Wind Star Turns Out to Be an Instant Winner

At long last there’s a ship for the die-hards who think they’d get bored on a standard cruise, for people who shy away from the big ships, for erstwhile skippers who like to stand on the bridge with the captain.

It’s for couples who want to be alone together on a remote island beach instead of on a group bus tour of St. Thomas, and for anyone who would rather snorkel or windsurf than play bingo or line up for the midnight buffet.

The newest star afloat, a motor and sailing vessel called Wind Star, made its splashy debut in the Caribbean in December, and the cruise world may never be the same again.

On the maiden voyage, the rich and famous showed up in every port, clamoring to come aboard for a closer look.

In Mustique, William F. Buckley came over from his yacht and requested permission to board, and David Bowie wangled an invitation to lunch.

In St. Lucia, Princess Margaret admired the ship, and Colin Tennant (a.k.a. Lord Glenconnor) invited the ship and its passengers to spend the afternoon at his private beach.

Lord Glenconnor’s pet elephant Bupa, along with steel drummers, fire-eaters, limbo dancers and acrobats, greeted passengers while shipboard chefs grilled freshly caught lobsters for an al fresco lunch. The outing was such a success it has been added to the regular itinerary.

At the end of the cruise, three dozen passengers made cash deposits to guarantee their cabins for the inaugural sailing of its sister ship Wind Song, in Tahiti in July. And one couple booked their cabin for a second week and telephoned their daughter to come and join them.

You’re right if you suspect that only a very unusual ship gets this kind of attention in the jaded Caribbean cruise lanes.

The 440-foot, four-masted Wind Star has six sails set and trimmed by computers that monitor wind velocity and direction and control heeling to less than six degrees. Then there are the usual cruise ship stabilizers and bow thrusters, giving the 150 passengers the comfort of a cruise vessel combined with the romance and grace of a sailing ship.

With masts towering 204 feet above the sea, Wind Star is a striking sight. The interior is no less innovative; the captain’s bridge looks like Mission Control and the futuristic French modular bathrooms in each stateroom make you feel like calling out “Beam me up, Scotty!” every time you open the door.

Casual Sophistication

Without a doubt, Windstar Sail Cruises offers a sophisticated and relaxing alternative to a traditional cruise.

But this isn’t a swinging-singles sailing. This ship attracts couples, from honeymooners to pairs in their early retirement years, with a preponderance of people in their 30s and 40s.

During the cruise, the image of Sea Goddess and its relaxing and unregimented luxury came to mind, as well as the romance of the sailing yacht Sea Cloud and the frequent beach calls of the water-sports-oriented Exploration Starship.

But the Wind Star is different. Its sail/cruise design, created at Wartsila in Helsinki and built by Societe Nouvelle des Ateliers et Chantiers in Le Havre, lends it a distinctive profile. The clean-lined decor by French designer Marc Held uses deeper colors and darker woods than the new Scandinavian ships.

Windstar president Jean-Claude Potier was eager to get away from some of the cliches of cruising. There is no end-of-the-cruise tipping, for example, and no dining room seating assignments, no shore excursion program or scheduled daily events, no bingo, no cruise director, and virtually no entertainment beyond the piano bar and music for dancing.

Instead of going alongside a pier in the familiar Caribbean port cities, the Wind Star frequently anchors off a quiet beach and ferries passengers ashore in inflatable Sillinger boats. The ship’s bartender sets up a beach bar (soft drinks, beer, wine and punch are gratis), and the staff provides free water-sports equipment--windsurfers, snorkeling and scuba gear, Sunfish sailboats and water-skis--and any necessary instruction. (All scuba divers are required to have proof of certification.)

Because the ship has no elevator and most ports are reached by tender, sometimes in inflatable rubber boats, the Wind Star cannot be recommended for the elderly, disabled, or for small children.

The emphasis is on low-key camaraderie and offbeat, non-commercial ports of call. Singles looking for night life or casino action might grow fidgety with the lack of after-dinner entertainment or from trying to play at one of the two blackjack tables on board.

Time for Friendliness

From the first day at sea, a camaraderie grew among the passengers, about 60% of them Americans and 40% French on the first cruise. The daily routine usually means sailing in the mornings, arriving at ports at midday and sometimes staying through the evening or all night.

Beach visits with water sports from shore and the ship’s launching platform are scheduled daily, with shoreside picnics and barbecues.

A lively evening at Basil’s Beach Bar in Mustique might begin with cocktails, move on to a buffet dinner of fresh lobster and roast suckling pig, and finish with some free-form dancing to Caribbean rhythms with residents such as Mick Jagger and David Bowie.

The ship sails from Martinique Saturday night, with St. Lucia on Sunday, the whaling island of Bequia on Monday, Tuesdays at a beach in the Tobago Cays, Wednesdays in Grenada at St. George or Grand Anse beach. Thursday morning on Palm Island, Thursday night dinner at Basil’s Beach Bar in Mustique, Friday a beach visit to Pigeon Island, St. Lucia, then back to Martinique on Saturday.

A three-day pre- or post-cruise option at the resort Hotel Bakoua in Martinique includes breakfasts, tennis, water sports, horseback riding and golf for $255 to $325 per person.

Wind Star cabins are spacious and lavish, with twin beds or queen-size bed, color TV and VCR, mini-refrigerator and bar, makeup table, safe, desk, bookshelves and drawers. Bathrooms have space-age shower, hair dryer, plenty of counter space and thick terry-cloth robes.

Public rooms are warm and convivial, with natural light in the daytime, and a quiet library just off the main lounge contains a generous selection of books. The purser’s desk has a large selection of videocassettes.

The Restaurant serves only dinner, in a wood-paneled room with tables seating two, four, six or eight, between 8 and 10 p.m. Breakfast and lunch are served in the Veranda at indoor or outdoor tables with a small self-service buffet plus full table service of hot items.

Barbecue to Sushi

Chef Johannes Moser, formerly with Royal Viking Line and Sea Goddess, excels in buffet and barbecue preparations, while a Japanese sushi chef creates sushi and sashimi for appetizers some evenings.

On the minus side, the pool is tiny, but because the ship stops daily at some of the Caribbean’s prettiest beaches, it’s a minor consideration. Drink prices and wine markups are on the high side. Cabin service, slow on the maiden voyage, should pick up speed as the stewardesses gain experience. Light sleepers would do well to avoid cabins on the bottom deck amidships until additional soundproofing has been installed around a water purifier in the engine room.

But those are minor quibbles indeed in such a fresh and satisfying vacation concept. While the sails initially attract the passengers, it is the pleasurable experience, friendly, relaxed and low-key, and the nice staff and crew that keeps everybody happy. Wind Star is a real winner.

The cabins are virtually identical, so there is one set fare per person double occupancy for the seven-day cruise that varies by season. Fares mid-December through mid-April are $2,395; late April through mid-August, $2,085; mid-August through mid-December, $1,785. This includes gratuities and port taxes; air add-ons are available. Add 50% for single occupancy.

Wind Song fares will be $2,395 per person double occupancy for the seven-day round-trip cruises out of Tahiti.

Call Windstar at (800) 258-7245 for a free color brochure.