Rallye Gazelles & Men 2018: We arrived in Africa
After the exit event organized by the company sponsor in Clermont-Ferrand (France) we took the road to the Algeciras Ferry by night in our city Valladolid, to which we will not return for 12 days.
On Sunday morning we left for Spanish roads with a clear destination: cross the strait and start the adventure in Morocco. The road was simple and without incident, since early Monday we were up on the ferry to Africa and with all the customs procedures done without problems. The crossing in the Ferry did not have any complication, much watching but still it was a quite pleasant trip. This is something that not all teams can say, since those who caught the ferry the next day have suffered significant delays due to tides and winds.
We step on African territory
We descend of the ferry in the port of Tanger med, which is located just over 45 kilometers from Tangier. And from there we started the route to Meknes to do the first night on African soil. The roads in this area are full of pedestrians, bicycles, draft animals without lights, ... so it is inadvisable to travel at night.
The next day we went through the Port of Azru where we found a copious snow, although with very clear roads. There we had the opportunity to stop for a while to enjoy nature , where we even had time to feed some of the many monkeys that live in that mountainous area of the country. At dusk we arrive at Erfoud after a long route on beautiful but somewhat complicated roads.
First tests in the dunes
On the morning of 1 we started testing the car and all-terrain equipment strong>, as well as to get used to the compass that we had to use the next day.
We started the day with Christophe Delacourt, who gave us an intensive express course to get us to teach us in a only the techniques necessary to drive in sand , recognize routes and the different types of wet dry soft sand, leeward, how to approach dune crests and of course how to get the car once stuck. A strenuous but precious day ... and a true cure for humility in the middle of the desert.
During November 2 we received the last training and at the same time the most complex and important: the navigation with only compass and maps . A very dense and technical training where we must learn to select paths of many kilometers avoiding the most difficult steps such as riverbeds, steep mountains, native crops, seas of sand and a long etcetera.
Tomorrow, November 3, the technical and security checks begin. And if everything is in order ...