Windjammer Barefoot Cruises Appears to have Folded

(April 14, 2008 - Modern Agent) -–Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, which hasn’t operated a ship since last August, has apparently closed its Miami offices. The troubled company, which let lapse its Florida license to sell travel in November, was unsuccessful in its attempts to renew that registration, said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “Because of their financial difficulties, we insisted they post a $50,000 bond, which they didn’t have to do before,” McElroy said. “They were unable or unwilling to post the bond, so we rejected their request to renew the license. At that point, they were no longer licensed to sell travel in Florida.”

The Florida Attorney General’s office said it has received 172 complaints from consumers about Windjammer. “We currently do not have an investigation on Windjammer Cruises, but we continue to review complaints to see if anything falls under our jurisdiction through the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act,” the attorney general’s office reported. Windjammer’s toll-free phone number is disconnected and the local lines also do not work. The company website is still operating, but the PayPal system has been removed along with itinerary listings.

A call to Joey Burke, a grandson of founder Mike Burke who had tried to resurrect the company, was not returned by press time. “We can’t say for a fact that they’re out of business,” McElroy said. “We’ve gone on their website and tried to call, but there doesn’t seem to be anybody there. The office appears to be sort of an abandoned building.” For more information, contact the state of Florida’s Consumer Services Division at 800-HELPFLA within Florida or 850-922-2966 outside Florida.

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