Captain Pierre-Marie Ducournau has been sailing the world on Ponant cruise ships for more than a decade. Here, he talks about favourite places and his enduring love of the ocean.
When you’re sailing a cruise ship, no two days are the same. You’re dealing with different conditions at sea, and you have different experiences daily. You have to react and adjust all the time; sometimes it’s plan B, and other times you move on to plan C. That’s what makes it interesting. You never get bored.
I especially enjoy ice navigation on our Antarctic cruise ships. It’s quite challenging as the ice can be very restrictive, and passengers can never have a precise programme as you’re dealing with the elements and plans can change so suddenly. Often, we’re planning the afternoon’s activities that morning.
![Ponant's Le Commandant Charcot, the world's only luxury icebreaker cruise ship, on an expedition in Antarctica. Photo / Ponant Studio, Olivier Braud](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/BGHWMY6KAFCUTI3Y7YGULKAPDE.jpg?auth=0dce4bff72cdb0f2d834e4dea101288ff5885bcbfb10d1bda46a7e776f9c2df8&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
I’ve been with Ponant for 15 years, I started as a cadet and worked my way up to captain. I think the friendly atmosphere on board is part of what makes it special, people are in a good mood and that goes for the crew as well. We have a saying, “happy crew, happy cruise”, it’s about making sure everyone is looked after.