The 70-foot yacht salt lines
Salt Lines is a 70ft, steel-hulled, 30-ton, ketch-rigged sailing vessel. Built to Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) unlimited survey requirements, she was the second of the Laurent Giles Shipwright 70 class built on Tyneside by AMARC (TES) Ltd in 1990 for the Ocean Youth Trust (OYT). She was launched and named the John Laing by Lady Laing in Poole, UK.
Salt Lines is in ‘Unlimited’ Survey under Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) in the <24m category approved to operate internationally as a UK flagged vessel. Salt Lines operates at the highest levels of international safety.
The Shipwright 70 class are immensely safe and strong and were designed to be sailed by young people, many of whom came from non-sailing backgrounds. In 1995 the John Laing and James Cook (hull number 1) departed on a two-year, 30,000 nautical mile world voyage, a prestigious, world first project to circumnavigate with a crew of young people.
The John Laing was specially chosen by the British Army for an expedition to Antarctica in 2001-2 and has completed many seasons of UK-based sail training, but what makes this yacht unique is its versatility. It can cater for crews both young and old, or with disabilities. All groups can be fully involved in sailing the boat as it is safe but also offers really exciting sailing and a proper challenge for older or more experienced crew members.
In 2016 in recognition of 25 years of service with the OYT, the John Laing was awarded the title of Sailing Training Vessel of the year by the MCA. In 2017 she was sold and renamed Yacht Discovery and sailed a UK circumnavigation. In 2019 she was purchased and renamed again, becoming S.V TravelEdge by eXXpedition, a non-profit organisation that runs pioneering all-female sailing research expeditions at sea, and virtual voyages on land, to investigate the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution.
The yacht underwent an extensive refit in preparation for an eXXpedition round the world voyage and research mission of over 38,000 nautical miles and 30 voyage legs, starting and ending in the United Kingdom. During the voyage the crews were to explore plastics and toxins in our oceans, via four of the five oceanic gyres and the Arctic.
The 18 berth layout is fairly spacious due to the beamy design of the hull. We choose to only use 12 berths, reserving the extra top berths for extra storage space for gear. The large saloon seats 12 and the galley, provision stowage and refrigeration spaces have been designed to take crews to high latitudes for months at a time.
Departing the UK in October 2019, TravelEdge made it to Tahiti in French Polynesia by March 2020 when the effects of COVID-19 border closures brought the voyage to an unexpected and an abrupt halt. She was partially decommissioned and kept in a marina in Papeete where she was discovered and purchased by Matt Harvey, renamed Salt Lines and brought to Australia to join the Ocean Sailing Expeditions fleet.
Join us for an expedition, ocean race or regatta. Check the calendar. Check Salt Line’s location on Live Tracker