COVID 19 Compliant - Morning Leaders Lead - Al Faqa - Dubai - 23 May 2020

[Gaurav]

Welcome to the COVID 19 "new normal" lifestyle with restrictions and precautions for everyone safety.

Moving forward and respecting authorities guidance all desert drives will be done under strict control.

No Gathering | No Briefing | No BBQ | No Eating Together | No Touching | No Hugging

MUST READ: Not following these rules and precautions = Not allowed to drive.

We are only allowed to drive through the desert, as we are driving on the road now. So we will only do the desert driving just by sitting inside our cars at all the times and leave the drive without socializing or coming close to each other.

Just like before we like to continue our desert drives through out the year, but this time we need your immense support to understand the strict control and to help everyone follow them all the time.

For members who are fasting, they can break their fast discreetly and convoy will be stopped during that time and until they offer their prayer.

How to maintain "STRICT" Social Distancing

• Meeting point will be set slightly (100m - 200m)  inside the desert track.
• So, that you individually deflate your tires on the tarmac before reaching the meeting point.
  • While deflating tires, stop cars 10 meters away from any other car.
• Drive signup on calendar will be closed on Thursday morning by 9 AM.
• Convoy numbering and briefing will be posted here on this drive post before 6 PM on Thursday.
• All participants need to read & acknowledge the briefing by clicking "Totally Agree" reaction 
• Switch on your radio when you reach the meeting point on the set frequency advised by the trip lead in the critical briefing here.
• Once everyone reach to the meeting point, everyone stay inside the car at all the times.
  • Trip lead will do the roll call, convoy numbering recap, critical briefing over the radio.
  • Any suggestions or issues will be discussed over the radio too.
  • You can also speak to other members through the radio only.
  • So please make sure that your radio battery is fully charged.
• Once all set, trip lead will start the drive as before.

Refusal and Recoveries with Social Distancing

• Every drive will have 1 lead Marshal and 1 or 2 supporting senior members/crew.
• Whenever there is a stuck or refusal, only Marshal / Senior Member / Crew is allowed to handle the situation.
• Everyone else including the stuck car driver, stay inside the car - AT ALL TIMES.
• Marshal / Senior Member / Crew is only allowed to step out to access the situation and do the recoveries:
  • They will wear mask and gloves at all times when they are outside their car.
  • They will try to help self recover through the radio guidance.
  • If not they will use required recovery gear and do the needful (shovel, tug or winch, as required).
  • If at any time Marshal require help, then only you are allowed to step out by wearing face mask and gloves at all times.

Drive completion and inflation

• Now, there will not be any gathering or sitting down together for food-break like before.
• Once drive is finished, after reaching the tarmac, everyone is requested to move away 50-100 meters before starting their inflation.
• For drivers having no compressor, can head to the near by fuel station.
• If drive is ending at a place where there is no fuel station near by, then trip lead will inform in advance so that drivers having their own compressor can join only.
• Now Strictly no more sharing of compressors, radio, shovel or any recovery gear, at any times.

Mandatory things you require to attend the drive

• Face mask - at least TWO face mask is needed in case one get damage or fly away.
• Disposable rubber gloves - at least two sets are needed.
• Wear face mask and gloves at all the times, when you are out of your car.
• Carry plenty of hand sanitizer and object sanitizer (spray).
  • Use your sanitizers generously, whenever you step out to help or recover.
  • Sanitize your hands before getting back into your car.
  • Sanitize your recovery gears, if you have used them.
• Fully charged radio - without any excuse - No radio = No drive.
• Shovel - Must for every car, to do little self recovery
• Safety flag - Must for every car, like before
• Compressor - If joining the drives that is ending far from the fuel station.

Mandatory precaution that you need to take at all times

• Do not step out of your car UNLESS/OTHERWISE advice by Marshal / Senior Member / Crew.
• No shaking hands, hugs or touching each other.
• No sharing of food, drinks or recovery tools.
• If you are not feeling well, please stay at home and take a lot of rest.
• If you feel unwell during the drive, please let trip lead know so he can plan an early exit.
• Not more than 3 pax in a car and if all 3 aren't living together, then they should wear the mask inside the car too.

Drive Details

Leading a desert drive is the most amazing experience to have, where you can combine the fun, freedom, creativity, strategic thinking and survival skills all at once. 

Leaders lead is the drive where all participant of that drive will lead for a certain period of time. Backed with the right techniques, experience and supervision so that you can learn the art of leading with a peace of mind without any fear or pressure.

Due to the basic experience required to read the sand and have basic navigational sense, this drive is only suited to the Intermediate and above level off-roaders. You will be learning the basics of leading the convoy in the desert in three different steps:

• Advance sand reading, plan your lead, plan your exits.
• Use of navigational software for selecting the right course of path.
• How to systematically scale the lead for all the cars in the convoy.

Level: Intermediate and Above. (NO NEWBIES/FEWBIES ALLOWED)

When: 23 May 2020, Saturday

Meeting time: 7:00 AM, (Sharp, without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: Al Faqa Desert https://goo.gl/maps/6nCnZuFCJDv2uuKHA

Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance.

Approximate finish time:  10:30 - 11:00 AM

 

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE:

• Limited to 6 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM.
• Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others.
• Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month.

 

PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

 

[Desert Dweller]

So jealous! 
 

Have fun guys!

[Gaurav]

25 minutes ago, Desert Dweller said:

So jealous! 
 

Have fun guys!

Don't be, you will have your time soon.

You are on right track now. Keep it up and stay focus, you are doing very good.

[Fuad]

Would love to join. But apologies as most probably it will be Eid.

Enjoy guys, Drive safe. 

[sertac]

I have to be out from this drive also. Everything goes against me going off road these days. 

[Gaurav]

To all the participants of this leaders lead drive, I like to give you a 30 mins navigational exercise to be done before the drive.

@Xaf @Ale Vallecchi @Jeepie @Wrangeld

• Install your favorite (free/paid) offline off-road navigational app.
  • Wikiloc, Gaia, Motion X etc.
     
• Zoom in the below red enclosed area and mark:
  • Tracks (starting and end point)
  • Good playable set of dunes 
  • Emergency exits
  • Sabka, (flat area)

Meeting Point : Al Faqa https://goo.gl/maps/vMzHSZ3FCHV69MPP9

[Frederic]

@Tero Vallas this is an Intermediate and above level. kindly sign out from this drive. 
We will post new drives for next week from Sunday onwards.