What is the Freewinds?
The motor vessel Freewinds is a 440-foot ship based in the Caribbean. Its home port is Curaçao. The ship, in turn, is the home of the Flag Ship Service Organization (FSSO), a religious retreat ministering the most advanced level of spiritual counseling in the Scientology religion.
The Freewinds provides a safe, aesthetic, distraction-free environment appropriate for ministration of this profoundly spiritual level of auditing. Thus, while the Flag Service Organization in Clearwater ministers the highest levels of training and auditing from the bottom of the Bridge to New OT VII, the most advanced OT level (New OT VIII) is exclusively entrusted to the FSSO.
To a Scientologist, boarding the Freewinds for New OT VIII is the pinnacle of a deeply spiritual journey. Years of training and auditing have brought him to this ultimate point. It is the most significant spiritual accomplishment of his lifetime and brings with it the full realization of his immortality.
The Freewinds is a very special place. It is the one place a Scientologist may go and be certain he will be able to devote himself entirely to his religious practice and in the company of people who share his religious commitment and outlook on life in general.
Other religious programs conducted aboard the Freewinds include religious conventions and seminars for staff and parishioners from Churches of Scientology world over, as well as specially arranged gatherings of Scientologists from a particular country or community for a tailored program of religious services.