COVID19 Compliant - Afternoon Intermediate Desert Drive - North Al Faqa (The Arboretum) - Dubai - 15 Aug 2020

[Ale Vallecchi]

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely.

 

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions

 

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST

 

Two Way Radio Guidelines

• Every Off-roader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic.
• We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. 
• Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving.
• Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops...
• No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it.

 

Drive Details

Level:  Intermediate and above

When: 15 Aug 2020, Saturday

Meeting time: 4:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/y8TL2hpPpVGwwmhR8

Action Plan: Long range dunes, side sloping, ridge riding and crossing, in a beautiful landscape, dotted with lone trees 

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

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Please also make sure you have all the equipment required on board as an Intermediate.

THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. 

Approximate finish time: 08:00 PM

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE:

• Limited to 8 Intermediate drivers maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM.
  • If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list
• Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list.
• 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

 

[Ale Vallecchi]

Dear fellow Carnity drivers.

In preparation for the drive I would like to introduce you to the area’s nature and driving focuses.

Al Faqa is the north-eastern extension of the Qudra basin, bordering with Abu Dhabi’s Al Ain province. We will visit its northern reaches, entering from a tarmac road just before the main Faqa exit. The main features of this part of Faqa are long ranges of open dunes, starting to get a bit tighter and more technical moving east toward Al Ain, with a wide open sabkha stretching parallel to our playground, to the east, toward Solar Park. The northern limit of this Faqa area is dotted with beautiful gnarly trees, mostly lonely, but at times bunched in small groves, for which I have chosen to call it “the arboretum”.

We will drive south-west into the long-range dunes, test ourselves a bit in the tighter dune area (which in some places recall Little Sweihan “canyons”), then cross two sabkha and two ranges of low, tight dunes, before heading toward Solar Park. We will have plenty of opportunity to do side sloping, ridge riding and crossing.

In the meantime, I look forward to seeing on Friday at dawn all those who will decide to join. Have a great week.

[Ale Vallecchi]

Dear @Dagdag Sofiane. Thanks a lot for signing up for this drive. I appreciate your interest. Unfortunately, this is an Intermediate event, which cannot be attended by Newbies or Fewbies. I have to cancel your participation. Sorry for the bad news. I hope you are still in time to join other drives this weekend, and will look forward to having you in another one of my drives.

[Ale Vallecchi]

Dear Carnity desert lovers.

In preparation for Saturday's drive, here's the convoy order:

@Febin Frederic will be in Second Lead

@Najeeb Mohammed will follow as #3

@Rinelle Sanaani will center the convoy at #4

@Chaitanya D will occupy position #5

@Wrangeld will close at sweep

Please be ready to tune in your radio to Carnity Channel 1 (466.006

It would be great if we managed to depart as close to 4:00PM as possible, so we can take full advantage of the daylight, and cover as much ground as safely possible. The length of the convoy is also ideal for playing, and we'll do our best to thoroughly explore this fun area.

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

[Chaitanya D]

Fantastic drive through a windy desert studded with some trees.At the start it almost felt like we were driving in a desert storm!

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi and @Wrangeld for all the advises , suggestions and finally fixing a pop out the unusual way.

Great to see how everyone helped each other in trying circumstances in the nick of time.Drive map with some pictures in below link. 

https://www.relive.cc/view/vdvmQD32eNv

Some pictures uploaded in gallery 

[Gaurav]

21 minutes ago, Chaitanya D said:

Great to see how everyone helped each other in trying circumstances in the nick of time.

That's what bring off-road family together with the strongest bond to watch and help each other.

[Ale Vallecchi]

38 minutes ago, Chaitanya D said:

Fantastic drive through a windy desert studded with some trees.At the start it almost felt like we were driving in a desert storm!

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi and @Wrangeld for all the advises , suggestions and finally fixing a pop out the unusual way.

Great to see how everyone helped each other in trying circumstances in the nick of time.Drive map with some pictures in below link. 

https://www.relive.cc/view/vdvmQD32eNv

Some pictures uploaded in gallery 

Thanks @Chaitanya D. You did very well, managing the faster pace, the ridge crossing, and the more technical area. You are progressing nicely and quickly. And you have become the official Carnity cartographer 😄. Really, thanks for the nice clips. 

[Najeeb Mohammed]

Thanks a lot @Ale Vallecchi you are continuously throwing different challenges as today’s challenge was more to do with keeping the speed and mindful of technical dunes, initially I was skeptical about coping up with speed but gradually I was able to pick it up. As you mentioned earlier, it’s better to be alone in these levels to reduce the distractions. Thanks a lot for helping me out with this difficult and strange tire pope out as nothing was working out in our favor. 
 

Thanks a lot @Chaitanya D @Febin Frederic@Rinelle Sanaani @Wrangeld it was great team work and Richards deep knowledge about these difficult situations really helped and @Febin Frederic confidence about we can fix somehow or I was ready to leave my car over there and pick up next day. 

@Wrangeld sorry that I could not find out the screw driver but i will ensure to replace it next time when we meet. 

[Ale Vallecchi]

10 minutes ago, Najeeb Mohammed said:

Thanks a lot @Ale Vallecchi you are continuously throwing different challenges as today’s challenge was more to do with keeping the speed and mindful of technical dunes, initially I was skeptical about coping up with speed but gradually I was able to pick it up. As you mentioned earlier, it’s better to be alone in these levels to reduce the distractions. Thanks a lot for helping me out with this difficult and strange tire pope out as nothing was working out in our favor. 
 

Thanks a lot @Chaitanya D @Febin Frederic@Rinelle Sanaani @Wrangeld it was great team work and Richards deep knowledge about these difficult situations really helped and @Febin Frederic confidence about we can fix somehow or I was ready to leave my car over there and pick up next day. 

@Wrangeld sorry that I could not find out the screw driver but i will ensure to replace it next time when we meet. 

Thank you for coming and enjoying @Najeeb Mohammed. You did very well, with constant improvements. That's the way to go: getting more comfortable with the challanges by facing them, with the support of the convoy (watching others overcome them makes one feel more sure of oneself). There is nothing like practice. See you soon out there. 

[Ale Vallecchi]

Faqa Arboretum - Part Two

Driving back to back in the same area, with two different levels of drivers (Fewbie and Intermediate) provides the very interesting opportunity to look at a place with completely different eyes, and allows one to come away with two very different sensations. The more sedated pace of the Fewbie drive sometimes allows for the possibility of "enjoying the view", but at the same time requires more attention to details (as far as the routing is concerned), and therefore less space for improvisation. The fast paced Intermediate drive leaves more liberty in terms of itinerary, relying on the drivers' ability to face obstacles, and calls even for some experimenting, while requiring more concentration in making the right "spur of the moment" decisions. Of course drivers taking both drives would certainly notice the difference. For example, yesterday we took 30 minutes to reach the same spot that it had taken us a bit more than 1 hour to reach at the Fewbie level. So, yes, one of the biggest differences in climbing the rank's ladder is the speed of the drive (security notwithstanding).

The drive, as scheduled, took us from the low level flats of Faqa's north-eastern entry point to the "Arboretum" parts of the area (the numerous trees that thrive between the cordons of dunes), then into the higher dunes, with some interesting pyramids that call for some fast criss-crossing or side sloping, and eventually, through the sabkha, in a westerly direction, to Little Sweihan. Here, after a nice driving among a couple of canyons, the drive ended in a tight, technical area, due to an unfortunate pop-out, that called for the whole group to come together and devise the most creative solutions to fix it. And fix it we did, in the light of the high-beams, before exiting toward the Soler Park track (with a short but pleasant night drive through the last cordon of dunes).

Congrats to the whole convoy, where @Febin Frederic managed a very good second lead (perhaps it was your first?), followed by @Najeeb Mohammed, @Rinelle Sanaani and @Chaitanya D, getting more and more comfortable in their Intermediate level, and @Wrangeld at the sweep, guaranteeing the usual control and competence in matters of assistance.

Thank you all for joining, and for the great group effort in ensuring we did not leave any car behind (as at one point, it was ominously looking likely). Have a great week.