2018 came to change everything Undoubtedly, the most intense, most aggressive, most difficult edition we had faced until that day in October. Undoubtedly, our biggest victory to date, for athletes, volunteers and the organization.

What was expected to be our best organised event, ended up being, due to the very adverse weather conditions, the biggest challenge known in our history. After the reception of the participants in the Europa camp, located in the Campo de Gibraltar Aeromodelling Club, under a heavy rain and with SW wind (perfect conditions for a storm), we took the decision to offer everyone an overnight stay in a sports centre provided by the Algeciras City Council.

The following day, the leg in Gibraltar went well until the arrival of the expected storm in the early afternoon, which forced the participants and volunteers to live with and “enjoy” the rain that gave an epic tone to the climb of the Mediterranean Steps, in the Upper Rock Natural Park of the Rock. We closed the leg with a spectacular awards ceremony at St Michael’s Cave.

At the end of the leg, on the return trip to Camp Europa, and knowing that it was completely flooded and with a real risk for all those who had to spend the night there, the complicated and definitive decision was taken to move the operation of the Camp from Algeciras to the Andrés Mateo Sports Centre in the city of the beautiful bay.

Fortunately, the storm passed, which allowed us to enjoy the rest of the event and races in better conditions. The #MagicCádiz27 and 50 was held on a spectacular day, in which the participants could enjoy the foggy forests of the Alcornocales Natural Park, in the mountains of Algeciras and Los Barrios, with a modified route for safety reasons, eliminating the high part of the course (10kms approx).

After celebrating the awards ceremony, concert and closing of the European legs, we headed the next day towards Tangier, the port that welcomed us on the southern shore of the Eurafrica Territory, as always with the company of FRS, our official shipping company since the beginning of our event. . In Tangier we enjoyed a guided walk through the Medina, and we headed towards the fishing village that would welcome us in Morocco: Belyounech. There, between the white mass of Jbel Musa and the Mediterranean Sea, we would spend two nights in the tents and classrooms of the school that our Moroccan friends so generously gave us.

The #FRSBelyounech25 discovered the power and peculiarity of the Jbel Musa, one of the mythical Pillars of Hercules (along with its European sister, Gibraltar), which, contrary to what it might seem, with its less than 900 meters high, proved to be a technical and very demanding “mountain”, in a pure skyrace leg, with breathtaking landscapes, climbs and descents. After the short but tough final leg of Eurafrica18 we enjoyed the kindness and company of the people of Belyounech, first with a group of young local musicians at the school where we set up camp, then at the place where we celebrated the final awards ceremony with a big party.

This is how Eurafrica18 unfolded, a definitive year for all of us, which gave us the feeling of forming a big family that travels and remains united, above all else. A year that will mark the path for the following years… Eurafrica will never be the same.