30
Years of Experience
If
you don't know Jérôme Poncet...
Having
been sailing around the Antarctic area for the last 30 years, Jérôme Poncet
is certainly the person who best knows the Atlantic part of the Antarctic.
Known first
for a 5 year round-the-world trip he accomplished in his early 20s along with
his friend Gérard Janichon (from 1969 to 73) on board "Damien", a 10,10m cold
moulded wooden sloop they had built.
First small
yacht to reach Spitzbergen (1969), to reach the Antarctic Peninsula all sound
and to sail below the Antarctic Circle (1973) - Received the "Médaille de
l'Ordre du Mérite" in 1973 (the French equivalent of a Knighthood) on their
return to France.
In 1974-75 Jérôme
built "Damien II", a 15,20m-steel yacht suited to the type of navigation he
had most enjoyed: Antarctica and the high southern latitudes. He has lived
on "Damien II" with his wife and increasing family (his first son was born
aboard) for the 12 following years, from Europe to Brazil, Polynesia, Tasmania,
New Zealand, and to Antarctica and the Sub-Antarctic islands.
In the meantime,
he participated in several Races such as the Whitbread in 1973-74 (Security),
Saint Malo-Cape Town in 1975 (Skipper), Rio-Southampton in 1975-76 (Skipper),
Whitbread in 1981 (Security)
First yacht
to winter in Antarctica in 1978-79 and still the only yacht to have wintered
so far South (67°45'S). Since then, about 30 "Damien II" have been built around
the world.
In 1987 he settled
down with his family on a little sheep farm on an isolated island in the Falklands,
a place close to his favourite areas of sailing, to nature and to a lifestyle
he and his wife wished to have with their children.
30 years of
experience in the Antarctic area:
With his wife,
Sally, an Australian biologist, he sailed to many places unveiling the extraordinary
richness of wildlife and developed his passion and knowledge of seabirds.
They started conducting private botanical and seabird surveys, slowly becoming
experts. They were soon asked to conduct scientific surveys, which in turn
lead to filming and photographic expeditions. Little by little, with growing
and interesting demands for new kinds of voyages in the area, Jérôme extended
his activity to other sorts of expeditions (films, reports, adventure, etc.).
He is the first to start offering the possibility of exploring and enjoying
this extraordinary and remote part of the earth by yacht.
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Previous
Expeditions:
Scientific
expeditions:
Jérôme Poncet
has conducted several independent or commissioned surveys, or as a logistical
support and/or research consultant. Among them:
- Private seabird
and botanical surveys: in 1978, '83, '84, '85 at the Antarctic Peninsula,
South Orkneys, South Shetlands and South Georgia (see Scientific Publications).
- BAS (British
Antarctic Survey) in 1985, '86, '88, '90 and '95: Seabird, Seal and Geological
surveys at the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetlands and South Georgia (see
Scientific Publications).
- Government
of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands in 1997: Seabird and Seal survey
(see Scientific Publications).
- Falklands
Conservation (1988, 2000): Seabird surveys at Keppel and New Islands, and
offshore.
Film expeditions:
- BBC Natural
World (1989): for the TV program "Marathon Birds in Falkland Islands" at
the Falkland Islands (Jason Island).
- BBC Natural
History TV Unit (1992, '93, '96, '97, '98, '99): for the TV programs "Life
in the Freezer", "An Island All Alone", "Blue Planet" at South Georgia,
Antarctic Peninsula, South Sandwich, South Shetlands.
- Anglia Survival
TV (1986): for "Antarctica: The Last Frontier" at South Georgia.
- Les Cinéates
Animaliers (1989): for "L'Arche et le Déluge" (French) at the Antarctic
Peninsula.
- National
Geographic Explorer TV (1990): for "Antarctic Wildlife Adventure" at the
Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetlands.
- BBC (1992):
for the production of "The Really Wild Show" at the Falkland Islands (Beaver
Island area).
- NHK Japanese
TV production (1994): at the Falkland Islands (Carcass and New Islands).
- Charon Films
(1994): for "Atlanten" (Swedish) at Staten Island, Falklands, and South
Georgia.
- IMAX Natural
History Unit IMAX Production (1994, '95): for ""Survival Island" at South
Georgia.
- TF1 French
TV (2000): for "Ushuaia Nature" a Nicolas Hulot program.
Other notable
expeditions:
- First small
yacht to enter the Weddell Sea in 1999.
- First Surfing
in Antarctica in 2000: with a group of high level American Surfers (see
www.quokka.com "Surfing
Antarctica").
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Books:
- "Damien,
du Spitzberg au Cap Horn" by Gérard Janichon (1973 - Arthaud, France)
- "Damien,
icebergs et mers australes" by Gérard Janichon (1974 - Arthaud, France)
- "Damien,
l'Antarctique à la voile" by Gérard Janichon (1975 - Arthaud, France)
- "Damien autour
du Monde, 55 000 milles de défis aux océans", by Gérard Janichon (1998 -Transboréal,
France)
These "Damien" books have been translated into several languages.
- "Le Grand
Hiver - Damien II, base antarctique " by Sally Poncet (1982 - Arthaud, France)
(2nd edition 2000 - Transboréal, France)
- "Life in
the Freezer, a Natural History of the Antarctic" by Alastair Fothergill
(1993 - BBC Books), named after the famous TV series.
- "Southern
Ocean Cruising" by Sally and Jérôme Poncet (1991 - Self publication with
funds from Voiles & Voiliers and Australian Geographic)
- "Antarctic
Encounter - Destination South Georgia" by Sally Poncet and Ben Osborne (1995
- Simon & Schuster, USA)
Further Books:
- Jean Baptiste
Charcot
- "Le Français
au Pole Sud" (1906 - Flammarion, France)
- "Le Pourquoi-Pas?
dans l'Antarctique" - by J.B. Charcot (1910 - Flammarion, France)
- "The
Voyage of the «Pourquoi-Pas?»" - based on the J-B Charcot's journal
(1978 - Australia)
- "Charcot,
le Gentleman des Pôles" by G. Janichon and B. Heimermann (1991 - Pen
Duick, France)
- Raymond Rallier
du Baty:
- "15 000
in a Ketch" by R.Rallier du Baty (1910 - Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.,
England)
- "Le Voyage
de la Curieuse" by R. Rallier du Baty (1911 - Vol. 37 of La Géographie,
France) Now translated into French: "Aventures aux Kerguelen" - Ed.
Maritimes & d'Outres-Mer
- PENOLA: "Southern
Lights" by John Rymill (1939 - Travel Book Club, England)
Press articles:
Many articles
have been published by or about Jérôme or Sally Poncet. Among them: National
Geographic (USA), Australian Geographic (Australia), Voiles & Voiliers (France),
Neptune (France), Géo (France), Cruising World (USA), Experimental (Greece),
Die Yacht and Geo Deutschland (Germany), Zeilen (Netherlands).
Scientific
Publications:
- Boyd I.L.,
Walker T.R. and Poncet J. (1996): Status of Southern Elephant Seals at South
Georgia. Antarctic Science 8(3):237-244.
- Convey P.,
Morton A. and Poncet J. (1999): Survey of Marine Birds and Mammals of the
South Sandwich Islands. Polar Record
- Komarkorva
V, Poncet S. and J. (1990): Additional and Revisited localities of Vascular
Plants in the Antarctic Peninsula Area. Arctic and Alpine Research Vol 22
- McCann T.S.,
and Rothery P. (1988): Population Size and Status of the Southern Elephant
Island Seal (Mirounga leonina) at South Georgia, 1951-1985. Polar Biology
8:305-309
- Poncet J.
(1997): Distribution and Abundance Survey of Seabirds and Seals at South
Sandwich Islands in the Scotia Sea. Government of South Georgia and South
Sandwich Islands Publication
- Poncet S.
and J. (1985): A Survey of Penguin Populations at the South Orkney Islands.
British Antarctic Survey Bulletin 77:109-129
- Poncet S.
and J. (1987): Censuses of Penguin Populations of the Antarctic Peninsula,
1983-87. British Antarctic Survey Bulletin 68:71-81
- Poncet S.
(1994): A Preliminary Investigation of South Georgia's Sealing Beaches.
Unpublished Report
- Smith R.I.L.
and Poncet S. (1985): New Southernmost Record for Antarctic Flowering Plants.
Polar Record 139:426-427
- Smith R.I.L.
and Poncet S. (1987): Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis in
the Terra Firma Islands. British Antarctic Survey Bulletin 74:31-35
- Traythan
P. et al. (1996): An Ecological Atlas of South Georgia. British Antarctic
Survey.
- Woehler E.J.
(1993): The Distribution and Abundance of Antarctic and Subantarctic Penguins.
SCAR
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Other Sites
of Interest
regrouping
all cruise ships and a few yachts operating in the Antarctic area.
The Falkland Islands Tourist Board
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Golden
Fleece
Expedition Cruises
Falkland Islands
