# OSRS Sailing Guide - Full Content > The comprehensive resource for Old School RuneScape's newest skill. Master navigation, ship combat, and island exploration. ## Home Page ### What is Sailing? Sailing is the first new skill added to Old School RuneScape, radically changing how players interact with Gielinor's oceans. Unlike traditional skills that are menu-based or node-gathering focused, Sailing is a **utility and movement skill** that allows you to captain your own vessel, explore procedurally generated seas, and engage in dynamic naval combat. At its core, Sailing is about freedom. You are no longer bound to charter ships or teleports; you chart your own course. As you level up from 1 to 99, you will upgrade your ship from a humble raft to a massive Colossal Galleon, recruit a crew of NPCs with unique stats, and discover uncharted islands filled with rare resources and new slayer monsters. ### Why Train Sailing? 1. **Unlock New Areas**: Access exclusive islands, dungeons, and resource areas that are only reachable by your own ship. 2. **Profitable Voyages**: Engage in merchant runs and deep-sea looting to earn some of the highest GP/hr rates in the game. 3. **Naval Combat**: Experience a new combat system. Upgrade your cannons and hull to take down massive sea beasts. ### How to Start Sailing 1. **Visit Port Sarim**: Head to the Port Sarim docks and speak with the Sailing Master to purchase your captain's license. 2. **Buy Your First Ship**: Purchase a Basic Sloop from the shipyard. It's small, but it's yours. You can name it whatever you like. 3. **Complete the Tutorial**: Finish the "Maiden Voyage" miniquest to learn the basics of steering, tacking, and interacting with the wind. 4. **Set Sail**: Click the gangplank to board your ship. The open ocean awaits! Start with coastal waters before venturing into the deep sea. ### Frequently Asked Questions **Is Sailing a members-only skill?** Yes, like most new skills, Sailing is exclusive to OSRS members. However, F2P players can visit the Port Sarim shipyard to explore the area. **Do I need Construction levels?** Construction is highly recommended. It allows you to build upgrades on your ship, such as repair benches and storage chests, which are vital for long voyages. **Can I lose my ship?** If your ship sinks, you will respawn at the nearest port. You will need to pay a reclamation fee to get your ship back, similar to the gravestone system. **Is Sailing a combat skill?** It is a hybrid skill. While it has combat elements (cannons), it is primarily a support and utility skill focused on exploration and movement. --- ## Blog Posts ### Is the Heavy Ballista Cannon Worth 10m? **Date:** 2025-11-28 **Category:** Gear Review **URL:** https://osrssailingguide.com/blog/heavy-ballista-review **Introduction:** The Heavy Ballista Cannon has been the talk of the Grand Exchange since the Abyssal Expansion dropped. With a price tag hovering around 10 million GP, it promises to revolutionize naval combat with its high hit splats and long range. But for the average captain looking to level up or make a profit, is this heavy investment actually worth the inventory slot? We purchased one, equipped it to our War Galley, and spent 20 hours testing it against everything from River Trolls to the Kraken. Here is our definitive verdict. **Content:** #### The Stats on Paper Before we undock, let's look at the raw numbers. The Heavy Ballista Cannon requires 75 Sailing and 70 Ranged to mount. It has a firing rate of 6 ticks (3.6 seconds), which is significantly slower than the standard Dwarf Multicannon's 4 ticks. However, it boasts a massive +120 Ranged Strength bonus for naval combat, compared to the +60 of the standard cannon. The ammo is also unique. It fires "Heavy Javelins," which currently trade for roughly 200gp each. This makes every missed shot painful for your coin pouch. But do the hits make up for it? #### Test 1: XP Training at Crabs Our first test was simple AFK training at Sand Crabs (Naval Edition). We parked our ship and let the auto-retaliate do the work. If you are looking for optimal training, check our Sailing Training Guide instead. - **Standard Cannon:** 65k XP/hr (Cost: 150k gp/hr) - **Heavy Ballista:** 55k XP/hr (Cost: 400k gp/hr) **Verdict:** Absolutely not. The overkill damage is wasted on low HP mobs, and the slow attack speed means you tag fewer enemies per minute. Stick to the standard cannon for training. #### Test 2: Bossing (The Kraken) This is where the Heavy Ballista is supposed to shine. The Kraken has high defense and massive HP. We did 50 kills with each setup. You can check the loot values in our Combat Profit Calculator. The Heavy Ballista consistently hit 50s and 60s, tearing through the Kraken's tentacle phase. The range allowed us to stay out of the whirlpool's AoE damage zone, saving us food. - **Kill Time (Standard):** 2:30 average - **Kill Time (Ballista):** 1:45 average - **Profit Per Hour:** Increased by 800k gp due to faster kills. #### The Hidden Mechanic: Shield Piercing One thing the wiki doesn't mention clearly is the "Shield Pierce" passive. During our testing, we noticed that the Heavy Ballista ignores 20% of the target's naval armor. This is huge for PvP and high-level PvM encounters like the Abyssal Sire's ship. #### Conclusion If you are a casual sailor just looking to hit level 99, save your 10m. The Heavy Ballista is overkill and inefficient for general training. However, if you are into high-level naval bossing or PvP, this weapon is best-in-slot. It pays for itself after about 15 hours of Kraken farming. **Rating:** 8/10 (Niche but powerful) --- ### Port Sarim to Karamja: XP Rate Deep Dive **Date:** 2025-11-20 **Category:** XP Analysis **URL:** https://osrssailingguide.com/blog/port-sarim-xp-test **Introduction:** The Port Sarim to Karamja trade route is the bread and butter of early Sailing leveling. It's safe, the winds are predictable, and the requirements are low (Level 1 Sailing). The community wiki claims you can get upwards of 40,000 XP per hour running rum and bananas. But is that theoretical max efficiency or a realistic number for the average player? We set out to find the truth by running this route non-stop for 10 hours. **Content:** #### The Setup We used a Level 10 "Sloop" hull with Basic Linen Sails. No weight-reducing gear, no stamina potions—just a raw account to simulate a beginner's experience. You can model this setup in our XP Planner. **The Route:** Buy Rum at Port Sarim -> Sail to Karamja (Musa Point) -> Sell Rum -> Buy Bananas -> Sail back to Port Sarim -> Sell Bananas. Repeat. #### Hour 1-3: The Learning Curve The first few hours were rough. We kept getting stuck in "irons" (headwind) near the Wizards' Tower. This highlights the importance of understanding Wind Mechanics. - **Hour 1 XP:** 22,000 XP - **Hour 2 XP:** 25,500 XP - **Hour 3 XP:** 28,000 XP We realized that hugging the coast is a mistake. The wind currents near the shore are turbulent. By sailing slightly wider into open water, we maintained a steady "Crosswind" status. #### Hour 4-10: Optimized Runs Once we established the "Wide Arc" strategy, our rates stabilized. We also started using the "Quick-Dock" mechanic (right-clicking the port anchor from 5 tiles away) to save tick time. - **Average XP (Hours 4-10):** 34,500 XP/hr - **Peak XP (Hour 8):** 36,200 XP #### Why You Can't Hit 40k The 40k/hr figure assumes you have perfect wind RNG and zero tick loss on banking. In reality, random events (like the Sea Troll) and wind shifts will slow you down. To actually hit 40k, you need the **Navigator's Hat** (obtained from the Tempoross minigame), which gives a passive +5% XP boost to port tasks. Without it, 35k is the realistic ceiling. #### Final Thoughts Don't beat yourself up if you aren't hitting the wiki rates. Port Sarim is a solid 35k/hr method that profits about 50k gp/hr. It's great for levels 1-30. After that, move to the Catherby routes for better gains. --- ### Stop Ignoring Wind Mechanics **Date:** 2025-11-15 **Category:** Mechanics **URL:** https://osrssailingguide.com/blog/wind-mechanics-guide **Introduction:** We get it. You play Old School RuneScape to click a rock and wait. You don't want to think about vectors, drag coefficients, or wind angles. But Sailing is different. It is the first movement-based skill where your input directly correlates to your output. If you are sailing in a straight line from Point A to Point B regardless of the wind, you are wasting massive amounts of time. We analyzed 100 voyages to quantify exactly how much speed you lose by ignoring the wind. **Content:** #### The "Straight Line" Fallacy In geometry, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. In OSRS Sailing, that's often the **slowest** path. If your destination is directly North, and the wind is blowing from the North (Headwind), your ship moves at 25% speed. If you turn 45 degrees Northeast, you enter a "Close Reach" state and move at 70% speed. We timed a trip from Port Sarim to Entrana (Directly North-West) during a North-West wind. Check out our detailed Wind Guide for more examples. - **Direct Route (Headwind):** 4 minutes 20 seconds - **Tacking Route (Zig-Zag):** 2 minutes 45 seconds That is a **36% time saving** just by clicking a few extra times. Over the course of a 1-99 grind, this saves you literally hundreds of hours. #### How to Read the Wind Orb The Wind Orb on your minimap isn't just decoration. The large arrow shows current wind. The small, faded arrow shows the **next** wind change. **Pro Tip:** The wind changes every minute. If you see the next wind is going to be a Headwind, start turning 10 seconds *before* it changes. This maintains your momentum. #### Tools That Help If you are struggling, we recommend the "Sailing Helper" plugin on RuneLite. It draws a green line on the ocean showing the optimal angle. However, learning to do it by eye is more satisfying and allows for faster reaction times in combat. You can also calculate your travel times with our XP Calculator. #### Summary Sailing is an active skill. Treat it like driving a car, not riding a bus. Watch the road (wind), steer into the curves, and you will leave the AFKers in your wake.