I'm pretty sure Carol does know how to sail.  She spent a whole lot of time sailing (I think the group she was with were fishermen or something) between seasons of the mothership show, IIRC.  Now, sailing off the SE coast of the US (not sure how far they went) and sailing across the North Atlantic are entirely different things.

I said this to my husband and he said "that was a motor boat, this is a sail boat, completely different".  I'm like - Ok, Captain Ahab, calm down before you harpoon the couch.