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Saltwind guide: how to play, rules and tips

Saltwind is a free sailing adventure you play in your browser on GamesGarden, on phone or laptop. The wind is your only engine: you can't sail straight into it, so you learn to angle off it, tack and trim like a real sailor. Captain Salt teaches you the wind, then you free 44 harbours from the Company across seven seas and roam the open sea.

Play Saltwind
Saltwind in the middle of a game, on a laptop screen

How to play

  1. Tap Start sailing. On a phone, turn it sideways: Saltwind sails in landscape.
  2. Sail eight short lessons with Captain Salt, one new skill each, from steering to cannons.
  3. The chart opens. Each open harbour is a lane: win it to free the harbour and open its neighbours.
  4. Each result card shows your time, a rating (S, A or B), XP, plunder and any medals.
  5. Spend plunder in the Shipyard on hulls, fittings and colours.
  6. Free every harbour in a sea and the next sea opens.

Rules that matter

  • You can't sail into the wind. Point within about 45 degrees of where it comes from and you stall ("in irons"). To go upwind, zig-zag across it: that's tacking.
  • Fastest is across the wind. A reach beats sailing dead downwind. The HUD shows your point of sail: in irons, close hauled, beam reach, broad reach or running.
  • Trim is free speed. From the fourth lesson you trim the sail: in close near the wind, let out as you turn away.
  • Your boat is heavy. It carries momentum, so start turns early.
  • The sea wraps around. Sail off one edge and you come back on the other.
  • Cannons fire sideways. Broadsides shoot from the left or right of the hull, so turn your side to a target.
  • Repair at a harbour ring. Hold the anchor inside one to mend your hull. It won't work with an enemy close or just after a hit.

Tips and strategy

  • Read the wind before the goal. If the goal is upwind, plan your tacks around the islands.
  • Turn your side, not your bow. The golden rule: side to the wind to go fast, side to the enemy to fire. Enemy ships are slow upwind too.
  • Go for the S. It needs a clean run (no hits taken in a fight, no bumps on a sailing lane) and an efficient one (land most of your shots, or grab all the cargo).
  • Pick a hull for the job. Sloop: the all-rounder. Cutter: fastest, but fragile. Brigantine: the workhorse. Bomb Ketch: lobs shells over islands. Frigate: the heavy hammer, slow to turn.
  • Fit a stern weapon for chasers. A ship on your tail is out of your broadsides. A stern fitting such as the Powder Keg leaves trouble in your wake.

Modes and levels

  • The voyage: the lessons, then 44 harbours across The Strand, The Farrow Reach, The Ashen Sound, The Long Doldrums, The Teeth, The Deep Reckoning and The Wild Banks.
  • Endless Waters: opens once you've freed 2 harbours. Open sea, pirates and plunder, no game over. Sunk? You're towed back to port and lose a little plunder.
  • Daily Tide: one small contract a day, sailed in Endless Waters, like sinking pirates or claiming a bounty. Days in a row grow a streak. A new tide turns at midnight UTC.
  • Weekly voyage: four minutes on the same sea for every captain, all week. Opens with Endless Waters.
  • Bot league: race a rival fleet to capture the islands, across five ranks: Cadet, Bosun, Mate, Captain and Admiral. Every rival sails the same boats as you; only their skill grows, from a green crew to an Admiral who punishes every reload. Each rank has gold, silver and bronze times to beat. It opens once you own a second hull or have freed 6 harbours.
  • Ranks: XP lifts you through eight ranks, Deckhand to Commodore.

Controls

On a phone

  • Drag the left pad to steer.
  • Use the trim buttons for speed.
  • Tap the left or right cannon to fire.
  • Hold the anchor in a harbour ring to repair.
  • Sailing needs landscape; the start screen works upright.

On a laptop

  • Left and right arrows: steer. Up and down arrows: trim.
  • Q and E: fire your left or right broadside.
  • Space: stern weapon. G: kit tool.
  • H: anchor and repair. F: send your ally boats in, or call them back.
  • R: retry the voyage. Escape: pause, or go back.

Questions and answers

Can I play Saltwind against a bot?

Yes. The bot league pits you against a rival fleet at five ranks, from Cadet to Admiral. The rivals never get better boats, only better sailing. It opens once you own a second hull or have freed 6 harbours.

Is Saltwind free?

Yes. Saltwind is free to play in your browser on GamesGarden, with no download.

Can I play Saltwind on my phone?

Yes. Saltwind works on phone and laptop, with thumb controls in landscape.

Do I need an account to play Saltwind?

No. Add an optional garden name (no email, no password) to get on the leaderboards, and your harbours and best times follow it. A 12-character garden key restores your name, points and progress on another device.

How do I sail upwind in Saltwind?

You can't point straight into the wind in Saltwind. Zig-zag across it, turning through the wind each time. Captain Salt teaches this in the third lesson.

How does the Saltwind leaderboard work?

Winning harbour lanes and good Endless or Weekly runs earn garden points, and the Saltwind board shows how many harbours you've freed. Every voyage is checked on our side before it counts.

Ready to play?

Saltwind is free in your browser, with no download and no sign-up.

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