Breaking Free With Ponant
The acclaimed line’s Le Commandant Charcot explores remote poles few others can – all in peerless style. We spoke to expedition leader Ryo Ijichi to learn more.
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ROBB REPORT: Just how revolutionary is what Charcot offers compared to other ships that visit the region?
RYO IJICHI: In one word, it’s a gamechanger. Lots of ships visit the region every year, all of which are ice-strengthened of course, but because Charcot is an icebreaker, it has the ability to go almost anywhere it wants that other ships would normally avoid. Charcot is actually the strongest icebreaker in the world that uses a conventional power source. The only stronger icebreaker than Charcot is 50 Years of Victory, which is a nuclear-powered ship from Russia, so you’re truly on one of the strongest ships in the world. This means we can chart new courses and visit new landing sites without having to add to the overcrowding that’s already an issue with a lot of landing sites around the continent. We can land at places no ship has ever visited and show passengers a slice of the continent all to their own.
RR: Being up close to these environments must provide perspective on the importance of preservation.
RI: Absolutely. It’s more obvious in the Arctic because you have the gulf stream more warm currents of water running up towards it, creating more visible ice melt that the passengers can clearly see. Antarctica has a current of cool water running in a ring around it, shielding it a little bit more – but we do see other evidence of climate change affecting the continent each time we go there. Penguins are a big indicator. We’re seeing the populations of Gentoo Penguins, which prefer warmer weather and live on the islands around the continent, rise, while Adelie penguins, which prefer the cold peninsulas on the continent, are struggling. The population volumes are lowering and the physical size of the birds is reducing as well – simply because they’re having a harder time surviving in a warming continent.
RR: Beyond being hybrid-powered, how else does Charcot ‘assist’ the fragility of the environments it explores?
RI: One of the cool things about the ship is that we offer opportunities for the scientists to come on board to conduct scientific research in the area. Because it can get further into areas where they’d normally not have access to, it’s a great platform. We’ve already seen scientists on board using the ship to take measurements of the ice and sea conditions around the North Pole each season — something that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. So the ship is actively contributing to conservation efforts every time it visits.
RR: How does the onboard experience differ?
RI: Of course, an icebreaker is normally a working ship. It’s not a passenger ship. It’s supposed to create pathways for ships behind it to go through, so when you stay on one as a civilian passenger or a scientist, you’re basically using an officer’s room. Because Charcot is a pure passenger ship, we’re able to use that space much more effectively. Obviously the size of the rooms and the amenities provided increase with the class, but we’re able to offer our passengers much more space and better views. Our sister ships that used to visit Antarctica used to do so with around 260 passengers in a 10,000-tonne ship. Charcot is 30,000 tonnes and only holds 240 people, so everyone has a lot more room both inside and outside of their rooms, which also allows us to push the luxury aspect much further with big staterooms and restaurants with menus devised by Michelin star chefs.
RR: In regard to plotted itineraries, is there also some sense of improvisation involved?
RI: So like a lot of other ships our basic route is a semi-circumnavigation of the continent – however we also devise paths that make use of the Charcot’s unique icebreaking function, mostly through the Weddell and Bellingshausen Seas. The Antarctic has seen a lot of new ships in recent years and is actually starting to become quite congested as there aren’t a lot of landing sites to accommodate all these passengers—so we can not only plot our course to avoid these ports when they’re full, but find new landing spots, some of which might have never been used before.
RR: I imagine it’s quite a leap between worlds for passengers going from that level of luxury to one of the harshest environments on the planet.
RI: Yes, but that’s exactly why they choose Charcot. They want to go further than the other ships and see things others don’t get to see. For instance, on one of our trips last year we were able to lead a walking expedition to visit a penguin colony that other tourists would normally need to get on a helicopter to see. It’s a sense of exclusivity but for a different reason. I liken it to a luxury safari. You might have a comfortable base to return to every night, but once you get out into the wilderness, there’s a genuine sense of adventure. It’s a dual lifestyle and dual experience—experiencing true luxury while also going on the exploration of a lifetime.
RR: So there’s a sense of organic discovery.
RI: Everyone who runs expeditions in this region is really trying to show people as wide a variety of sceneries and species as possible, while also ensuring they’re entertained and comfortable when they’re on board. But with Charcot, it’s more than an expedition, it’s an exploration because you can explore with us in finding new landing sites and finding new scenery to explore. It’s a lot more than just a regular expedition because we’re still exploring and learning just how much further Charcot can go compared to any other passenger ship. On one typical day in November when I was on board, we went to one landing site that we had found previously, but we didn’t have anywhere to go that was close enough that we knew of from the previous season. So the captain and I had to go out on a Zodiac looking for the afternoon landing site while the passengers were enjoying their morning landing site. So we’re constantly exploring as we go along. And as we continue to find more landing sites and places to visit with each expedition, it’s only going to get better.
RR: Can that be stressful?
RI: No, I enjoy the challenge. Rather than constantly making planned visits to the same places, there’s always the excitement of finding somewhere new and gorgeous. It’s the best part of the job.
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Black tie, that essential marker of an increasingly rarefied ceremonial style, is inspiring. Nothing coaxes men into upping the sartorial ante quite like reading those words on an invitation. I say amen to raising the bar, but I can’t bear wearing a traditional bow tie—and haven’t done so for over a decade.
Around the turn of the millennium, I was enthusiastically dress-code obedient, but two unstoppable forces put me off: Fashion moved on, and I got old. Where abiding by hallowed traditions once felt exalted, it suddenly began to seem restrictive and stuffy. And while it was extraordinary to be a bow-tied 30-something, in my 40s, the convention made me feel like a pompous, conservative square. Now, menswear has changed so much that bow ties register as pedestrian garb better suited to waiters than to revellers.
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Form and Function
I got excited seeing Lemaire’s slim metallic modernised bolo ties in the house’s fall 2024 show. A favourite of men as varied as Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, and Snoop Dogg, the bolo is perhaps best remembered as the chosen neckwear of John Travolta’s surly hit man, Vincent, in Pulp Fiction. Originally, Native American tribes including the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo used these accessories used to fasten bandannas with plaited-leather cords. High-end versions double as a bit of jewellery, with silver slides set with turquoise and often engraved with animal motifs, including buffalo skulls and eagles. Contemporary takes abound, but vintage sleuthing can turn up some particularly beguiling options.
Gambling Man
Varying in size, flounce, and attitude, ribbon ties—also called gambler or Kentucky neckties—have long been a legitimate black-tie alternative. Actor Cillian Murphy has worn Saint Laurent’s take to various award shows, looking stand-alone chic and authentically cool. They have a distinct Western energy—Kirk Douglas donned one as Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, as did Robert Vaughan in The Magnificent Seven. But they’re as much rock star as they are gunslinger: The late Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls and Bauhaus front man Peter Murphy (style role models of mine) also wore them with panache. Take a note from the runway and wear them with a pair of boots—cowboy, Chelsea, or with a Cuban heel—to really step away from the standard.
Fit to Be Tied
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If you want to give yourself some breathing room, consider scarves and neckerchiefs. This fall, Tom Ford proposed a louche take on evening style, using black, slim-plaited, or delicately sequined scarves whose long tassels provocatively dangle at the hips. For maximum effect, the brand styled them with open satin shirts, recalling rockers Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart. London’s La Bowtique also does beautiful outsize bows. On a smaller scale, the Twilly—a short silk scarf pioneered by Hermès—works in much the same manner. The French maison makes gorgeous options with angled ends for extra verve, whether hanging loose or more discreetly knotted.
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The concours d’elegance concept (“concours” means “competition” in French) can be traced back to 17th-century Paris, when aristocrats would flaunt horse-drawn carriages in local parks during summer months. Animals eventually gave way to automobiles, and the gatherings mutated into more organised contests in which these new-fangled contraptions were, in somewhat prescient fashion, judged solely on the appearance. The trend spread throughout European high society, before reaching America in 1950 with an inaugural pageant at Pebble Beach, California—a concours which has since evolved into a behemoth of the species, now billing itself as “the world’s most prestigious car show” and drawing 214 vehicles and spectators in the low five figures at the last annual meeting. Other concours are thriving globally, from spectacles in Lake Como in Italy (the longest running event, launched in 1929) to Udaipur in India. Vanity, it seems, remains in vogue.
Among this storied company, Sydney’s interpretation is playing catch-up. But Nicholls insists the local variant—launched in 2019, having occupied three other citywide locations—has no intention of locking horns with competitors. Not numerically, at least.
“In 2024, we had 500 people over the three days; this year we’ll aim for 750. But we’re never going to become a 20,000-people show,” he says. “We want it to be bespoke and beautiful, so people don’t have to queue for a glass of Champagne. You can talk to the car owners, and everyone feels like a VIP.” The overarching aim is to become a “destination event” on the socialite calendar, on par with the Melbourne Cup or the Australian Grand Prix.
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Up to seven “classes” will be open, including categories solely for Porsche Speedsters and pre-war Australian coachbuilt cars. Two 1930s Bugattis are slated for appearance, one of which is, as this article is being written, on a boat somewhere, on its way to Australia. A panel of seven judges, led by the first ever female concours head assessor, who also adjudicated in 2024, will select the overall “Best in Show” winner—scored last time out by a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, a model line with a $24 million price tag attached. And in a progressive play designed to lure the oil-shunning generation, an “electric elegance” section will debut. Nicholls estimates the combined value of all this precious metal at around $80 million.
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Jannik Sinner aced the style game at last year’s Wimbledon Championships.
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The rules are enforced, too: Our own player Nick Kyrgios was allegedly fined $25,000 for rocking red Air Jordan trainers at 2023’s tournament. Interestingly, the decidedly non-white Gucci accessory was reportedly given the all-clear by the powers that be. A spokesperson for Gucci told WWD the house worked with Sinner’s team “for the approvals from the ITF (International Tennis Federation), ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), and Grand Slams, including Wimbledon, to ensure the bag met the necessary requirements.”
The 23-year-old, who turned pro at age 18, became a Gucci ambassador in 2023 in his first luxury fashion endorsement. “Gucci for me represents Italian excellence around the world, excellence which is rooted in tradition as much as in innovation,” Sinner said. “This is the kind of message I am proud to convey when I represent my country wherever I am in the world.”
The Italian player was capture in action last week during his 1st round men’s singles match against Nicolas Jarry (from Chile) on day two of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park with more Gucci gear. Sinner carried a custom duffle bag crafted by HEAD and designed by Gucci to the men’s singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.
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Hole In One
The Citizen Kanebridge VHG Golf Open Returns to The Southern Highlands This February.
The third annual Citizen Kanebridge VHG Golf Open Day is happening again this year at Citizen Kanebridge Lodge in the Southern Highlands on Friday, February 21. Players will tee off from 8 am for a day of unrivalled bucolic hospitality in the spirit of friendly competition.
The Open unites forces with the operators of Mount Broughton in Sutton Forrest to stage the popular day, in which teams of four enter to enjoy 18 holes of unadulterated fun.
Players will meet at the clubhouse, where—golf aside—they will be served breakfast, lunch and liquid refreshments throughout the day before heading back to Citizen Kanebridge Lodge for a special dinner, fun awards ceremony and more drinks.
Located just 10 minutes from the Citizen Kanebridge Lodge in Berrima, the stunning Mount Broughton course gives players—male and female, and ranging from amateur to semi professional—the chance to compete in a golf day with plenty of high-jinks and food along with way.
The event is part of the new offering from Citizen Kanebridge, a private membership club based in Sydney. Citizen Kanebridge allows members to have access to the Robb Report Club(RR1) based in the United States of America, Citizen Kanebridge Lodge in the Southern Highlands of NSW, and The Royal Automobile Club of Australia (RACA) in Circular Quay, Sydney.
Members interested in Golf Open Day, may enquire by reaching out to leanne@citizenkanebridge.com.au. For more information on Golf Open day, you can download the information brochure here.
Love golf? jump to our golf connoisseurship package from the Spring 2024 issue of Robb Report ANZ.
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