Quirky Windjammer Barefoot Cruises (not to be confused with Windstar Cruises) known for their sailing vessels where guests are as much a part of the crew as they are a passenger has been struggling over the last two years. However, it now appears as if the line is now teetering on the precipice -
Last year many travel agents reported that Windjammer had been late paying commissions, often an early sign that a cruise line is having difficulties.
Then there was a labor dispute aboard the Polynesia this past August which delayed embarkation, followed by the s/v Yankee Clipper being detained by port authorities in Grenada after a crew member sued for $9,000 in back pay. The ship has since been released but has been sitting in Trinidad for several weeks.
There was the announcement late last week that they would be canceling all of their sailings, although the Miami Herald reports that two of the line’s four ships haven’t sailed for the last several weeks anyway… No reason was given for the cancellation, and no information was provided about future sailings.
The Miami Herald is also reporting that the line’s shipping agent in Aruba has had to supply the crew of Polynesia with water because the ship does not have sufficient supplies. A group of past passengers, alarmed by reports that crews don’t have enough supplies or the money to return home have begun collecting donations on a message board in order to assist the stranded crew members.
The line has been quiet on the apparently worsening situation, their website which used to be www.windjammer.com is now a parked domain page with Network Solutions, but a mirror site appears to working at http://www.asource.com/windjammer. The mirror site makes no mention of the difficulties that the line is experiencing.
Filed under: Travel Advisories
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