Best OSRS Sailing Crewmates (AFK, XP & Tier List Guide)

Sailing in OSRS is more than just navigating the seas—it’s about managing your crew effectively to maximize experience gains, carry out port tasks, and survive dangerous encounters. As you progress, you’ll unlock bigger vessels and more crew slots, but not all crewmates are created equal. Some excel in combat, others are best for XP or AFK farming, and some are essential for high-tier cannonball tasks.

This guide will show you all OSRS Sailing crewmates, their perks, locations, and most importantly, how to build the best crew for your playstyle, whether you’re grinding XP, AFK farming, or tackling Salvage activities.

All OSRS Sailing Crewmates and Their Perks

Each crewmate specializes in certain tasks. Below is a full list including Sailing requirements, locations, and cannonball capabilities:

How Many Crewmates Can You Field?

Your available crew slots increase as your Sailing level rises:

• Level 40: 1 crewmate
• Level 55: 2 crewmates
• Level 70: 3 crewmates
• Level 85: 4 crewmates
• Level 95: 5 crewmates

Plan your crew carefully: having the right combination can dramatically improve your Salvage efficiency and XP gains, especially for players managing multiple characters or experimenting with different OSRS accounts as they progress through Sailing.

OSRS Sailing Crewmates: Best Crewmates by Level and Tier

How to Use This Table

1. Look at your Sailing level → pick crewmates in the same row.
2. Assign S-tier crewmates to AFK/XP hooks for optimal efficiency.
3. Use A/B-tier crewmates for situational tasks like combat or Salvage with high-tier cannonballs.
4. Swap crewmates as you level up to always maximize crew potential.

Best OSRS Sailing Crewmates: Tiered Guide

Not all crewmates are equally effective. Here’s a tiered guide based on their usefulness for AFK farming, XP farming, and high-tier cannonball tasks.

S-Tier: Must-Have Crewmates

• Cabin Boy Jenkins
  • Ideal for XP farming and Salvage hook duties.
  • Can actively support your AFK or semi-AFK sessions.
  • Best paired with Jobless Jim during salvage for maximum efficiency.
• Jobless Jim
  • Perfect for AFK and XP farming setups.
  • Assign him to hooks while managing your inventory for hands-free gains.

A-Tier: Highly Effective

• Oarswoman Olga
  • Essential for Dragon Cannonball tasks.
  • Great for combat-heavy sailing activities and higher-tier ports.
• Jittery Jim
  • Excellent cannonball support and combat crewmate.
  • Useful for mixed AFK/active sessions.

B-Tier: Situational Use

• Ex-Captain Siad, Adventurer Ada
  • Strong for Steel Cannonball activities.
  • Good for mid-game Salvage and XP farming, less effective late-game.
• Bosun Zarah, Jolly Jim
  • Necessary for Adamant Cannonball tasks.
  • Only essential for high-tier combat missions or specialized Salvage setups.

C-Tier: Niche or Low Impact

• Spotter Virginia
  • Primarily for advanced Dragon Cannonball tasks.
  • Requires high-level subdues; limited use for mid-level players.
• Sailor Jakob
  • Bronze Cannonball support; mostly early-game.

How to Build the Optimal Crew

1. AFK Farming:
   • Use Jenkins + Jim on Salvage hooks.
   • Focus on low-maintenance XP while you handle inventory or quests.
2. XP Farming:
   • Jenkins actively on one hook.
   • Jim assists during inventory management.
   • Consider Olga or Jittery Jim if farming mid-to-high-level Salvage zones.
3. Combat / High-Tier Tasks:
   • Include Olga, Bosun Zarah, or Jolly Jim, depending on cannonball requirements.
   • Assign crewmates to combat hooks strategically.

Using Cabin Boy Jenkins and Jobless Jim for AFK farming allows you to gather resources efficiently. For players who want to speed up progression without excessive grinding, some choose to buy OSRS gold to complement their Sailing and Salvage runs.

Pro Tips from a Veteran OSRS Sailor (Advanced Crew Management)

To truly maximize your experience and profit, you need to move beyond simple assignments and implement advanced strategies that leverage your crew’s Deckhandiness and Privateering stats.

1. The Semi-AFK Salvage Loop (XP Focus)

The core principle of maxing XP while semi-AFK is to always keep the facilities generating resources active.

• The Setup: Assign Cabin Boy Jenkins and Jobless Jim (or your two highest Deckhandiness crewmates) to the Salvage Hooks.
• The Loop:
  1. Allow your crewmates to fill your Cargo Hold while you are semi-AFK (checking every 5–10 minutes).
  2. Once the Cargo Hold is full, temporarily unassign Jim and assign him to the Salvage Station (if unlocked).
  3. While Jim is sorting/cleaning salvage, you continue to actively Salvage from the remaining free hook (Jenkins is still on his).
  4. This method ensures XP generation is never wasted, as one crewmate keeps the primary activity running while the other handles the inventory management.

2. The Double-Salvage Spot Maximization (AFK Focus)

For maximum downtime, position your boat at a Double-Salvage Spot, where two shipwrecks are close enough for your crew to switch between them without you moving the ship.

• Optimal Crew: Jenkins and Jim (or your two highest Deckhandiness crewmates).
• Optimal Location: Search for spots near high-level zones (e.g., Merchant Shipwrecks at Level 87) where the wreckage respawn timers are staggered.
• The Play: Assign both S-tier crewmates to the hooks. You can AFK for up to 25–30 minutes until the cargo hold is completely full. This minimizes clicks and maximizes uninterrupted break time.

3. Combat Crew Staggering (High-Tier Tasks)

When battling high-tier naval threats (requiring Adamant or Dragon Cannonballs), don’t assign all your crew to cannons simultaneously.

• Crew Focus: Use Bosun Zarah (Adamant) or Oarswoman Olga/Jittery Jim (Dragon) as your primary gunners.
• The Strategy: Assign your crew to fire the cannons in an alternating fashion to ensure continuous pressure and to prevent having both cannons on cooldown at the same time.
• The Helmsman: In high-intensity combat, assign a mid-tier crewmate (e.g., Ex-Captain Siad at Level 50) to the Helm. This allows you to focus entirely on cannon management and ship repairs without needing to worry about controlling the vessel.

4. Resource Management Check

Remember that crewmates consume resources for their tasks.

• Cannonballs: Crewmates use the required cannonballs from the ship’s inventory. Always check your stock before setting sail for a combat task, or your Privateering crewmate will stop firing.
• Repairs: Crewmates assigned to the Repair Facility will use your Wood (logs, planks) and Nails. While they are great for mid-combat patches, be sure you’re using high-tier materials (like Teak or Mahogany) for major repairs between sessions to ensure ship durability.
• Boosting: You can temporarily boost your Sailing level (e.g., using a Whirlpool Surprise) to recruit a higher-level crewmate like Bosun Zarah (Level 80) early, gaining access to Adamant Cannonballs for high-level tasks sooner than expected.

Final Voyage: Summary

By prioritizing Jobless Jim and Cabin Boy Jenkins for AFK/XP tasks, and saving your specialized crew (Olga, Zarah) for high-level combat encounters, you ensure maximum efficiency on the high seas.

• Veterans’ Axiom: Always check your next crewmate unlock level (55, 70, 85, 95) and adjust your crew assignments immediately for the highest power spike.

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