Wind Spirit
Wind Spirit is a four-masted, motor-assisted schooner based on the "Windcruiser" concept, developed by the Wärtsilä design team under Kai Levander in the early 1980s. The founder of Windstar Cruises, Karl G. Andrén and the first CEO of Windstar, Jean-Claude Potier, further developed the concept of Kai Levander's team and ordered the ships at Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre. Marc Held designed the original interiors of the three ships.
Self-furling Dacron sails with a total area of about 2,000 m² are set on four masts. Hydraulic furlers and boom drives are controlled from the bridge by a computer that monitors wind speed and direction and trims the sails; all sails can be furled within about two minutes. A computer-controlled water-ballast system limits heel. Three diesel generating sets supply the hotel operation as weel as the electric propulsion motor driving a single propeller.
Wind Spirit is the third of three Wind Star class ships. She is slightly different than her two identical sisters Wind Star and Wind Song; e.g. Wind Spirit has a more powerful propulsion motor and can be recognized by her different astern configuration.
The second of the three Wind Star class ships, Wind Song sailed from 1987 until 2002 only. In December 2002 an engine-room fire broke out during the night. All passengers and crew were evacuated without injury. The ship was not repaired and was scuttled in January 2003 between Tahiti and Moorea. Read this first-hand account of the fire. Wind Star and Wind Spirit remain in service.
Windstar had options for two larger vessels to be built at Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre. These ships - meant to be called Wind Surf and Wind Saga - were instead completed for Club Med as Club Med 1 and Club Med 2 as Windstar did not exercise the option. However, Club Med 1 later joined Windstar as Wind Surf under the originally intended name.
See also this article at cruiseind.com.
