Seems the massive international boom being generated by the Golden Age of Tech, the Basics, the Golden Age of OT, the Golden Age of Knowledge, the Div 6 phase, Ideal Orgs, Golden Age of Tech II, the power of the IAS, Super Power, Cause Resurgence Rundown, Ideal SO Orgs, Ideal Pacifica Bridge, the International Dissemination Center, the International Media Center, the largest relief force on earth, 10+ million Scientologists and 11,000 Scientology orgs and missions are not resulting in anyone showing up at the Freewinds.
With all this expansion happening, there should be a steady flow of people moving up the Bridge. The Freewinds only holds about 200 public total.
Surely, with 10 million scientologists and all these magnificent advanced, there would be a couple of hundred people on OT VIII at any given time? After all, if only 1 in 1,000 made it to the top, there would be 10,000 OT VIIIs and at 200 people a month (assuming the trip to the Freewinds for OT VIII takes a month) that would keep the Freewinds totally full for more than 4 years.
Yet, they are basically giving away the farm to get anyone to show up there for Conventions, Basics and Competence and Leadership. Basics? On the “OT vessel”? And learn the tech of being a Sea Org member, including how to tie knots and paint the side of the ship on a bosun’s chair on the Competence and Leadership course. That’s exciting.
Proof of the shriveling world of Miscavige is everywhere….
They are definitely desperate, but insiders on the ship reveal a bunch of wealthy new folks on Basics and the WISE convo were turned away, not allowed to make it to the ship, no refunds, nothing. Why? Because seems like Dear Leader is on board the hellhole to nowhere for awhile.
Funny thing is one of the people who prepaid a major trip to the Hellwinds was FSMed by Duggan’s wife and STILL got told to STFU/GTFO after spending like $45,000 to do ALL Basics, Congresses, ACC’s! So when he found out he won’t get the money back he got himself kicked out of the cult for demanding refunds and now probably is talking to a lawyer to force the cult to settle out of court.
So yeah, the Hellwinds are desperate for whoever they can get on board, but too stupid or suicidal to actually let anyone with SERIOUS MOOLAH to spend it there.
Figure that one out!
Mathematics is not a strong suit in the Scientologist’s tool box. It’s best to be ignored. 🙂
I was on the Freewinds for 18 monthes. That experience was more than enough to make just about anyone disaffected. The only instances where there wasent stress was while I was wearing scuba gear and sitting on an upside down boat 30 feet down watching the Barrecuda glide by.
Doug, why 18 months on the Freewinds? I sense a story here; do tell.
The food was good. But after a nearly 24 hour trip from seattle, arriving in a pouring rainstorm, our luggage lost ,no food the whole time, we were sent directly to the reg office first thing . Yhey had not realized my husband and I were a couple and had given us a room with 2 cots and wanted to upgrade us to a bed for alot more money. I got pissed and my first action was ethics.
I think it’s always important to reiterate that the Freewinds is a floating prison ship where “wayward” Sea Org members (meaning people who object to being enslaved) may be imprisoned for months or years, an extension of the “Hole,” David Miscavige’s private corporate prison at the Int Base. As you know, several prisoners have either lost their minds or lost their lives (suicides) on board the Freewinds. Wherever that ships sales, it leaves the stench of blood and death in it’s wake. It’s rightful home port is the bottom of the sea.
Steve, when you say, “as you know…” about suicides aboard the Freewinds, I didn’t know. I had heard about SO being sent there and not being able to leave the Ship. Have there actually been people commit suicide on the ship? And how do they hide that from the public that are there doing services?
http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/jorge-arroyo-in-memoriam-my-first-mexican-amigo/
http://www.scientology-cult.com/human-trafficking-on-the-freewinds.html
Cindy,
One suicide immediately coming to mind is a girl blowing her brains out in her cabin.
I forgot her name and when it was.
I am sure others can give more details.
Greta
I think you maybe confused with Susan Meister on the Apollo…
“Proof of the shriveling world of Miscavige is everywhere….” and the whiff of desperation.
Why do I also get a whiff of the malodorous Grant Cardone (New OT VIII, 3 L’s Completions, Power FSM, Super Power Completion, International Speaker and Sales Expert, Turnaround King, Motivational Speaker, Reality TV pitchman, used car and snake oil salesman, blah, blah, blah) in the latest marketing fliers and brochures with their offers of discounts (awards), kickbacks (commissions) or other kinds of benefits just for bringing in a victim… err, I meant to say… a human ATM machine… oops, excuse me, I meant “selectee,” of course. Seems like he has the Little One’s attention and approval to put his sales “tech” to work at turning around the ship – both Freewinds and the “Church.”
Seeing how this multi-billion dollar enterprise… oops, there I go again, I meant to say Church… and its Ecclesiastical Leader are so poverty stricken, I can understand why Cardone’s skills and talents are so desperately needed during this time of unrivaled, unprecedented expansion and demand for services.
Why OT VIII Must be delivered there?
It’s their only gimmick.
Originally it was to keep the person who just did “OT 8” from immediately escaping and telling others that it wasn’t an OT Level. Gave the staff breathing room to “handle” the person… 😉
Visiting the Freewinds was one of the biggest disappointments of my Scn career if not my life. I’d long wanted a to go on a ‘cruise’, but of course as a Scientologist I never had the spare cash or time (while paying off all my Bridge debts). It fell into my lap to have a sponsored trip and I went around telling all my friends I was going on an exotic Caribbean cruise. The bloody ship never left port. I didn’t have the cruel experiences others relate – just a massive disappointment that this was nothing other than another typical org. The regging I have become quite adept at shrugging off but I can’t say I saw anything of the Caribbean or cruising.
Sadly (or perhaps not so sadly) I also decided to tag on a trip to Flag to wrap up my ‘ethics’. I blew, and that frankly shifted me up a couple of gears in my route out of the church. No prizes for guessing what I had to handle in ‘ethics’. The Internet – and I frankly hadn’t significantly been on the Internet by then. Well, I bloody well did afterwards. Good product, heh?
I never went to the ship. It sometimes seemed an attractive thing to do. I’m so glad now that I didn’t waste my time, money and effort.
I had two friends go and when they came back, they weren’t brimming with excitement or glee even and didn’t say much about the trip at all. I thought this strange but, you know, we don’t talk about the the elephant in the room in Scientology.
And then there’s the David Miscavige theme song. #timtunes http://open.spotify.com/track/1QO9vTDlOWHcwXCfbbbwmy
Enjoy.
I got the theme music for the Scientologist Ideal Orgs scoped out. #timtunes #thismasquerade http://open.spotify.com/track/2skIFujR9zTTAEXj8tfrw0
Enjoy.
In the early days of the Freewinds, which was not long after Dear Leader achieved Apostle status as the champion of the IRS battle and was still bathing in that glory, it truly was everything stated in the promo. It was the subsequent process of graduating to Deputy God that things started to get ugly everywhere, ramping up after his incompetence went on display after meddling in Lisa McPherson’s case.
Why is everything a ‘Game’? The concept is appearing on nearly every flier I see. Now we have a ‘New Game’, it sounds very similar to the old game (money). Um…we need bodies/numbers/stats/money/money/money, oooh I know let’s make it a game! Coupled with exclamation tech! It will be enticing and so much fun!
“shriveling world of Miscavige”
Why, that sounds almost exactly like “The Shrinking World of L. Ron Hubbard” – a documentary shot on The Royal Scotman. Recommended.
Since the land base was formed, I’ve always thought that the Freewinds was an extravagant waste. This was a precursor to the growth of elitism in Scn. I was auditing full time and had to moonlight to pay rent, yet this ridiculous boat was floating around. When I heard that one’s passport was taken away, I decided never to go there. History has taught too much about the restricting of motion, as a component of the growth of oppressive regimes.
Xenukes! Footbullets! Whatever it takes, Dave’s set on his course…. ‘straight down & vertical! (where else?) Hang on… how long did that earlier sinking (Titanic) take?
Pepper is telling it like it is! Only diff for me, I was required to CSW off course to go on excursions. CSWs were rarely approved unless you were meeting and/or beating targets, consistently on your check sheet.
It became more of a problem to leave than to just stay on board and try to finish…..and get “sprung.”
Seriously, who wants to go to the Freewinds?
The moment you step aboard you are required to surrender your passport. I thought this very strange and was told it was policy and for safekeeping. You, the child in Scientology must be controlled at all times and that means your passport too. You might lose it or something and cause dev-t.
Then you must route on course. You will not get off the ship unless the course is fully completed, so make sure it’s one you can easily do in the time frame you’re there. Just so you don’t stress out too much. Then every day and night you will have to talk to various registrars and you will be haggled for money for more accommodations, more courses, and the IAS. Expect this.
When I went, it was for a convention. I had no future plans to return again. Why should I go to the Freewinds when I can do any course in LA? It wasn’t necessary to me. Well that didn’t go over well with the staff on the Freewinds who treated me as though something was wrong with me, and I had to go through endless and useless conversations to make my point understood. There is lots of “selective listening” going on there.
I refused to sign up for more accommodations and courses from day one and this went on until I completed my qual interview 15 mins before the ride to the airport was leaving and I had to get back home to my family and work. Talk about stress. Then I had I personally talk to the pretty lady who was the Captain or whatever (don’t remember her post exactly), while she sat at her desk flipping my passport back and forth in her hands, deciding if she was going to hand it over to me or not.
The best part was the excursions though, which I did every morning. It was a relief to get out of the org scene and get outdoors. Even then, I would go elsewhere to have some fun, never the Freeewinds, which is a pretty serious environment.
right Pepper…….. + 1
Don’t they know there’s an iceberg dead ahead?
They can pull in more folks – just need to get some new acts, ratchet up the marketing. Some suggestions if I may help them out a bit here:
1. Charo, now appearing twice nightly in the new COB Lounge.
2. A week with Louie Farrakhan – take your coffee breaks with the Minister himself, he may even do a calypso number or two if you ask very nicely.
3. Carnival week- one highlight to be a cream pie throwing contest, where you all get to aim your pies at Tommy Davis and all currently alive members of the Feshbach family.
Of course, we all could probably come up with many ideas to get the Freewinds filled with high paying folks again.
Exactly! Once you board that damn ship, your ass is theirs for the duration. First thing, done is to take your passport and ID (but not your credit cards or check book) so you can’t boogie out of there if and when it comes back into dock. One realizes very quickly, there is no escaping the reges and all their hard sell pitches! If you get upset and tell em to F-off, your hauled off to ethics to do lower conditions and then get sec checked.
One other thing that just amazed me was the apparent incompetence of the person that designed the placement of the course room on the Freewinds. It is on one of the upper decks, TOWARDS THE FRONT of the ship. So, when the ship hits medium to heavy seas, that damn course room is going up and down 10 – 20 feet with every swell. Many of the students, including myself, were running out of the course room and down several decks to the middle of the ship, where the rocking motions were not as bad, to try and tame the sea sickness.
Anyone reading this who is contemplating going to the Freewinds….You’ve been forewarned!
What would happen if you refused to surrender your passport saying it was your right as a human to carry your ID with you at all times? Or it was against your religion to surrender your most personal property like your wallet and your love letters? Do you think Tom Cruise hands his over when he is on board?
t
I have been there and of course they will never let you have your own passport, as it is safer (for them) to get you anchored to the ship, and so you will be most happy for contributing to the expansion of….whatever.
I hear you when you say it is “safer (for them)” but what would they do if you were adamant and said no it is my personal property and I will not give it to you? I’ve never been on a cruise ship but I have taken international ferries and you keep your passport on your person – period. I assume it is the same on a multi country cruise, which is what the Freewinds is. If you are a convicted criminal some countries might “retain” your passport so they know where you are so they can escort you out at the first opp. And at times of war or dictatorship maybe the normal rules are thrown out. I hear there are some countries that when you go there you may have to hand it over for “safe-keeping”, Maybe North Korea is one?
Now what was the name of that very principled front group they have that stands up for human rights?
Arr Captain there be the Freewinds shall we board her and plunder her? No matey
she has already been looted by the IAS and Captain Davey.
Didn’t they start doing Freewinds-only courses at Flag? Now Freewinds is trying to put bums in bunks by stealing food from the lower orgs. All the levels are trying to eat from a shrinking pool of meat, and cannibalism doesn’t bother them at all.
I almost wish that they’d open AOSH Canada in Ontario. Every dollar it would pull in would be directly out of Flag’s pocket, with the increased costs of operating an additional location.
I’m surprised they haven’t got lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
The Church of Scientology’s answer to the Flying Dutchman:
http://www.flyingdutchman.com
Used to deliver the highest level in Scientology. Now delivers EST like seminars, FSM rallies, Mini Courses and unlimited sea sickness.
Wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t do what the Apollo was accused of years ago which is smuggling drugs, running guns and white slavery.
If the remaining Org staff and Public were smart they’d convince the remaining “Sea” Org members to return to the Sea and stay there which would probably in itself would cause “unprecedented expansion”. At least in recent history.
But nooooo.
OT this, OT that. They overuse that OT thing, yeah?
But, I had an idea — What if you replace every instance of “OT” with “Smurf?” Then you’d have a Smurf environment for operating as a Smurf right now on a Smurf ship. Then Papa Smurf can slap some Smurfs around and set his henchmen Smurfs on those defrocked bitter apostates who were never Smurfs at all but are actually Gargamels, except of course they sort of used to run the place right under Papa Smurf’s nose … well, you get the idea.
Glengarry Glen Ross (film version, Alec Baldwin): First prize Lincoln Continental. Second prize steak knifes. Third prize, you’re fired.
I went to the ship a few times in the early to mid 90s, and it was fun. Part time course and they encouraged you to go off on excursions and spend money to give the ship good PR. I made the mistake of returning around 2003, and the signs of the forthcoming police state called scientology were right there. They decided they were a full time org, no excursions without a csw and upstat on your check sheet. The regging got much worse. Just like every other org is now.
It was just another nail in their coffin regarding my decision to get out. What a wonderful day it was when I did!
“…including how to tie knots and paint the side of the ship on a bosun’s chair…” At least they have something “useful” to teach.
Maybe I should apply and do a refresher. I did my DPF (Deck Project Force) on the Athena in ’72 and after having studied all night with no sleep to be able to comp b4 2pm I then had to go down the ship’s side on a Bosun’s chair. Probably I didn’t remember too much of what was studied….
That should/could have been an early warning.
I just realized how much was justified with the ‘make it go right’!
Greta
Yes! And I can even learn how to fold napkins into cute little birds or teddy bears. And I can eat ice cream at all hours of the night.
Hey, guess what? I think I’ll go on a Caribbean cruise. Only $40 a day!
If you pay 65/day, David Miscavige will personally serve you banana daiqueries with little umbrellas, wearing tiny little shorts and a midriff t-shirt. And high-heels. And a tropical flower in his hair. And way too much Aramis….
Wasn’t the Competence and Leadership course created by Captain Slappy when he noticed a some kid relaxing and enjoying himself by the pool? God forbid anyone enjoy a break from endless regging and sec-checks.
Who would want to be in a totally “captive” environment. You cannot avoid the crush regging or even get off when you want to ” oh there’s still XYZ to do on your routing form”. etc. plus of course the IAS vultures.
Wonder why it’s empty?
The bills of the Freewind’s exceed the income by a wide margin such
that many OT public are burned. That is after jumping through all the hoops
they are told at the last minute to stay home, not come. Then are hit up for all services paid to donate for some Mega lie including accomos.
The money is pocketed to keep the ship afloat in reality. FSSO cannot afford to deliver.
I would not trust this :”Give away services” it does not exist at all.
“PROMISE EVERYTHING, DELIVER NOTHING”
NAPOLEAN BONAPARTE
Many years ago, I went to the Freewinds and did the Route to Infinity. While I was there, I was told the price had been misquoted and that I need to pay more. I became upset. They said “okay” on the price I had paid and delivered the service. I don’t know if others in the group went ahead and paid more.
I was wondering
Has anyone had a similar reg experience?
I like the course and still use the info..
Deniece
As someone who was the Treasury Sec FSO for 7 years I can tell you how the Freewiinds stays afloat financially. Its with the money Flag rips off from its public. The Freewinds does not make enough income to support itself. Not even close.
Pitiful
A friend of mine told me he was going on the Freewinds back in 2011 and I thought it was only for OT 8’s. He is like nowhere on the chart and a newbie but said he was going to do a class and did. So it’s open to
Anyone who even pays a yearly membership. Wow. it sure left me to wonder and think about it. Just another red flag to the foible’s of Scientology at that time.
I went to the Freewinds twice … once for the Artists Convention. They herded everyone onto the ship into the Starlight Ballroom (or whatever it’s called) and then started to extort money. It was the most obvious, shocking and disgusting display of herding all the fish into a barrel and then shooting them. I found it utterly distasteful. They had to assign a special person to me who finally understood how disgusted I was and that person slipped me out the back door. I was stupid enough to go to the Freewinds a second time… after that I vowed to everyone I would NEVER go back. They did the same thing… only worse. Hysteria at its finest… getting some sweet people who live month to month in one room apartments to max out all their credit cards in order to send TWTH to Columbia. I’m so glad I’m outta there.
BTW – One of my favorite people in Scientology is almost completely blind. And he’s been up through the OT levels numerous times. What is that about? I think it’s because he doesn’t want to see the truth. Still… he keeps trying to get everyone excited and enthused about going up the bridge. I’m so glad I’m on the outside.
thank you, Mike, for your amazing blog.
Looks more and more like the Titanic to me ……………….. no one will be stupid enough to book passage when they know it is a ship of fools. Nice work Dave!
Ah, the sweet smell of abestos.
What shall we do with the wayward sheeple?
What shall we do with the wayward sheeple?
What shall we do with the wayward sheeple?
Early in the morning
Throw his ass in ethics til he coughs up overts
Throw his ass in ethics til he coughs up overts
Throw his ass in ethics til he coughs up overts
Early in the morning
Send him to the reg til he donates big time
Send him to the reg til he donates big time
Send him to the reg til he donates big time
Early in the morning
Etc.