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Windstar - do they really sail?


Wayfairers
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Always. At the end of each cruise they have a talley of the hours under sail. It's beautiful at night under sail and one if the reasons we keep going back for more.

 

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Not always. It depends on the weather and the condition of the sails. We were on the Surf in May, and the only time some of the sails were up was when we left port. We were told the sails were due to be replaced and they could not raise all of them because of this.

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Yes they sail. Not always as it depend on wind direction, current and location. They add about 2-3 knots.. sometime, as our last cruise in Tahiti, they would raised them for sail away but stowed them later in the evening. Islands are close and there is no point having them up at night.

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Not always. It depends on the weather and the condition of the sails. We were on the Surf in May, and the only time some of the sails were up was when we left port. We were told the sails were due to be replaced and they could not raise all of them because of this.

That's too bad. We were on in June and under sail pretty much every day. They were gorgeous. Yes it depends on weather but we've never been on board when sails weren't up.

 

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Great info, thanks! We love the feeling of being fully under sail on a smaller boat (around 30ft boat) - I would imagine just like flying in a small vs large plane is different that sailing in a larger boat would be different too. Sounds like you still get that wonderful feeling though.

 

 

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The sad thing is that the people on board never get to see the full effect. The closest we came was when both the Spirit and the Star were in Rhodes the same day and we sailed out together. We just stood by the rail gawking and saying "OMG, this is what WE look like." One of life's most memorable moments. The captains showed off a bit as we first circled each other a couple times and then left port one behind the other, one toward Turkey and the other headed West. Magical.

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That is true for anyone sailing. We saw that tandem sailing of the WS ships three times: the Greece Cruise, long time ago in the Caribbean and once with the Surf and the sister ship the Club Med 2 ( either one or two ? ) Beautiful. For us it is the silence of sailing that we love when they cut the motors. When we took the trans Pacific to Tahiti a few years ago, we had so much time the last two days at sea were completely under sail. That was great!

Even if you get a few hours it is still magical. Happy Sailing.

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When they are fully under sail, it is magical. People are so respectful they whisper for it is the sounds of the sea that resonate with us and the reason we come back again and again.

Can't say that I've ever noticed this.

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That is too bad because we have been on 20 cruises with WS and whenever the motors are off people either stop talking or whisper. Quite lovely and respectful.

Yes it certainly is lovely and so quiet.

 

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That is too bad because we have been on 20 cruises with WS and whenever the motors are off people either stop talking or whisper. Quite lovely and respectful.

 

 

BUT... Are the engines EVER off? A ship such as this requires one heck of a lot of power to run the "hotel"... That requires an engine to run the generators at least as large as one of the propulsion engines... right?

 

If the OP is fixated on sailing "under sail" maybe check Star Clippers? THATS pure sail......

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BUT... Are the engines EVER off? A ship such as this requires one heck of a lot of power to run the "hotel"... That requires an engine to run the generators at least as large as one of the propulsion engines... right?

 

If the OP is fixated on sailing "under sail" maybe check Star Clippers? THATS pure sail......

True. They have to run some power for lights, etc. But it's lovely and quiet. And accomodations and food better on WS. A matter of personal taste. Clippers have a more international group and, from meeting people in ports when in at the same time, more of a party crowd. The two are quite different IMHO.

 

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I was referring to motors. Yes, generators are on all the time but the noise is a hum. When the motors are off you hear the wind and water the hum disappears with the noise of the sea. When the engines are on you hear/feel a vibration. Hard to explain. There is a big difference.

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I was referring to motors. Yes, generators are on all the time but the noise is a hum. When the motors are off you hear the wind and water the hum disappears with the noise of the sea. When the engines are on you hear/feel a vibration. Hard to explain. There is a big difference.

 

 

The Wind Star has e identical diesel engines that produce ALL of the power for the ship, (Including the power to run the propeller) Rarely are more than 2 in use at one time, but NEVER are all three shut off.

 

That information straight from the head engineer on board, and verified just now on NedCruise Info website.

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True. They have to run some power for lights, etc. But it's lovely and quiet. And accomodations and food better on WS. A matter of personal taste. Clippers have a more international group and, from meeting people in ports when in at the same time, more of a party crowd. The two are quite different IMHO.

 

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While I agree with most of your post... the part that reads "more of a party crowd" has me stumped. Star Clippers does NOT have any sort of party crowd... At least as far as I have ever seen. In fact it's age and demographics just about mirrors Windstar, except for the nationality issue and the fact that most of the repeat passengers are "sailing" people...

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While I agree with most of your post... the part that reads "more of a party crowd" has me stumped. Star Clippers does NOT have any sort of party crowd... At least as far as I have ever seen. In fact it's age and demographics just about mirrors Windstar, except for the nationality issue and the fact that most of the repeat passengers are "sailing" people...

People we met along the way in the islands were younger and having themselves a good time. Good for them! We certainly did on the old Windjammers. Just my observation, nothing more. Ran into Clipper in Europe too and seemed a different crowd. Sea Dream cruisers we've met appear a bit older. Again, just personal observations. No offense meant which is why I said IMHO.

 

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I'm sure no offence was taken by nobody. This is a forum, with numerous nationality and mother tongue. We ( me included) are sometime awkward behind a keyboard, even more so behind a phone. Nothing beats face to face conversation. Cheers to all and happy sailing to all :-)

 

 

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