Morning Newbie Desert Drive - Sweihan (Abu Dhabi) - 6 Mar 2020

[Srikumar]

@Gordon Grimmond there are 3 Newbie drives this weekend. So RSVP for the one you prefer. Hope your front and rear tow points are in good condition

[Srikumar]

@Remco Snoek welcome to Carnity Off-road Club. Could you share the following details

1.. Which 4x4 do you drive?

2. Does it have front and rear tow points

3. Do you have any previous offroading experience?

[Gordon Grimmond]

1. Toyota FJ cruiser

2. Yes

3. Very little -  actually only once before 

[Emmanuel]

It’s surprising to see so little signups for this newbie drive as this is the most exciting area for off-road not too far from Dubai... Gents, come on, it’s Sweihan ! 

[Jefy]

4 hours ago, Emmanuel said:

It’s surprising to see so little signups for this newbie drive as this is the most exciting area for off-road not too far from Dubai... Gents, come on, it’s Sweihan ! 

Before I started with you guys, I’d never heard about Sweihan before. Might also count for the other newbies.

[Remco Snoek]

6 hours ago, Srikumar said:

@Remco Snoek welcome to Carnity Off-road Club. Could you share the following details

1.. Which 4x4 do you drive?

2. Does it have front and rear tow points

3. Do you have any previous offroading experience?

@Srikumar

Many thanks for your welcome, herewith the details:

i drive a Toyota fortuner which have front and rear towing points

I did the desert driving course as well as I drove a few times offroad  

Greet Remco 

[Srikumar]

Just for those who would be coming to Sweihan for the first time, the nearest gas station to the meeting point is 

ADNOC Service Station
Abu Dhabi - Sweihan - Al Hayer Road - Abu Dhabi
800 300
https://maps.app.goo.gl/TKTgwSNCCk8mUgBc7

Please ensure that you are refuelled and at the meeting point at 6:45 am. See you tomorrow

 

[Srikumar]

TRIP REPORT

Sweihan is also known as "Little Liwa" among offroaders. The reason being that the dune formation and size is second only to the massive Liwa desert. So I was eagerly looking forward to a challenge of having a Newbie drive in the midst of some of the biggest dunes that UAE can offer. 

Upon reaching the meeting point I was happy to see that the entire Newbie and Fewbie group and already arrived, so we were in a position to leave immediately. At that time I noticed a heavily tinted Xterra park besides our cars. A minute later I get a call from @Asif Hussain and to my very pleasant surprise our good old buddy had finally rejoined the Carnity drives in his new Xterra. Welcome back Asif bhai, we all missed you a lot.  

After that, we moved to the deflation point where we split the Fewbie convoy (led by Emmanuel) and I started the briefing of the Newbie group. A quick brief and I assigned the convoy numbers with @Nivin as my second lead and Asif bhai in sweep. We started slowly in the massive rolling dunes near the deflation point with zero refusals. That gave me the confidence that this group can manage itself quite well. So we headed out to the infamous Naqrah hills. In between we encountered a big patch of small technical dunes, and while it was not as fun as driving on rolling dunes the entire group managed themselves did exceptionally well to have zero stuck. I must say congratulations to the entire team to drive so well, as technical dunes while they look small can be very nasty. 

As we approached the base of Naqrah hills, i got a radio message from Asif who was checking for some water leak from the radiator. On closer inspection, we found out that Xterra's radiator had developed a small leak. So we parked Asif's car near the Naqrah hills, while the rest of the convoy started exploring the back dunes of Naqrah. We came across some of the most amazing virgin dunes and the satisfaction of riding on those dunes showed on the face of the entire convoy. As we were nearing 12 pm, we exited out to the track to pick up Asif's car which had to be towed to the road. While the route through the dunes was the shortest exit, but I didnt want to take a risk with a Newbie convoy and hence we decided to go all along the track. Special thanks to all the members for showing patience as this is the true essence of offroading which in the end is a team sport. 

Congratulations to @Remco Snoek and @Gordon Grimmond on their first offroad drive. You guys did extremely well for Newbies as the route taken was definitely not for Absolute Newbies. @Martin. @IMAMPand @Rinelle Sanaani it was wonderful to see your confidence growing since your first drive in Al Qudra. @Vanessa8580 you are an extremely fast learner and your enthusiasm is infectious. Hope to see you as a regular on our drives. A special mention about @Nivin who not only did an excellent job as second lead with continuous communication with the Sweep, but also to guide us on the track by explaining the obstacles during the towing of Asif's car.

A wonderful day which started off with possibly the best surprise of the season and though we had a small hiccup, it once again showed that with a good and patient team everything can be well managed. Look forward to seeing you all next weekend.

[Vanessa8580]

Thanks @Srikumar, I had a blast yesterday !!! I think I also caught the off-road bug like my hubby 😁 I definitely want to do weekly drives if the kids let me. Next week, you will see me in my big blue instead of the little blue, Fred made sure I have 4 new off-road tires. 

 

 

[Srikumar]

2 minutes ago, Vanessa8580 said:

Thanks @Srikumar, I had a blast yesterday !!! I think I also caught the off-road bug like my hubby 😁 I definitely want to do weekly drives if the kids let me. Next week, you will see me in my big blue instead of the little blue, Fred made sure I have 4 new off-road tires. 

 

 

Wow @Vanessa8580, you have got a good husband that not only splurges on his car, but his wife's car as well. He is definitely a rare breed.