The crew
The Captain
Patrice Franceschi, captain of La Boudeuse, 54 years.
“Never for me the lowered banner”, one of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s most famous lines is engraved on the silver lighter given to the captain by the junk’s crew in 2000 to celebrate the new millennium.
A taste for danger, an aptitude for non-conformity, a desire for new discoveries and a need for freedom are, according to the Honorary President of the Society of French Explorers, the main qualities of an adventurous spirit. After 35 years of adventures on land, on the sea and in the sky, he dreamt up, planned and financed the expeditions of La Boudeuse.
The crew
Almost one hundred men and women have been part of the La Boudeuse world for about ten years. Fifteen to thirty of them are generally on board the ship during its sailings and its land expeditions. All crew members were selected and brought together by Patrice Franceschi. Many were members of his crew on the La Boudeuse junk or on its successor the three-masted schooner. They took part in one or more expeditions of the last two exploration missions, in the jungles of New Guinea, the chasms of Borneo, the volcanoes of the Banda Sea, along the Amazon River, on Easter Island or on the lost islands of the Pacific…
The support base
The members of this exceptional crew will take turns on board La Boudeuse over the two year Terre–Océan mission. Some will be based in Paris operating as the vital support base under the management of Bernard Wolfrom – already a member at the outset of the project ten years ago – some will stay on board the ship, and others will live mainly on the expedition field sites. But all are working towards the same common goal: to make their collective mission a unique success both in terms of sustainable development and cultural dialogue.
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