COVID compliant Fewbie Morning Desert Drive: Al Lisali to Qudra 11 Sep 2020

[Islam Soliman]

3 hours ago, Rahimdad said:

Hi @Lisa Pemberton hope your rear bumper issue is sorted. I'm bringing your rope set, please carry exact change of AED 350.

@Rahimdad did you manage to get mine too?

[Islam Soliman]

Thanks a lot @Wrangeld for a wonderful morning drive.. lots of fun and many learnings.. @Lorenzo Candelpergher you earned the man of the day title for the record number of recoveries..

All Carnities, I hope you enjoy a peaceful and relaxed weekend and see you soon on the sand..

 

stay safe

 

[Wrangeld]

Carnity 2: Lisali 1

Conquering the technical dunes quickly this morning meant we were able to enjoy a number of the long dune ranges in Lisali before returning in the direction of Solar Park/Qudra and in between we covered quite some ground, some more challenging than other. 

For me, the biggest problem in teh second half of the drive was that we faced very bright, white sand which at times made finding the way quite a challenge. 

I was pleased we got the chance to try out a little ridge riding and some criss crossing exercises. The more you do that, the more natural it becomes and the more you enjoy the drive. This sort of play time in a safe environment is really essential and everyone really handled it well. 

Pretty much everyone got stuck at one point or other today - which I reckon puts the level of the drive at just about right. Not too easy, not too hard. Yes, we did not spend the whole drive moving, but that's what fewbie is there to do: challenge you. If it was all plain sailing over nice high dunes anyone could do it. this type of drive sets you up for safe drives as you gain more and more confidence and experience. 

And there was the additional lesson on pop outs!

We were being chased by @Rahimdad the whole of our route, and ironically, he found us while we exited having enjoyed a lot of the same terrain we enjoyed, because he was following the breadcrumbs we left for him. 

@Lisa Pemberton - I was on your first ever drive with Carnity and to see the development and way you handle the car: chapeau!

@Vineeth John Joseph - well done in the Xterra. A little less power on the pedal. That finesse will help in the future. 

@Kailas - A SWB Jeep is a treasure on drives like this with technical stuff. Well handled today. 

@Jeandre Bezuidenhout - First time as CF and a great job, calm, collected and in most cases handling the recoveries correctly. 

@Jun Zamora - it's clear this is becoming a way of life for you as you said. I see improvements every time. 

@Tamas Hoffmann - more mometum. I know you only have a 3L but you can give it a bit more to stop the cresting. 

@Mehmet Volga - your previous tecnical lesson really paid off, because that was no challenge for you today. I see the growth and development each time you drive.  

@Islam Soliman - the leader of the Tank brigade today. You handled being at the back of the convoy really well. Of course it's more challenging, but you never let it frustrate you and that's essential for better driving. 

@luwaimn - well done keeping up with the pace today. As I see it, most of the stucks came from not using enough of the power in that beast you drive. Second in the tank brigade you did a great job. 

@Lorenzo Candelpergher - double dipping today: new tires and 1st time as sweep. You probably did more recoveries than anyone today and kept us all in order from the back of the convoy perfectly. Yes, the feel of the new rubber is quite different, but a coule of drives and that will be over. 

And of course, last but by no means least @Jeepie brillaint support and 2nd lead (we really need an experienced lead for Lisali). Got me out of more than one sticky situation and handled everything with calm authority as usual. My apologies for being the cause for so much sand in your shoes. 

What else? Well, a first for me, being buzzed by a paraglider. I think I found my next hobby. Also a last for me: that was the last time for the extended pre drive briefing - sorry if you did not pay attention, I did warn you. 

A great way to start the weekend. 

See you soon in the sand. 

[Lorenzo Candelpergher]

Dear all, 

I was really looking forward to this particular drive, as I was going to test the new high profile tyres for the 1st time. 

I must confess in the beginning it felt a bit strange, as the higher flexibility of the tyres gives quite a different feeling while turning or side sloping, ie softer and somehow wobbly, but as we went on I got more and more accustomed. 

Sweeping was also something new and I enjoyed it, as I could occasionally play with a bit more freedom on my lines. There were a few recoveries to handle, but - unlike last month in these same places - temperatures were much milder and all stucks were luckily minor ones and easy to sort out. 

I think that if some more distance had been kept between cars, some of today's stucks/refusals could have been avoided: several times a problem with the car in front became for no reason a problem also for the following car, which was forced to stop or lose momentum at the wrong time. Having said this, I thing everyone handled magnificently. 

Thanks to @Wrangeld and @Jeepie for leading us in this nice and fun ride (indeed with a much smoother route through the small technical dunes in the initial part than on the "technical dunes masterclass" 😂😂 of last month in Lisali.. (see the comparison of the two tracks below, purple = today / gray = last month, which lasted 7 hours!!). 

Thanks also to @Jeandre Bezuidenhout for his patrolling back and forth when hints of a stuck were coming from the rear part of the convoy and to @Islam Soliman for his patient waiting when @luwaimn and myself had to catch up. 

@luwaimnhaving watched you from the back I think the problem in your refusals was almost always a matter of not having enough momentum when approaching those spots where you had no visibility of what was on the other side. I had the same problem in my initial rides, which frequently left me crested, then realized on the other side there was usually sand 😂😂..

See you all again next week and WELL DONE! 

[Jeandre Bezuidenhout]

Thank you for a interesting ride! Attached another overview of our trip. I had to remove some pictures to be able to upload! 😄 

Have a great weekend.

[Mehmet Volga]

This one was my second drive in Al Lisaili; the first was the worst to me with 3 hours in stuck under the sun of the hell; but this one is one of the best in high tempo and with excellent harmony among the drivers.

Early stucks and refusals on the technical dunes made me a little bit concerned at the beginning, but later on we reached to a very good rhythm and played on the sand. I think everyone showed good performance today. Big thanks to @Wrangeld for ensuring such an enjoyable day for all participants; and @Jeepieand @Jeandre Bezuidenhout for their excellent management.

My score also goes to @Lorenzo Candelpergher as the man of the day. He is much more free on the sand with his new tyres and quickly recovered many trouble today. Congrats you and your big but agile white dino!

[Jun Zamora]

8 hours ago, Wrangeld said:

Carnity 2: Lisali 1

Conquering the technical dunes quickly this morning meant we were able to enjoy a number of the long dune ranges in Lisali before returning in the direction of Solar Park/Qudra and in between we covered quite some ground, some more challenging than other. 

For me, the biggest problem in teh second half of the drive was that we faced very bright, white sand which at times made finding the way quite a challenge. 

I was pleased we got the chance to try out a little ridge riding and some criss crossing exercises. The more you do that, the more natural it becomes and the more you enjoy the drive. This sort of play time in a safe environment is really essential and everyone really handled it well. 

Pretty much everyone got stuck at one point or other today - which I reckon puts the level of the drive at just about right. Not too easy, not too hard. Yes, we did not spend the whole drive moving, but that's what fewbie is there to do: challenge you. If it was all plain sailing over nice high dunes anyone could do it. this type of drive sets you up for safe drives as you gain more and more confidence and experience. 

And there was the additional lesson on pop outs!

We were being chased by @Rahimdad the whole of our route, and ironically, he found us while we exited having enjoyed a lot of the same terrain we enjoyed, because he was following the breadcrumbs we left for him. 

@Lisa Pemberton - I was on your first ever drive with Carnity and to see the development and way you handle the car: chapeau!

@Vineeth John Joseph - well done in the Xterra. A little less power on the pedal. That finesse will help in the future. 

@Kailas - A SWB Jeep is a treasure on drives like this with technical stuff. Well handled today. 

@Jeandre Bezuidenhout - First time as CF and a great job, calm, collected and in most cases handling the recoveries correctly. 

@Jun Zamora - it's clear this is becoming a way of life for you as you said. I see improvements every time. 

@Tamas Hoffmann - more mometum. I know you only have a 3L but you can give it a bit more to stop the cresting. 

@Mehmet Volga - your previous tecnical lesson really paid off, because that was no challenge for you today. I see the growth and development each time you drive.  

@Islam Soliman - the leader of the Tank brigade today. You handled being at the back of the convoy really well. Of course it's more challenging, but you never let it frustrate you and that's essential for better driving. 

@luwaimn - well done keeping up with the pace today. As I see it, most of the stucks came from not using enough of the power in that beast you drive. Second in the tank brigade you did a great job. 

@Lorenzo Candelpergher - double dipping today: new tires and 1st time as sweep. You probably did more recoveries than anyone today and kept us all in order from the back of the convoy perfectly. Yes, the feel of the new rubber is quite different, but a coule of drives and that will be over. 

And of course, last but by no means least @Jeepie brillaint support and 2nd lead (we really need an experienced lead for Lisali). Got me out of more than one sticky situation and handled everything with calm authority as usual. My apologies for being the cause for so much sand in your shoes. 

What else? Well, a first for me, being buzzed by a paraglider. I think I found my next hobby. Also a last for me: that was the last time for the extended pre drive briefing - sorry if you did not pay attention, I did warn you. 

A great way to start the weekend. 

See you soon in the sand. 

Every Friday drive is different from the other.

Another experience to learn and meet new friends in person whose names you only read on Carnity forums.

Those ridge riding and criss crossing exercises were very addictive! Thanks @Wrangeld , @Jeepie , @Lorenzo Candelpergher  and all the rest the convoy.

[Lisa Pemberton]

My second fewbie drive and second with @Wrangeld, this was a masterclass in tips and techniques and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I quietly cursed myself getting crested on that first dune, I think I was still in zoned out highway driving mode after that early morning start from RAK. This tug dislodged the plate I had fitted to the rear bumper (with the help of @Shiju Manuel) the night before so it looks like a return visit to the garage is in order! Pictured below are my Before-After and After-After pics.

After a couple of stucks and once past those technical dune I settled into a good pace again and enjoyed practicing the criss-crossing. I also learned how to deal with a pop-out which is another new skill. Watching this also made me question how useful my hydraulic bottle jack would actually be in the desert... I suspect it would just pile drive towards the center of the earth. This was also a great opportunity to mix with the other drivers... any time I do so, I pick up so much helpful information and tips. So thank you to all of you who freely share information and help me to develop further and protect my Pajero. I think bash plates are going to be the next purchase for me, so I'll be crowd sourcing recommendations soon.

Thanks to @Jeepie for the early warnings near the end of the drive for short dunes. I find following SWB vehicles I can misjudge the "throttle vs drop the other side" ratio and launched myself off a couple of dunes at a speed intended for a longer dune or much shorter vehicle. The underside of my front bumper is getting uncomfortably friendly with my front right tire, so taking @Wrangeld advice I'll be removing this asap. 

All through the drive @Rahimdad was playing scavenger hunt with us and showed up with tow ropes at the end. Many thanks brother 🙏.  Seeing him and @Frederic show up on their way to rescue some random stranded person in the middle of the desert, it was fitting that @Rahimdad chose to wear his Superman T-shirt that day 😉.

Edited September 12, 2020 by Lisa Pemberton
omission

[Shiju Manuel]

27 minutes ago, Lisa Pemberton said:

 This tug dislodged the plate I had fitted to the rear bumper (with the help of @Shiju Manuel) the night before so it looks like a return visit to the garage is in order! Pictured below are my Before-After and After-After pics.

 

 

 

 

@Lisa Pemberton you can visit the garage back and inform them to fix the plate with bolt at the both sides. There has been no issue with my plate until now. Definitely they will make some solution to fix them properly without coming out. 

[Lisa Pemberton]

@Shiju Manuel I absolutely will, it was just some bad luck with the pull bringing the rope under and across the fixings. Now Raju knows who I am, I have no doubt he will be of great assistance to me 🙂