How Much Does a Windstar Ship Heel in a Good Wind

[donaldsc]

We just got off a cruise on the Star Clipper ship the Star Flyer.  We did much of the first week under 40 to 45 knot winds and we heeled at as much as 15 degrees and sailed most of the day at 10 to 12 degrees heel!  It was great although interesting.  See attached photo - the camera is level and the tilt is the heel.  One passenger asked the captain to compare Star Clipper ships with Windstar ships and not surprisingly his comments were that Star Clipper ships were real sailboat and Windstar weren't.   Any thoughts from the Windstar folk.

 

DON

[lkakers]

IMO, the Clipper captain is correct; the Clippers are more true "sailboats" and Windstar has "sailing yachts" with significant stabilizers that keep the ship level at most normal sea conditions.

 

I've only done two Windstar cruises; the first one was Costa Rica and IIRC, we spent something like 85-90% it under sail.  We had one day of rough seas, and that was just a lot of rocking and rolling, not heeling. When it wasn't rough, I don't recall much of a heel at all. 

 

IMO, the Star Clippers are adventure sailing, Wind Star is charming, gentle, luxury sailing.  

[Lvwindstar007]

Most importantly, the sailing ships transfer water from tanks on one side to the other as necessary to greatly reduce or eliminate roll/heel under sail.