bosun's Workbench (63).
• Boat HP can be upgraded via the Hull — if it hits 0, the boat capsizes (safe for HCIM).

Sailing Activities and Training Methods

Sailing offers six main activities. Port Tasks (courier and bounty) are the most accessible — deliver cargo or kill sea creatures for XP, coins, and items. Sea Charting involves exploration and puzzle tasks that reward bonus XP and unlock rapids for faster travel. Shipwreck Salvaging (Level 15) is a low-intensity method where you deploy hooks to pull salvage from wrecks.

Barracuda Trials offer the highest XP per hour — race against the clock to deliver rum and supplies across three difficulty tiers: The Tempor Tantrum (Level 30), The Jubbly Jive (Level 55), and The Gwenith Glide (Level 72). Deep Sea Trawling is a high-intensity hybrid Fishing/Sailing method that deploys nets at shoals — it offers the highest GP/hr in the skill. Boat Combat lets you build cannons to fight sea monsters, with unique drops like echo pearls (orcas), narwhal horns (narwhals), and broken dragon hooks (great white sharks).

Ocean Encounters are random NPC interactions at sea that reward pearls (tiny to radiant). These can be traded for various rewards. The Sailing pet, Soup, can be obtained through regular Sailing activities.

• Port Tasks: Courier (deliver cargo) and Bounty (kill sea creatures) — accessible, low intensity.
• Sea Charting: Exploration/puzzle tasks — rewards bonus XP and unlocks rapids.
• Shipwreck Salvaging: Level 15 — low intensity, deploy hooks to pull salvage.
• Barracuda Trials: Highest XP/hr — 3 difficulty tiers from Level 30 to 72.
• Deep Sea Trawling: High GP/hr hybrid Fishing/Sailing — deploy nets at shoals.
• Boat Combat: Fight sea monsters for unique drops like echo pearls and narwhal horns.

Oceans and Unlockable Islands

There are 9 oceans in total: Ardent, Unquiet, Shrouded, Western, Northern, and Sunset are fully or partially accessible. The Forgotten, Untamed, and Eastern oceans are inaccessible due to hazards. Across these oceans are 56 docking points and 27 unlockable islands, each requiring specific Sailing levels to moor.

Notable islands include The Great Conch (Level 45), The Onyx Crest (47), Charred Island (60), Wyrmscraig (62), The Crown Jewel (64), Deepfin Point (67), Sunbleak Island (72), Ynysdail (73), Drumstick Isle (79), and Grimstone (87). Each island offers unique resources, content, and rewards. Wyrmscraig is particularly notable as it connects to the Wyrmscraig content area with the Mad Angel boss.

XP Rates and Quests

Sailing XP comes from multiple sources. Quest XP rewards total 27,500 XP directly: Pandemonium (300), Prying Times (800), Current Affairs (1,400), Troubled Tortugans (10,000), The Red Reef (15,000), and Fallen From Grace (12,500). Additionally, 382,300 XP can be allocated to Sailing from skill choice quests like Recipe for Disaster and Sins of the Father.

For active training, Deep Sea Trawling XP per fish ranges from 7 XP (rope net) to 15 XP (cotton net), with courier tasks giving a 10% XP bonus. Barracuda Trials provide the highest XP/hr, especially at the Gwenith Glide tier (Level 72). The Sailing cape provides a +1 boost, and spicy stew can provide +0 to +5. Note that boosts cannot be used to access islands or mooring points — only for charting, facilities, and crewmates.

• Direct quest XP: 27,500 total from 6 Sailing quests.
• Skill choice quests: 382,300 XP can be allocated to Sailing.
• Trawling XP: 7-15 XP per fish depending on net type.
• Barracuda Trials: Highest XP/hr — especially Gwenith Glide (Level 72).
• Boosts: Cape (+1), Spicy stew (+0-5). Cannot boost island/mooring access.