ZECO TRAVEL TALK

With the safe return of Le Ponant’s crew confirmed, we received a note from the ship owners that we’d like to share with you.

Dear Scott and all our friends at Zegrahm,

Thank you so much for your email. It is indeed a great relief to get our crew members back home. They are back in Paris tonight.

The ship is also in a good state, and we should start our cruises back to normal, in the coming weeks. Once again, thank-you very much for your continuous support during the past week.
It was sincerely very much appreciated by all of us at CIP and we are looking to share such a warm support with our crew members in the coming days.

Very kind regards on behalf of all your friends at CIP.

Eric LUSTMAN
COMPAGNIE DES ILES DU PONANT

Zegrahm Expeditions and its family of travelers is so very pleased to learn of the news that Le Ponant’s crew is free and safe. Thanks go to our many travelers who contacted us, shared their feelings, prayed for this result. Le Ponant, under the command of Captain Patrick Marchesseau, is now headed to Djibouti for arrival April 15. We hope for a speedy recovery for the crew members as they are reunited with their families and friends.

We are extremely happy to report that the news this morning from France is that the crew of the Le Ponant has been released. “PARIS, April 11 (Reuters) -The 30-strong crew of a luxury French yacht have been freed without incident a week after pirates took them hostage off Somalia, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said in a statement on Friday.” Read the rest of the article here. We hope to only hear more good news of their return and will update you with any more information we receive in the next few days. Again, please check your reliable news source for more information as developments may happen rapidly today.

On Friday April 4th the French sailing vessel Le Ponant was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Zegrahm Expeditions has chartered this exceptional ship for many years and thus has a close relationship with the ship owner and dedicated crew. We support them in this troubling time and send our thoughts and prayers to all the crew and their families. See in comments below a letter sent on April 7th to the ship owner.

This web site has a good compilation of the daily developments, or for the latest news and updates, please check with your reliable news source. As of Monday April 7th the crew is believed to be safe and unharmed and the French government is in negotiations with the pirates. There were no passengers on board at the time of the seizure.

In February 2008 the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati became a global leader in conservation by creating the largest protected marine reserve in the world. Known as the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), the first reserve (78,000 square miles) was established in 2006. With the help of the New England Aquarium and Conservation International, the area has been doubled in size to 158,500 square miles. Kiribati comprises only 33 islands but spreads across two million square miles between Hawai’i and Fiji, encompassing a vast region of biodiversity. Some of the planet’s most pristine reef systems thrive here; more than 120 species of coral and 500 species of fish within the reserve exist nowhere else. The first marine park to include deep-sea habitat and underwater mountains, PIPA also protects some of the Pacific’s most important seabird nesting sites.

We are excited to announce that joining us on our August 2008 Line Islands: Hawaii to Tahiti cruise is Hawaii native John Earle, research associate in ichthyology at Honolulu’s Bishop Museum. A diver since boyhood, John’s fascination with and wonder at the undersea world was fueled by his discovery of seashells previously unknown to science. And, when a fish scientist friend noticed a new fish in one of John’s 14 saltwater aquariums, the field of ichthyology quickly became his new passion.

During more than 30 years of diving, John has proclaimed Christmas Island, a highlight on our voyage, “my favorite dive spot in the world.” He has been compiling a checklist of fish species there and in French Polynesia, was a featured diver on the Discovery Channel’s Pacific Abyss special last year, and is an avid underwater videographer. Joining Zegrahm cofounder and marine biologist, Jack Grove, John will accompany divers and snorkelers, following up with lectures on board—quite an exciting duo for underwater enthusiasts on this adventure. “I am particularly excited about diving the virtually unknown islands of Malden, Starbuck and Flint,” says John. “Here we are truly “off planet” and there is a chance of real scientific discovery. We may even see new species swimming by!”

Last fall, one of our wonderful and generous long-time travelers, who wishes to remain anonymous, came to us with the opportunity to jointly offer a Zegrahm Travel Scholarship. Its purpose was to fund a trip for a worthy teacher or educator who could apply what they learned to helping young people better understand our world. To find this recipient, we sent out an e-mail announcement to our past-traveled clients seeking nominations for the scholarship award.

Needless to say, we received many terrific nominations and thoughtful letters which we turned over to the donor for the final selection. It was clear to this person right away who would receive the scholarship: Patti Richter, from Conway, Washington, a 4th grade teacher at Conway Elementary School. Her nomination came from a Zegrahm traveler—the parent of two students at Patti’s school.

The detailed and heartfelt letters from Patti’s students demonstrated the love and respect they feel for her—as a teacher and as a person. They wrote: “She is the nicest teacher in the world…” And, “She is welcoming new people to another world of excitement…” And “She is very very very smart…” And, “She will be the happiest person that she will ever be…” And, “She deserves to have the time of her life…” And, “When she walks in she always puts a Big Smile on your face…” And, “You should pick her!” Read more

Zegrahm cofounder and seabird expert, Peter Harrison, is working on his next book Seabirds: A Handbook. Peter has written and illustrated over a dozen books, of which Seabirds: An Identification Guide is considered the bible of seabird identification. Peter has shared with us several pages from his manuscript in progress. Below are links to detailed pages on the emperor penguin and the three newly designated species of rockhopper penguin (see Peter’s previous blog post on this subject).

Rockhopper Penguin PDF
Eastern Rockhopper Penguin PDF
Northern Rockhopper Penguin PDF
Emperor Penguin PDF