Many players don’t want a full-intensity, click-every-tick training method-and thankfully, several alternative strategies offer competitive experience rates with far less stress. These approaches also work well for players who prefer to prepare their gear, upgrades, or supplies in advance rather than grind endlessly for resources, especially those who choose to buy OSRS gold to streamline that setup process. After hands-on testing with nearly every method available in the early meta, here are the most effective approaches for leveling Sailing quickly, consistently, and with much less clicking.

1. Eagle Ray Bounties at Deep Fin Point (67+)

At level 67 Sailing, you unlock the single strongest midgame training method currently available: Eagle Ray bounties at Deep Fin Point.

This bounty stands out for one reason:
Eagle Rays are absurdly efficient.
They have only 50 HP, die almost instantly to a cannon, and reward a massive 7,500 XP per completed bounty-just slightly below Vampire Krakens, despite being drastically easier.

Even better, two different Eagle Ray bounty items drop from the same creature, meaning you can accept and complete two tasks simultaneously:

· Deep Fin Point - Eagle Ray bounty

· Void Knight Outpost - Eagle Ray bounty

Because you only average around 10 kills per pair of bounties, players can realistically cycle tasks every few minutes.

How to Run the Method Smoothly

· Bring your mythril cannon (more than enough for their low HP).

· Teleport with the Sailor’s Amulet to Deep Fin and Point Roberts for fast resets.

· Ignore crew micromanagement-your cannon kills faster than they can keep up.

· Hop between your cannons, tag every ray in range, and repeat.

Even without the Crystal Extractor, this reaches 100k XP/hour, and with it, closer to 130k XP/hour, making it one of the best mid-level alternatives to Barracuda Trials.

2. Courier Tasks-The “Teleport Tech” Method (62–80)

Courier runs are widely misunderstood, mostly because doing them the “intended” way is inefficient. The real power comes from accepting retrieval tasks, teleporting directly to the pickup location, recalling your boat, and effectively cutting the travel time in half.

Starting in the early 60s, the method becomes excellent thanks to two premium tasks:

· Rellekka Fabric Delivery (62)

· Eteria Sword Delivery (65)

With both tasks active, each route becomes fast, semi-AFK, and XP-heavy.

How to Optimize

·  Accept retrieval-style tasks whose endpoint is where you stand (double XP).

· Teleport to the supply location.

· Recall your boat, load cargo, and sail your shortened route.

· Reaccept the tasks immediately after turning them in.

XP rates vary depending on task rolls, but expect:

· 50–80k XP/hour from levels 62–72

· Up to 100k+ XP/hour at level 80 with Lunar Isle tasks

· Up to 130k/hour when pairing with the Crystal Extractor

When your board lines up perfectly, this competes directly with some of the fastest non-trial methods in the game.

3. Shipwreck Salvaging (50–99)

Shipwreck salvaging quickly emerged as the community’s favorite AFK Sailing method. It becomes viable the moment you hit level 50 and unlock:

· The Sloop, allowing two salvage hooks

· Large shipwrecks (with a +3 Keg boost)

From this point on, each tier of shipwreck provides an increasingly strong AFK option.

Recommended Progression

· 50–63: Large shipwrecks → 25–30k XP/hr

· 64–72: Pirate shipwrecks → 35–40k XP/hr

· 73–80: Mercenary shipwrecks → 60–70k XP/hr (100k+ with Extractor)

· 80+ Fremenick Shipwrecks: The best AFK method in Sailing

Fremenick wrecks shine because they have double spots, letting you assign two crewmates and AFK for up to 30 minutes-limited only by your cargo hold capacity.

Sorting salvage twice per hour yields around 50k XP/hr fully AFK, and manually operating a hook pushes that to 75k/hr (or 100k+ with the Crystal Extractor).

4. Sea Charting-Massive Level Milestones (66, 72, 78)

Sea Charting starts slow but becomes incredible at higher levels thanks to hard-requirement zones.

Key XP breakpoints:

· 66: Western Ocean → ~50k total XP

· 72: Shrouded Ocean → 17k XP per major sea

· 78: Northern Ocean → 300k total XP (enough to go straight to level 80)

These one-time rewards are some of the highest in the entire skill and should be done immediately upon unlocking.

Final Thoughts

Barracuda Trials may remain the meta, but they’re far from the only path. Whether you prefer intensive grinding, semi-AFK play, or full AFK salvaging, Sailing’s first week offers a surprising number of competitive, alternative training methods-all capable of pushing 80k–130k XP per hour with the right setup. And while many players focus on optimizing gear or boat upgrades through long in-game grinds, others look for ways to streamline their progress by preparing supplies early, often funded through methods like flipping or converting profits into cheap OSRS gold. Experiment with the methods above and you’ll find a training rhythm that fits your pace-without burning out on tick-perfect gameplay.