Intermediate & Advanced
Double Handed and Race Skipper Coaching on Sunfasts (Solent)
United Kingdom · Europe
Next: 31 October - 1 November 2026
1 date in October
£425
Night watches, heavy weather, offshore miles
Sailing Trips for Experienced Sailors
You stand your own watch. You've done nights at sea, you've reefed in a rising wind, and you'd rather be crew on a boat going somewhere hard than skipper of one going round the bay. Everything here asks for that: ocean crossings, the Southern Ocean, the Caribbean 600, Yachtmaster prep. A professional skipper runs the boat; you run your watch.
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- Trusted by 50,000+ sailors
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As seen in
Trips that ask for offshore miles
16 trips for experienced sailors, from £425 per person.
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RYA Yachtmaster Prep Course & Exam
United Kingdom · Europe
Next: 2 - 7 November 2026
2 dates in November
£1,150
- Intermediate & Advanced
Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC)
Spain & St. Lucia · Europe
Next: 29 November - 18 December 2026
1 date in November
£6,110
- Advanced & Intermediate
The Three Seas Expedition: Pula to Sardinia
Croatia & Italy · Europe
Next: 13 - 23 December 2026
1 date in December
€800
- Intermediate & Advanced
The Final Push Outwards: Sardinia to Gibraltar
Italy & Gibraltar · Europe
Next: 24 - 31 December 2026
1 date in December
€800
- Intermediate & Advanced
The Atlantic Threshold: Gibraltar to the Canaries
Gibraltar & Spain · Europe
Next: 1 - 9 January 2027
1 date in 2027
€800
- Advanced5.0
Uphill to Brazil - 2200 NM Blue Water Passage
Martinique & Brazil · Caribbean
Next: 6 - 24 January 2027
1 date in 2027
€4,900
- Intermediate & Advanced
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Prefer to talk it through?
Advanced sailing
What does advanced mean here?
It means the operator will ask about your nights at sea, your heavy-weather experience and your miles, and may say no. Night watches with the skipper asleep below. Reefing, sail changes and helming in 30 knots. Upwind passages that aren't comfortable. Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster, or the miles without the ticket.
It doesn't mean you need to charter a boat to find sailing like this. Every trip here is a berth on a coded yacht with a professional skipper. You get the passage; somebody else owns the problems.
Who books an advanced trip?
The Yachtmaster candidate
You have the miles, or nearly. The prep course and exam is a week on a school yacht; the ocean legs can add the Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passage if you take the sights.
See how the miles add upThe sailor with a list
Cape Horn, the Southern Ocean, the Pacific. Trips that ask for experience because of where they go, not how fast. Many crews on them are in their fifties and sixties.
The racer
You've done club racing and want a 600-mile offshore classic: the Caribbean 600, the Fastnet, the Middle Sea Race. Operators run qualifiers and practice days; you bring a season of racing.
Before you book
What operators check
A sailing CV: miles, nights at sea, the most wind you've sailed in, what you've skippered. Keep one. The SailTies app builds it from your log.
Fitness
These trips ask for it: watches at night in cold water, sail changes on a foredeck at sea. No upper age; an honest answer about mobility.
Kit
Offshore foul-weather gear, boots, and on some boats a lifejacket with AIS; the operator's list says. Expect to bring your own.
Insurance
Ordinary travel insurance often excludes offshore sailing and racing. The trip page says what cover the operator requires.
Qualifying passages
Some ocean legs can be Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passages if you take and work the sights. If that's the point, ask the operator before you book.
Where experienced sailors sail
Start with the destinations we've written guides for, or see every trip at this level.
Atlantic crossings
Eastbound via the Azores: upwind, cold, and the one that counts.
Explore Atlantic crossingsAmericas
Patagonia, the Southern Ocean and the Pacific: the trips people plan a year ahead.
Explore the Americas
Races and regattas
600-mile classics with a qualifying standard, and the practice days to meet it.
Explore races and regattas
How booking works
Choose your trip
Compare the destination, dates, boat, experience level, and what's included.
Book your berth
You book a place on the boat, not the whole yacht, and pay securely through SailTies.
Get ready
The operator sends joining instructions and a kit list before you travel.
Sail and log it
Join the crew, take part on board, and record every mile in the free SailTies app.
Book with confidence with SailTies
A team of sailors who have your back
We will help you pick the right trip and be there if anything unexpected happens.
Every operator vetted
We only list operators we know personally or have been recommended by past customers. All trips are checked before they go live.
Terms published upfront
Cancellation and refund terms shown on every trip page before you pay a deposit.
Talk to a sailor
Our team sail, and they'll tell you honestly what a trip is like and whether it's right for you.
Sailing trip reviews from the boat
Reviews can only be left by sailors who were on the boat.
Trusted by 50,000 sailors
Kirsty Sutherland
August 2026
Great sailing, lovely crew
“Perfect introduction to non-stop ocean sailing, and night watches. We were blessed with plenty of solar/celestial activity, but most of all a professional and friendly crew who were generous with their time and expertise, and very lovely and thoughtful on top.”
Jay Baum
July 2026
An amazing training opportunity at a world-famous racing event
“I'm a resonably experienced club sailor with some racing experience on smaller keelboats. When I realized I would be visiting the south coast during the Round the Island Race, I went looking for a chance to join a crew. I didn't want to over-sell my experience, and finding a new class of boat (for me) and an organizer like Tim (who was looking to make the event a training day in which we would all have a chance to learn and practice our skills) was the perfect fit. With an experienced skipper and a crew with diverse sailing sailing backgrounds, we worked well together and helped each other in our various roles. Tim focused on communication and timing, making sure we knew what to do, and what to do next. Finishing in in the top half of our class was a proud moment considering we all met for the first time at 5am on race day.”
Andrew Buchan
July 2026
Fantastic sail
“Quite simply, it was a fantastic day. Tim was brilliant, as was everyone else on board. It was great to rotate responsibilities throughout the day, giving everyone the chance to experience all aspects of sailing. It was a fantastic way to pick up new sailing tips, build confidence, and have a great deal of fun along the way. I would highly recommend these sails!”
Dan Fullerton
July 2026
RTI 2026
“The day was absolutely brilliant, Tim who organised the event did an exceptional job, Richard the Skipper was a local so knew the Solent like the back of his hand so the boat sailed well at all times, Niomi who ran the bow definitely knew her stuff and when there was a problem sorted promptly so we could still sail competitively. To say none of us as crew had meet before hand everyone got on and did there rolls and helped others out if people where struggling a bit. By the end of the day everyone could do everything and do it well. I would definitely recommend Seatrails as a company. Hopefully I will sail with them again.”
Photos & videos from our sailing trips
Taken by the people who were there, attached to the reviews they left.
Gift vouchers
Give the big one
A SailTies gift voucher works on any trip we list, ocean crossings included. For the sailor who has talked about it for years.
They choose the voyage and the dates.
Another way aboard
Looking for a free crew place?
Owners on long passages want crew who can stand a watch. Crew Match connects skippers with sailors looking for a place on board, and an experienced sailor is who they're looking for.
The free SailTies app
The sailing CV operators want
The free SailTies app records each passage: track, crew, miles and nights at sea. When an operator asks what you've done, show them.
The SailTies community
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SailTies is the leading digital logbook and sailor network. These are stories from the sailors who use it.
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A Tall Ships bursary put Elouise Pemberton to sea at 19. Twenty years on she is working through all thirteen Challenge yachts, logging every mile on SailTies.
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46 Legs Round Britain: Jenny Whelan's Voyage with Dogsail
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Advanced sailing FAQs
What counts as advanced?
Nights at sea on your own watch, heavy weather and offshore miles: Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster, or the experience without the ticket. Operators ask for a sailing CV, and the trip page says what each trip wants.
Do I need Yachtmaster?
No, except for the prep course, which assumes you're nearly there. Most advanced trips want miles and nights at sea, not a certificate.
Will the operator turn me down?
They can, and that's the point of the level. If a trip is wrong for you they'll say so before you pay, and so will we.
Which trips are Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passages?
Long ocean legs, such as eastbound Atlantic crossings, can be, if you take and work the sights. Confirm with the operator before booking.
Do I need to charter a boat to sail like this?
No. Every trip here is a berth on a coded yacht with a professional skipper. You get the passage without owning the problems.
Can I do the Fastnet or the Caribbean 600 with club racing experience?
Yes, with offshore miles. Both races set qualifying standards and operators run qualifiers. The race pages have the detail.
How hard is the Southern Ocean?
Cold, big, and the reason people do it. A professional skipper runs the boat, which is no reason to go unprepared. Read the trip page twice.
What about Patagonia?
Williwaws, anchoring with lines ashore, and some of the best sailing on earth. Each trip page says what it asks of you.
Is there an age limit?
No upper limit. Operators ask about fitness for watches and deck work at sea. Many crews on these trips are in their fifties and sixties.
Can I come on my own?
Yes. Plenty of crew on ocean legs come on their own; the solo travellers page explains how it works.
What insurance do I need?
Travel insurance with offshore sailing cover and, for races, racing cover. The trip page says what the operator requires.
What's a good first advanced trip?
An eastbound Atlantic leg via the Azores, or two Mediterranean legs back to back: nights at sea, some upwind sailing, a fortnight, and a skipper who's done it before.
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