Sail

33 questions players ask about Sail. Pick one for the answer. See also the full rulebook.

Updated 2026-11-05.

Components and Setup
Playing Tricks
Actions and Cannons
Kraken Damage
Winning and Losing
Pirates
Seafarers Expansion

Components and Setup

How many playing cards are there and how are they organized?
Is there a card exchange phase in the base game?

Playing Tricks

Can players look through the discard pile and the Kraken Deck at any time?
Who wins the trick when both players play the same number?
If you hold a card of the led colour, must you play it?

Actions and Cannons

If I win my fourth trick on a helm combo, are its movement and damage resolved before the round ends?
How do you deal damage to the Kraken?
Are the symbols on the 1s and 2s used only for damage?
What happens when a cannon action must flip a card but the player deck is empty?

Kraken Damage

What happens if the Kraken Card is the only card left in the Kraken Deck?
Does the Kraken Card count as one of the cards used up when taking Kraken damage?
When round-end damage reveals the Kraken Card, do I keep taking the remaining damage?
If the Kraken meeple advances during round-end damage, do I take the higher number this round?
What do the numbers under the Kraken token mean?

Winning and Losing

What happens if an action makes you both win and lose at once?
If a helm plus helm-and-wave move reaches the End Token while the damage would lose the game, who wins?
What happens if the ship sails past the End Token without landing on it?
What does it mean to be completely past a storm?

Pirates

Do pirate abilities only work when the pirate's owner wins the trick?
Are pirate abilities mandatory or optional?
Does the Cannon + Wheel pirate's new action apply to any winner or only its owner?
With the double-cannon pirate, if the chosen card is itself a cannon, do I draw two more?
Do the pirates that move the ship straight still cause Kraken damage as normal?
When a pirate lets the winner move straight, does it replace the normal move?
What counts as an orange wheel for the pirate that lets you choose the ship's direction?
Can the orange-wheel pirate choose direction if the orange wheel was played by my partner or drawn by double cannon?
Does the pirate who advances straight on two wheels need the cards to be different suits?

Seafarers Expansion

Does a pirate ability that applies during the exchange phase also apply to a Crow's Nest exchange?
Is the Crow's Nest exchange mandatory?
Which island locations are correct for Seafarers Scenario 6?
Is G4 a Kraken space in Seafarers Scenario 7?

If a pirate gives two exchange phases, does the send-a-Kraken-card pirate send twice?

When can the pirate put a 1-3 card under the Kraken Deck?