Wind Star

The 1986-built cruise ship Wind Star is the first and oldest of Windstar's sailing yachts, together with Wind Surf and Wind Spirit (sister ship). These four-masted ships are uniquely designed for tall-sailing cruises.

The vessel (IMO number 8420878) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 309163000) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Windstar Cruises is a luxury brand operating a fleet of smaller-sized ships (mega-yachts) with capacities of up to 310 passengers. The company calls at 150 ports throughout the Caribbean, Central America, South Pacific, Asia, and Europe. Currently, Windstar is a subsidiary of Xanterra Parks and Resorts (USA's largest national and state park concession management company).

Windstar's namesake vessel, the 180-passenger ship Wind Star, is a 4-masted, motorized sailing yacht and the first of three in Windstar's fleet. Continuous maintenance and recent repairs have kept her fresh and youthful. In the staterooms, the old bathrooms have been refreshed with granite countertops, high-pile towels, and quality shower sprayers, while new combination DVD/CD/iPod Nano players have improved the onboard technology. Public areas and dining venues have also been updated.

Decks and Cabins

Wind Star yacht staterooms (74 total, in 5 grades) include 1x Suite and 73 Oceanview cabins. All accommodations have Queen-size double beds, LCD TV, DVD player, Bose speakers, and SoundDock for Apple iPods. The Owner's Suite measures 220 ft2 / 20 m2 but, like the rest of the cabins, lacks a step-out balcony.

The boat has 5 decks, of which 2 have cabins.

Windstar Wind Star ship 2012 renovations included a full update of the public rooms' decor. The staterooms were newly enhanced with leather headboards, linen wall coverings, armchairs, new lighting features, carpeting, window coverings, new artwork, stylish bed cushions, and throws. With large windows and a skylight, the ship's lounge is filled with natural light throughout the day.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Wind Star ship has two primary open-seating dining venues: AmphorA Restaurant, open in the evenings and offering course-by-course gourmet cuisine, and Veranda restaurant, serving casual full-service and buffet dining for breakfast and lunch. Reservations are required for Candles if you choose to dine under the stars. In 2012, The Restaurant was redesigned, renamed AmphorA, and introduced a new menu. The Pool Bar was also redesigned to create additional alfresco seating for sunset dining at Candles Grill, with a new awning and deck furniture.

What follows is the complete list of Wind Star restaurants and food bars.

• AmphorA Restaurant (boat's dining room, open-seating; offers a 5-course gourmet dinner menu that changes daily; along with onboard-made bread, the executive chef visits local markets in all ports of call to shop for fresh ingredients)
• Candles Cafe & Veranda (a smaller "dining room" offering buffet-style breakfast and lunch, as well as an a la carte menu served by the wait staff; its indoor area is called "Candles Cafe" and features floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows; the outdoor seating area is called "Veranda" and, in the evenings, transforms into "Candles Grill" (alfresco steakhouse).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

With wide-open teak decks offering over 10,000 sq.feet of space, generous for a ship of this size, and 21,500 ft2 (2,000 m2) of new sails overhead, Wind Star guests can find hidden nooks for private moments with the feeling of having their own veranda. Guests also benefit from the small Star ship's access to ports of call that would otherwise be unreachable. Onboard amenities include the WindSpa, Casino, Library, Lounge, Pool, Watersports Platform, and Hot Tub. During the 2012 renovation, The Reception Zone received a makeover, as did The Lounge, with new hardwood flooring and a new AV system.

What follows is the complete list of Wind Star lounges, clubs, and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• The Marina (retractable water sports platform for water skiing, windsurfing, snorkeling, and kayaking; the ship provides a banana boat, waterski boat, sea kayaks, Sunfish sailboats, wakeboards, windsurfing boards, paddleboards, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment, plus four Zodiacs; the steel cage forms a swimming pool in the sea)
• Lounge (boat's theatre/main show lounge for live evening entertainment); Library
• The Signature Shop/Boutique Shop (sells duty-free luxury fashion clothing and accessories)
• The Casino (with blackjack/roulette gambling tables and slot machines)
• WindSpa (operated by Steiner; has a treatment room, Sauna, and Beauty Salon. Windstar's "Spa Under the Stars" program offers outdoor spa treatments on the open deck).
• The Fitness Center (with free weights, exercycles, and treadmills; offers complimentary exercise classes)
• Pool Area (with one swimming pool, a waterfall cascading from the whirlpool, and a sunbathing area served by the Pool Bar)
• The Flying Bridge deck is designed to resemble a traditional navigation point.

Itineraries

Wind Star itinerary program is based on Caribbean cruises from Barbados and Mediterranean Sea voyages with departures from homeports in Turkey and Greece. The ship also offers Transatlantic repositioning crossings between Europe and the Caribbean.

In 2021, Tauck Travel (USA-based travel company) chartered Wind Star for a seasonal Eastern Mediterranean program based on the new "Treasures of the Aegean" cruise itinerary.

• The 10-day voyage had scheduled visits to Mykonos Island, Delos Island, Santorini Island, Patmos Island, Monemvasia, Piraeus (with an included 2-night Athens City premium hotel stay), and Ephesus (from Port Kusadasi, Turkey).
• Tauck's 2021 schedule included departure dates on June 17 and 24; July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29; August 12, 19, and 26; September 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30; and October 7.

Following the 2020-2021 Coronavirus crisis, Windstar restarted operations with Wind Star on June 19, 2021. The 7-night "Greek Islands" itinerary (roundtrip from Piraeus-Athens) visited Mykonos, Kusadasi-Ephesus (Turkey), Patmos, Syros, Santorini, Monemvasia, and Nafplio. The crew was vaccinated, and all passengers were required to provide proof of COVID vaccination. Also on June 19, Star Breeze restarted operations with a 7-night Caribbean itinerary roundtrip from Philipsburg, St Maarten.

Wind Star cruise ship was built as the first tall-sailing ship in the Windstar Cruises fleet. She is a member of a very specific class of three sister vessels: Wind Star, Wind Spirit, and Wind Song. Wind Song had a fire in her engine room in 2002, and the ship was scuttled. Windstar sailing yachts have a modern design but still feature 6 sails on 4 masts, handled via a sophisticated computer program.

The yacht's design is based on smaller 5,350-ton motor-sailing yachts constructed by the French shipbuilding company Societe Nouvelle des Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre. Among them are the Windstar sailing ships Wind Surf and Wind Spirit, as well as Club Med 2.

During Wind Star's last drydock refurbishment (2023, at Navantia Cadiz), a new mast was installed.

In 2012, Windstar completed an extensive 18-month drydock refurbishment project to renovate all three of the company's sailing yachts: Wind Star, Wind Spirit, and Wind Surf. Works included overhauls of all passenger staterooms, dining venues, and public spaces, as well as new sails.

The ship Wind Star has the fleet's first female Captain, Belinda Bennett (born on St Helena Island, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean). Her maritime career started at age 17 as a deck cadet on the cargo-passenger ship RMS St Helena. In September 2005, she joined Windstar as Second Officer and became Captain (Master) of Wind Star in January 2016.