OSRS: 8 Fast and Effective Sailing Training Methods

With Sailing finally released into Old School RuneScape, players have spent the first week experimenting with routes, bounties, ship upgrades, and all sorts of ways to push toward 99. While Barracuda Trials remain the fastest overall method, the reality is that not everyone wants to click every few seconds or sail high-intensity loops all day. Fortunately, Sailing offers a variety of competitive, efficient, and often much more relaxed alternatives.

After a full week of testing different approaches, here are eight of the strongest, most practical Sailing training methods you can use—from midgame to endgame levels. Having plenty of RS gold can also be helpful.

1. Eagle Ray Bounties (Level 67+) – Explosive Midgame XP

Once you hit Level 67 Sailing, you unlock one of the strongest mid-level methods in the entire skill: Eagle Ray bounties at Deep Fin Point.

Why is this method so good?

Eagle Rays have extremely low HP (50 each)

The bounty completion XP is 7,500 per task, nearly equivalent to high-level Kraken bounties

They die so quickly that your cannon does most of the work

You can complete two separate Eagle Ray bounties simultaneously (Deep Fin + Void Outpost)

This combination makes the XP wildly efficient. A typical task requires around 10 kills, which is incredibly fast given their low health. By running both bounty items at once, you effectively double your turn-ins and double your XP drops.

Most players will use:

Mithril Cannon (available at this level, perfectly sufficient)

Sailor’s Amulet for teleports to Deep Fin Point and Point Roberts

The method is simple: hop between your cannons, tag Eagle Rays as they swim into range, and clean up the drops. Heavy crew micromanagement isn’t needed—the mobs die too fast for it to matter.

Expect around 100,000 XP per hour, or around 130,000 XP/hr if you add the Crystal Extractor later.

2. Courier Missions (Level 60–80+) – Surprisingly Strong AFK Sailing

Courier tasks—essentially OSRS’s version of being a fantasy FedEx worker—are much better than they initially appear. While standard “pick up here, deliver there” tasks aren’t worth the effort, the retrieval-type courier tasks become highly competitive XP when optimized.

The trick is simple:

Accept retrieval tasks from multiple ports → teleport to the pickup location → teleport or recall your boat → skip half the journey.

This turns what should be long trips into compact, efficient runs.

Notable breakpoints:

Level 62–65: Unlock the two strongest mid-tier courier tasks

Relleka Fabric Delivery

Etteria Sword Delivery

A good rotation includes Sunset Coast, Relleka, Ettria, and Port Piscarilius.

When your task board lines up in your favor, XP becomes extremely strong.

Expect:

50,000–80,000 XP/hr, depending on task RNG

Higher if you chain multiple S-tier tasks simultaneously

Extremely AFK sailing between long distances

This method remains competitive until the low 70s.

3. Shipwreck Salvaging (Level 50–80+) – The Best AFK Method

Shipwreck salvaging rapidly became a community favorite because it’s low effort, consistent, and scales well with level.

At Level 50, you unlock the Sloop, letting you place two salvage hooks—one for you and one for a crew member. Boosting with Whirlpool Surprise (+3) lets you salvage Large Shipwrecks earlier than intended.

A good starting point is the large wreck southeast of the Great Conch. Ideally, find a double salvage spot, which lets you reach both hook locations without moving your ship at all.

Recommended worlds:

486 and 420 (informally known as the salvaging worlds)

XP rates:

Level 50: 25–30k/hr

Level 64: Pirate wrecks unlock (35–40k/hr)

Level 73+: Mercenary wrecks (60–70k/hr, or 100k+ with Crystal Extractor)

By Level 80, Fremenick Shipwrecks become available, offering a true 30-minute AFK method. With a fully upgraded cargo hold, your crew can salvage until logout.

4. Crystal Extractor (Level 73+) – The Universal XP Booster

Unlocked through the Gwenth Glide quest and the Shark tier of Temper Tantrum, the Crystal Extractor is arguably the strongest Sailing upgrade in the entire skill.

It provides:

Around 30,000 bonus XP per hour

Works with almost every other method on this list

Scales with your activity level but still helps even when AFKing

Salvaging with the extractor easily jumps into 80k–100k XP per hour territory, making it a must-build structure as soon as you hit Level 73.

5. Sea Charting (Level 66–78+) – High Burst XP

Sea charting gives one-time XP rewards but becomes extremely valuable in the midgame when areas require higher Sailing levels to access.

Key breakpoints:

Level 66: Western Ocean seas begin offering 12,000 XP drops

Level 72: Rainbow Reef & Southern Expanse offer 17,000 XP each

Level 78: Northern Ocean unlocks — the big one

Many seas here give 24,000 XP per chart

Completing the region yields ~300,000 XP, instantly boosting you to Level 80+

This is the single strongest burst-XP method in Sailing.

Always remember to claim your chart bonus from Charles McAtlas in the Pandemonium Cave.

6. Mercenary Shipwrecks (73+) – Endgame Salvaging

These shipwrecks provide a big jump in XP per salvage and are one of the best semi-AFK methods in the skill. Though they lack double spots, crew-assisted salvaging still reaches 60–70k/hr, or 100k/hr with the Crystal Extractor.

7. Fremenick Shipwrecks (80+) – True 30-Minute AFK

With double spots and high-level salvage yields, these shipwrecks create one of OSRS’s rare near-idle training methods. Park your ship, assign your crew, and let your cargo hold fill while you step away.

XP rates:

50k/hr passively, only emptying cargo twice per hour

75k/hr if you actively man one hook

100k/hr+ with the Crystal Extractor

Perfect for long, low-attention sessions.

8. Lunar Island Courier Missions (80+) – Endgame Route Efficiency

At Level 80, the highest-tier courier tasks unlock, including the best one currently in the game:

Alderin → Lunar Isle (10k+ XP per run alone)

With four notice board slots available at this level, players can chain multiple Lunar/Relkka/Et’Ceteria routes for extremely efficient XP.

Expect:

100k XP/hr

130k/hr with Crystal Extractor

Not as AFK as salvaging, but more active and more structured.

Final Thoughts

While Barracuda Trials remain king for peak efficiency, these eight methods prove that Sailing has depth far beyond one meta path. Whether you want AFK salvaging, high-intensity bounties, chill courier runs, or burst XP from charting, there’s a method that fits every playstyle. Having enough OSRS GP can also be very helpful.