Windsurf Tenders

[amandas friend]

Just returned from great cruise on Windsurf. Only bummer was tenders. They are old, hot and slow. Gangplank was old and in bad condition and if there were waves, hard to board. One lady fell and skinned legs badly. I mentioned this to the Captain ( nice guy) and he basically seemed unconcerned. 

[sb44]

Who was the captain? The platform for tenders moves with the ship so if it's rough it can be difficult.  Remember to always go on the "up" motion and hand off your bags first. The tenders are old but functional.

[amandas friend]

Erick ? Understand your point but at this  price point the tenders and gangplank should be higher quality and larger. Almost no legroom 

[sb44]

Have no idea who Erick is. We have been on Surf around 15 times and never had an issue with the tenders. I guess different strokes...

[Strenz]

Hi, sailed my entire life, have long legs, have balance issues, have been  on the sailing ships 24 times, tenders have not been  a problem, as sb44 said always step on as it goes up, hand all your bags  to the crew. It is what it is and it is safe, for WS is really about safety. It does not matter how expensive the cruise is the ocean is the great equalizer, rough is rough. Happy Sailing

[CruiseOrLand]

I recall that some ports make Windstar pay for a local tender, like Capri and Belize City. AFAIR, the ship's own tenders are lifeboats that are designed to avoid shipping any water from waves. So they have a 95% covered construction, with a slot to enter, and you have to duck your head to move around. They are indeed warm and stuffy on a sunny day. I don't see any remedy for this problem, because they are so much "safer" for passengers.

 

You can't have it both ways. The only remedy may be to book a cruise which doesn't intend to use the ship's tenders. But since ports can change, mooring/anchoring/tie-up conditions can change. There will always be a "subject to change" tag on published expectations. I wonder if this is related to the use of (100% open) Zodiac's on our recent Panama Canal cruise. Be careful what you wish for ...

 

I don't agree that any WIndstar "gangplank" is old or in bad condition. It's a mechanical part of the ship, in an "industrial" area of the boat. It's not a party platform.

[milepig]

Yes. They are old, stuffy and cramped. I do think WS could do better but they get the job done. And the crew always helps. We were in port the same day as the Paul Guaguin. We looked like refugees when their bright shiny tender pulled up to a sort of elaborate pavilion. 

 

Our worst was in Costa Rica where we didn’t get off. There were wild crazy random waves. First they tried the tenders and they were flying all over the place I’d guess the high to low points were 20 or more feet apart. A few people managed to get on before they scrubbed that attempt. We were next in line and actually frightened.  Then they tried the zodiacs which seemed even worse, and we later noticed they  left black marks on the side of the ship. The captain finally moved her to a better location but by that point the tours had left. 

Edited July 3, 2019 by milepig

[amandas friend]

Then you can't have seen this gangplank. The right handrail as you walk down was very unstable with a lot of lateral play. I don't recall  anyone thinking or saying  it was a party platform. 

[milepig]

16 minutes ago, amandas friend said:

Then you can't have seen this gangplank. The right handrail as you walk down was very unstable with a lot of lateral play. I don't recall  anyone thinking or saying  it was a party platform. 

 

So the left one was OK and there should have been multiple staff to help you onto and off the tender. Those handrails fit down into holes in the gangway and naturally have some lateral movement but they’re perfectly safe. This all sounds sort of normal to me. I usually have to shake off the crew, they want to help so badly. 

[Misty Morning]

The tenders on the Wind Surf are dirty and old and when compared to other ship tenders we encountered last year (inlcuding sister ship Club Med, Seabourn, Silverseas), there is just no comparison,  They are re-doing the ones on the yachts (they needed to anyways as each of the 3 ship's capacity is increasing by 100 and the current tenders only accommodate 25 at a time), I assume the ones on the Surf would get re-done down the road but currently they are just not up to other Windstar standards.  As for security, on our first cruise,  in St Barths,  a guest we had met during the trip (in her 40's and fit) fell in the water between tender and the platform while getting in the tender due to a rogue wave that tilted the tender sideways (her mother was watching from above).  Needless to say there was a bit of panic but no one was hurt.  Captain Harris came down immediately and re-positioned the ship to resume tendering a hour later.  All ended well.

[Luv my furbaby]

I thought the tenders were very uncomfortable and quite rough. And yes, getting on and off the tenders was difficult. 

[msears101]

I will echo what many have said.  When it is rough it is quite an adventure.  Keep your wits about it and listen to the crew they are VERY eager to help.  I have seen 80 year olds navigate it just fine with help from the crew in very adventurous conditions.

 

The boats are not fancy, they are tight, cramped, stink like diesel,  but I chose those boats over a crowded pier, or having to wait in a line for a tender.  I love the sailboats.

 

The gangway is normal and is designed to move for safety.

 

They certainly could have better tenders, but there is limited space on smaller vessels - and these do double as life boats.  The tenders are 1% of the cruise.  I have long forgotten about it by time dinner comes around or the sailaway happens.  The sailing vessels have a different shape and have less room for some things like tenders.   The Star clipper tenders are basically the same. 

 

 

[surmy555]

I understand that the motor yachts will be getting brand new tenders when they are stretched. Hopefully that will make tendering a better experience

[Lvwindstar007]

We were on a fairly recent Paul Gauguin cruise from Fiji to Bali and at one of the stops the first loaded tender was 1 1/2 hour to land and ours was about 1 hour.  People were very upset esp on the first one...yes plenty of diesel fumes and lots of heat...not much air.  The problem was that the Port captain shifted our landing twice while the tenders were in the water.  Nasty but not the fault of the PG crew.  But we were still in paradise!