Son of Founder Hopes to Revive Windjammer

Can Joey Burke save Windjammer Barefoot Cruises?

The sailing line has all but collapsed in recent months, and many customers already have given it up for dead. But the youngest of founder Mike Burke's six children says he can revive it.

Burke posted several notes on cruise fan websites this week to say he had taken over the much-beloved business and hoped to relaunch voyages on a single ship, the Legacy, as early as Nov. 3.
Burke blamed the company's recent managers for the financial unraveling of the past few months, which ended with the sudden shutdown of the line nearly a month ago. None of Windjammer's four ships have sailed since September.

"Recent management did not stick to my father's idea of what Windjammer should be. That was a mistake. It has almost cost us our business," he wrote. "Well, mistakes stop now!"

Burke says he's streamlining the company, but he admits a comeback won't be easy.

"Assets were frozen, credit cards were charged back. Windjammer woke up (after the recent crisis) with nothing," he says. "My first priority is to see that our special and loved crew get their jobs back, and then I would like to pay back the passengers (to whom) we owe money."

Still, in a sign of the difficulties that lay ahead, Burke notes that it would be better if the line could give customers who had recent cruises canceled a future cruise instead of a cash refund. "We are going to need all the cash we can get," he says.

Burke says he only has plans to return one ship to operation for now. If things go well, the others will be phased back into service "after a few months."