Sturdy Dacron sailcloth measuring 21,570 square feet/2,015 square meters was handcrafted by the maritime designers and artisans at Incidence Sails, France's largest commercial sailmaker. The sails are replaced approximately every five years.
Spread across Wind Surf’s five towering masts, they make up more than a half-acre of triangular beauty. The sails unfurl daily, soaring on masts 221 feet/67.5 meters into the sky, and harnessing wind power to propel the ship.
'We’re all excited about Wind Surf’s new sails. Our guests really appreciate the romance of sailing and the evening sail-away is a time-honored event for guests and crew alike, a time to celebrate an amazing day of discovery while anticipating new adventures on the horizon,' Windstar president John Delaney said.
A crescendo of Vangelis’ ‘Conquest of Paradise’ accompanies the unfurling.
Incidence Sails designed Wind Surf’s sails and completed their manufacture at its facilities in Brest and La Rochelle over several months, delivering the sails in two installments. The project was carried out in close collaboration with the company’s Charentais and Breton design offices by noted designers Stéphane Amiot and Maxime Paul, who sailed for France in the 1992 Olympics.
Wind Surf's five furling jib sails each measure 3,800 square feet/355 square meters in area, and one fore jib sail measures 2,570 square feet/240 square meters.
Capt. Pedro Pinto oversaw the sail installation. Each took approximately four hours and was completed by the ship's 22-member deck department. Three sails were installed in August in Copenhagen and the remainder this month in Amalfi.
The computerized sails are self-furling and operate remotely from the bridge with fore and aft guidance from Wind Surf's nautical officers. The ship's top speed under sail power alone was recorded as 15.6 knots during a trans-Atlantic crossing.
Windstar will be repurposing the replaced sails by having them made into bags for sale in the gift shops of its six ships.
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