After final preparations and checks , the boat is ready, the crew cannot wait anymore, and the final school assignements for the year are in the mail.....( Grades will be known in Tahiti , so now it's vacation for everyone !)
Safran is on its way this morning for the Galapagos. May 29 .

Above : Safran in the final lock of the Canal, last week

Francois

Les dernieres nouvelles indirectes ( Le portable panameen est tombe a l eau !)de Safran : Apres les dernieres courses et ultimes preparations, Safran doit partir pour les Galapagos ce mercredi 28 Mai .
Francois et Veronique

On a passe sans pb les trois premieres ecluses hier soir de 23h a minuit30. Seuls derriere un gros cargo . Nous avons donc quitte l'oceanatlantique et monte de 25 m. Nous avons passe la nuit accroches a une bouee sur le lac Gatun puis ce matin depart a 0700 h . On marche a 6noeuds et nous serons aux dernieres ecluses de miraflores vers 1230h-1330h . ( UTC 17 or 18 h to be checked).19

Xavier , Isabelle, May 20 2008

Safran was leading the way, with Captain Xavier (on the picture Safran is the first boat on the right)

Since , Safran is anchored in the Pacific and the crew is drinking champagne with friends. I just talk to them . They will probably leave this week end for the Galapagos with the new panamean assistant skipper

Francois

Aux iles San Blas

A la veille de changer d'ocean

Nous sommes a la veille de passer dans le Pacifique et on va vous envoyer de longues nouvelles avant notre longue traversee vers les iles Galapagos puis les iles Marquises.

l'Equipage de Safran. Isabelle, Xavier, Tristan, Romain, Thea

Passage du Canal de Panama.

La nouvelle est confirmee : SAFRAN passera le Canal le 19 mai. Depart en fin de journee, mouillage au milieu du Canal, et mardi matin 20 Mai , enfin le Pacifique !
Il est prevu que le bateau reste quelques jours a Panama et se lance dans la traversee vers les Galapagos le 24 ou 25 Mai

The news is confirmed : Safran will pass the Canal May 19, leaving at the end of the day Colon ( Atlantic side), spend the night in the middle of the Canal and on Tueday May 20 , finally the Pacific

They will stay a few days in Panama, taking care of last minutes details and sailing off to the Galapagos Islands May 24 or 25.

Martinique to San Blas Islands- March to May 15

Bienvenue

Welcome to the Safran Blog. Francois and Olivier decided to do begin this blog in order to keep you up to date on news from Safran. Xavier and Isabelle will post pictures and news from the boat as it sails through the Panama Canal and then the South Pacific, until summer 2009. Any questions- please contact Olivier Bouan at olivier@bouan.net or Francois at francois@bouan.net.