Windjammer Barefoot Cruises

Windjammer Barefoot Cruises was a United States leisure cruise line headquartered in Miami Beach, Florida. Founded in 1947 by Michael Burke, it built its identity around small-ship sailing vacations rather than conventional large cruise-ship travel. The company operated former yachts and commercial vessels that were refurbished and styled to evoke nineteenth-century windjammers, giving passengers a more informal and maritime-oriented alternative to mainstream cruising. Its vessels generally carried approximately 60 to 100 paying passengers, supported by crews of roughly 20 to 40 officers and other seafarers. The small scale of the ships was central to the brand experience: itineraries emphasized sailing, relaxed onboard social life, and access to island and coastal destinations that were less associated with mass-market cruising. Caribbean routes included the British Virgin Islands, the French West Indies, the Grenadines, the ABC islands, and The Bahamas. Central American voyages included Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize. The fleet changed over time and included sailing ships and other vessels adapted for passenger service. Ships associated with the company included S/V Legacy, S/V Polynesia, S/V Mandalay, S/V Yankee Clipper, S/V Flying Cloud, M/V Amazing Grace, M/S Yankee Trader, Brigantine Yankee, and S/V Fantome. The loss of Fantome during Hurricane Mitch in 1998 was the most serious disaster in the company’s history. All 31 crew members aboard died after the four-masted schooner foundered off Honduras; passengers and other crew members had been disembarked earlier in Belize. Windjammer entered severe financial and operational difficulties by 2007. Reports described unpaid crews, deteriorating ships, customer complaints involving canceled or disrupted voyages, and the company’s inability to return prepaid fares for cruises that did not operate. The entire fleet was suspended in September 2007. Although Windjammer initially indicated that it intended to restart service, later announcements canceled sailings through January 2008 and no meaningful relaunch followed. The remaining operations were shut down in April 2008, and company assets were auctioned later that year. At the time of the shutdown, four vessels were identified as part of the active fleet: Legacy, Polynesia, Mandalay, and Yankee Clipper. Their subsequent fates varied, including prolonged lay-up, sale, permanent docking, and neglect. Windjammer Barefoot Cruises therefore remains significant as an early and distinctive participant in small-scale sailing tourism, but it is no longer an operating cruise company. Its collapse also illustrates the financial, maintenance, customer-protection, and safety challenges that can affect operators of aging passenger vessels.

Windjammer Barefoot Cruises was established in 1947 by Michael Burke and became associated with a distinctive form of small-scale sailing tourism. Rather than operating large modern cruise ships, the company acquired former yachts and commercial vessels and converted them into passenger vessels. These ships were refitted to resemble nineteenth-century windjammers, establishing a visual and experiential identity built around traditional sailing, informal travel, and limited passenger capacity. The company scheduled voyages of one or two weeks in length. Its primary geographic focus was the Caribbean, including the British Virgin Islands, the French West Indies, the Grenadines, the ABC islands, and The Bahamas. It also offered Central American itineraries in Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize. The vessels typically accommodated between 60 and 100 paying passengers, with crews of approximately 20 to 40 officers and other employees. This scale allowed the brand to present itself as a more personal and sailing-focused alternative to mainstream cruise tourism. Windjammer’s fleet included a number of vessels over its operating history. Among those associated with the line were S/V Legacy, S/V Polynesia, S/V Mandalay, S/V Yankee Clipper, S/V Flying Cloud, M/V Amazing Grace, M/S Yankee Trader, Brigantine Yankee, and S/V Fantome. Some ships were retired, sold, or lost before the company itself ceased operations. Brigantine Yankee was lost in the Cook Islands in July 1964. S/V Fantome, a four-masted schooner, was lost in October 1998 during Hurricane Mitch. The vessel encountered extreme conditions, including very high winds and large seas, and foundered off Honduras. All 31 crew members aboard perished, although passengers and other crew members had previously been put ashore in Belize. By 2007, Windjammer was experiencing substantial financial and operational distress. Contemporary reports described unpaid crew members, poorly maintained ships, and complaints from passengers who said they had been stranded aboard vessels or at intermediate destinations. The entire fleet was suspended in September 2007. Windjammer initially communicated plans to resume operations, including a proposed November restart involving S/V Legacy and a later return of the other vessels. Those plans did not materialize. A series of later announcements canceled sailings through January 2008, and the company stopped providing meaningful public updates. The shutdown also generated consumer complaints over prepaid fares. Customers whose cruises were canceled reportedly did not receive refunds, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services received numerous complaints. Statements attributed to the department indicated that Windjammer was no longer in business. The company’s remaining operations closed in April 2008, and its assets were auctioned later that year. The four ships identified as active at shutdown—Legacy, Polynesia, Mandalay, and Yankee Clipper—were left in various states of inactivity or deterioration. Polynesia was sold to the Portuguese Navy, while Yankee Clipper became permanently docked in Trinidad; the vessels’ post-shutdown histories otherwise reflected the decline of the fleet. Windjammer’s history combines innovation in experiential cruising with the vulnerabilities of operating aging, specialized passenger ships. Its use of sailing vessels and intimate itineraries helped distinguish it within the leisure-travel market, while the loss of Fantome and the later financial collapse became defining events in the brand’s legacy. Michael Burke, the company’s founder, died in May 2013 at the age of 89.

1. 2008Business closed and assets auctioned

   Remaining operations ended in April, followed by the auction of company assets later in the year.

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2. 2007Fleet suspended

   Windjammer suspended its entire fleet amid financial difficulties, reported crew-payment problems, ship disrepair, and customer complaints.

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3. 1998Loss of S/V Fantome

   S/V Fantome was lost during Hurricane Mitch off Honduras, killing all 31 crew members aboard.

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4. 1964Brigantine Yankee lost

   Brigantine Yankee was lost in the Cook Islands in July.

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5. 1947Company founded

   Michael Burke founded Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, establishing a cruise business centered on sailing vessels and small passenger groups.

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An informal, intimate alternative to large cruise lines, centered on sailing tall ships, smaller passenger capacity, and Caribbean and Central American coastal exploration.

• Caribbean sailing cruisesCruise itinerary

  One- and two-week voyages through Caribbean destinations, including the British Virgin Islands, French West Indies, Grenenadines, ABC islands, and The Bahamas. These cruises used small sailing vessels and emphasized an informal onboard experience rather than the facilities and scale of large cruise ships.

• Central American sailing cruisesCruise itinerary

  Cruises along Central American coasts and waters, with itineraries including Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize. The routes extended Windjammer’s sailing-focused model beyond the Caribbean and connected the brand with smaller ports and coastal destinations.

• Tall-ship cruise fleetPassenger vessel offering1947

  A changing fleet of former yachts and commercial vessels refurbished as cruise ships and styled to resemble nineteenth-century windjammers. Vessels generally carried about 60 to 100 paying passengers and were supported by crews of approximately 20 to 40 people.

• 2008Closure and asset liquidationOther

  Windjammer did not resume meaningful cruise operations after its 2007 suspension and continued to face customer complaints and financial problems.

  What changed. The remaining business activities were shut down in April and the company’s assets were auctioned later in the year.

  Aftermath. The active fleet was removed from regular Windjammer service; the vessels were laid up, sold, permanently docked, or left in neglected condition.

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• 2007Attempted restart after fleet suspensionStrategy

  After suspending the fleet in September amid financial and operational problems, Windjammer initially indicated that it intended to resume cruises.

  What changed. The company announced a proposed November restart for S/V Legacy and a later return of the other vessels, but subsequently canceled sailings through January 2008.

  Aftermath. No significant relaunch followed, and the company’s remaining operations shut down in April 2008.

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• 2007Financial distress, vessel disrepair, and unpaid crewsControversy

  Reports during the company’s final operating period described serious financial difficulties, unpaid crew members, vessels in poor condition, and passengers who complained of being stranded or experiencing disrupted travel.

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• 2007Unrefunded prepaid cruise faresControversy

  Customers whose scheduled cruises were canceled reportedly did not receive refunds for prepaid fares. Numerous complaints were submitted to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services after the shutdown.

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• 1998Loss of S/V Fantome during Hurricane MitchControversy

  S/V Fantome was caught in Hurricane Mitch and foundered off the coast of Honduras. All 31 crew members aboard died. The event became the most serious maritime disaster associated with the company.

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• 2008Remaining Windjammer operations shut down

  The company’s remaining operating activities were shut down in April, ending the attempted continuation of its cruise business.

  BankruptcyOther
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• 2008Windjammer assets auctioned

  After the shutdown, the company’s remaining assets were auctioned. Its former ships were subsequently laid up or otherwise removed from active cruise service.

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• 2007Windjammer suspends its entire fleet

  The company suspended all cruises in September amid reports of serious financial problems, unpaid crews, ship disrepair, and customer complaints concerning disrupted voyages.

  BankruptcyOther
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• 2007Canceled voyages leave customers seeking refunds

  Windjammer canceled planned sailings after initially discussing a possible restart, while customers with prepaid reservations reportedly did not receive refunds. Complaints were submitted to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

  LawsuitOther
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• 1998S/V Fantome lost during Hurricane Mitch

  Windjammer’s four-masted schooner S/V Fantome was lost during Hurricane Mitch off the coast of Honduras. All 31 crew members aboard died; passengers and other crew members had earlier been disembarked in Belize.

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1. Windjammer Barefoot Cruises