Built in 1986, the Wind Star is a Bahamian-registered beauty famed for its six snowy, triangular sails that billow in two minutes at the touch of a computerized control button. Officially designated a masted schooner, the 5,350-ton, 360-ft, four-deck vessel feels more like a luxurious yacht to its 148 passengers. Officers are European and the crew Indonesian and Filipino. Lifestyle aboard is casual and sophisticated with most of the activtities oustide on the open decks. The sails, when unfurled, add just a few knots to the speed as the ship is largely powered by a diesel engine. An October 2007 refurbishment put the ship in fine fettle.
First known as Windstar Sail Cruises, the company got its start in the mid-1980s but it did not fare well enough to continue as an independent entity. Holland America took over the firm between 1987 and 1988 and moved the company to HAL's Seattle headquarters in 1994 and renamed the organization Windstar Cruises. The company added the Wind Surf (formerly Club Med I) in 1997. One of the three original ships, Wind Song, was lost by fire in Tahiti in 2003 and scuttled. In 2007, Windstar Cruises was sold to Ambassadors International, owners of Majestic America Line, also of Seattle.
Passengers, mostly American couples with an average age of 48, enjoy the casual camaraderie inspired by the vessel's intimacy and unstructured, easygoing attitude. Gratuities are included in the rates.
The Wind Star has two seasonal cruising regions, the Mediterranean (April to November) and Costa Rica's Pacific Coast (December to March). In the Mediterranean, most cruise shuttle between Athens (Piraeus) and Istanbul, calling at Greek Islands and the Turkish coast. She then repositions, and there are additional voyages in the Western Mediterranean, two transatlantic crossings, and a pair of Panama canal transits. The weekly Costa Rican cruises emphasize sea life, wild life, rain forests and beaches.
With the distinctive profile of a large yacht and maritime atmosphere within, the Wind Star immediately pleases the eye. The main lounge, located aft, has a sailing ship-style skylight over the dance floor that rises into an attractive centerpiece for the open deck above. It becomes the social venue before and after meals with light entertainment after dinner. An adjacent pace offers a small casino with tables and slot machines. The daytime gathering spot is the lido, partly a covered lounge with sit-up bar and partly an open area with a small pool for dipping, a whirlpool, deck chairs, and cushioned mats. The watersports program is a big draw and includes diving instruction and snorkeling in several ports and complimentary use of sailboats, sailboards, banana boats and kayaks that are launched from the marine deck. Other lures include a sauna, fitness center, boutique and beauty salon. Wireless connections are available throughout the ship.
The wood-paneled dining room offers open-sitting flexibility, and dress is always casual. Entrees may include linguine with frutti di mare, crisp duck breast and grilled filet mignon. In good weather only dinner is served here, while the Veranda provides glass-enclosed protection for breakfast and lunch with additional sheltered tables out on deck under parasols. Food is available from a menu or the buffet. At breakfast the chef prepares omelets and pancakes and, at lunch, a pasta dish or perhaps bouillabaisse. Dinner takes place one evening under the stars, a romantic setting with tables arranged around the pool.
The similar 74 teak-accented cabins arranged on two decks measure 188 sq ft, have ample stowage, and are all outsides with a pair of sizeable portholes. Each has a flat-screen TV, VCR, CD and DVD player (with hundreds of videos and CDs on tap in the library), phone, minibar, safe, and queen-size bed that converts to twins. Baths boast hair dryers and terry robes. The baths have been remodeled and all soft furnishings renewed.
For the young at heart, the Wind Star offers a casual yet sophisticated lifestyle partly under sail and partly motoring between ports.
