COVID 19 Compliant - Winter Break - Midweek Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - Margham to Lisali - Dubai - 23 Dec 2020

[Foxtrot Oscar]

4 hours ago, GauravSoni said:

@Foxtrot Oscar seems like you missed out my convoy number.. 

I’m so sorry , I’ll rectify it shortly 

[Malachy McGrogan]

@Foxtrot Oscar @Craig Finlayson @Brette  thanks for a great drive today. Cracking dunes and solid company made it very enjoyable. Seasons greetings to all and see you in the new year @Ahab Shamaa i'll hold out for that breakfast roll in 2021 😁

[Craig Finlayson]

Good drive today! 40KM+ travelled. Only a handful refusals and one cresting!  Credit to @Foxtrot Oscar for leading. She’s no bad sometimes...! 

[Foxtrot Oscar]

Drive Report

Last weekend we tried to go from Lisali to Margham but for one reason or another we didn’t make it. This week I decided to flip it on its head and do Margham to Lisali and guess what, we still didn’t make it. But that’s no bad thing, sometimes you enter into an area that’s just so delicious you have to keep eating it up! And what a feast the sand Gods served us today.

Massive credit has to be given to the convoy as the dunes in this area are quite deceiving, they look cute and playable but there’s a nasty hidden pocket or sudden ‘bump’ just waiting to trap you. The sand can get super soft too as @topgeardiscovered and needed to deflate more. Well done @topgear for dealing with all that churned up area at the back. @Malachy McGrogan you continue to amaze me by how well you control that massive truck of yours, as mentioned before we had lots of little traps and small twists and you handled it all brilliantly. It was also great to see @Jose Martin darting around in that little Pajero of his. Chapeau for your excellent driving today and I’m delighted your family got to see you do so well.  

As we left Margham to head to Lisali we tackled some smaller more technical dunes and kudos to the guys with the LWB Pajeros and Landcruiser @bassel el rafei @RaYan E and @Gaurav Soni who hardly put a wheel wrong the whole trip. Your driving was excellent. Well done!

As we made our way out of the technical area I was supposed to go one way but ….and here’s the joy of off-road leading. I’d been in this area once before, I had studied the GPS maps, I had planned a route of sorts, but from the corner of my eye I was enticed by another area and the dunes that lay ahead. Or was is the gazelles? 😉 hee hee  This is where we picked up some speed and found countless more opportunities to side slope, criss-cross and ridge ride.

I think we could have driven all day long  but, all good things come to an end. With the amount of bobbing , weaving, sloping and twisting we had done for 40+km one of our younger passengers decided  enough was enough, or his tummy decided for him. Rather than put the young one in any further discomfort we headed to the sabka and a nice flat track to exit.

Many many many thanks to the senior drivers for their wonderful support:  @Ahab Shamaawho did a fantastic job as second lead, following my announcements and rerouting when needed. He also used his winch to help one member out of a tight spot. Well done @Ahab Shamaa , I love being part of your off-road journey and its great to see you progress so far in such a short space of time. Further thanks to that eejit @Craig Finlayson who despite being a complete wrong ‘un,  did a tremendous job as CF, He was always on hand, giving advice and helping guide drivers when we had a couple of small refusals.  You did great!  Final thanks to @Brette for keeping an eye on everything at the back for me and helping to keep the convoy moving. It makes leading so much easier when you have such strength in depth.

That we did 40+km with hardly any stops in this tricky little area is to the credit of all the drivers in today’s convoy. Thank you all so much, I had lots of fun!

With that I shall bid you all the very merriest of Christmases and a prosperous New Year. I hope to see you all in 2021 for further adventures in the sand.  

[topgear]

Thanks @Foxtrot Oscar and the rest of the convoy members for your patience due to my constant refusals. I lost count. I probably had at least 10!!!  Even my son asked me why I am struggling so much today. However, after getting some really useful tips from @Brette  (many thanks!) and upon deflating further, it is as if I have 4 new wheels and it was really enjoyable. Also special shout out to @Gaurav Soni for holding position whilst waiting for me to clear my refusals.

Overall, it was still a very enjoyable drive for me notwithstanding the challenges.   The winter weather and mixture of terrain was great!

[Ahab Shamaa]

I absolutely loved our “in reverse” drive! And what I really loved the most, is all the lovely people I got to be acquainted with on the drive. 
I cannot wait till we’re rid of the Corona virus, and are able to socialize more on these drives. Imagine how much more memorable and enjoyable our experiences would be.

In any event, no one despair please; I got it on good authority that I’m on Santa’s good list this year. As such, I’ve asked Santa for a Covid vaccine this year 🤣 So the solution is underway fellow drivers, and Santa’s game is afoot as he and his elves prepare the concoction in their north pole workshop😀 If you’re interested in sharing my gift, please don’t be late, line up at my gate, and don’t forget to deflate 🤣

@Foxtrot Oscar thanks for such a lovely track and for your endless positive energy. You’re a credit to Carnity and to your fellow drivers. Also thanks for entrusting me with second lead. It’s a big responsibility, but I loved it and I learned a lot from it. Mainly that I lead poor @Jose Martin the wrong way a few times 😂

@Brette, always solid, always supportive, always respectful and always willing to help. You’re just a cool person with great Karma 😀 

@Craig Finlayson, thank you so much for  sharing driving tips, drawing on your off road experiences and for supporting all of us. You were certainly a great voice to hear when I had my refusal 🙏🏻
@Malachy McGrogan, I promise I’ll make those breakfast wraps soon! You deserve them because you’re a great nice person, and because you’re an awesome driver. Always cool and collected 😎

To the rest of my fellow drivers, thank you for making the drive so enjoyable. Your spirits were high and that made the whole drive that much better 😀

Finally, @mywinch thank you for not letting me down in front of all those people. I’m gonna give you a good bath on Sunday 🤣

Happy holidays to all, and see you soon on the sand 😘 

Edited December 24, 2020 by Ahab Shamaa

[Foxtrot Oscar]

1 hour ago, Ahab Shamaa said:

I absolutely loved our “in reverse” drive! And what I really loved the most, is all the lovely people I got to be acquainted with on the drive. 
I cannot wait till we’re rid of the Corona virus, and are able to socialize more on these drives. Imagine how much more memorable and enjoyable our experiences would be.

In any event, no one despair please; I got it on good authority that I’m on Santa’s good list this year. As such, I’ve asked Santa for a Covid vaccine this year 🤣 So the solution is underway fellow drivers, and Santa’s game is afoot as he and his elves prepare the concoction in their north pole workshop😀 If you’re interested in sharing my gift, please don’t be late, line up at my gate, and don’t forget to deflate 🤣

@Foxtrot Oscar thanks for such a lovely track and for your endless positive energy. You’re a credit to Carnity and to your fellow drivers. Also thanks for entrusting me with second lead. It’s a big responsibility, but I loved it and I learned a lot from it. Mainly that I lead poor @Jose Martin the wrong way a few times 😂

@Brette, always solid, always supportive, always respectful and always willing to help. You’re just a cool person with great Karma 😀 

@Craig Finlayson, thank you so much for  sharing driving tips, drawing on your off road experiences and for supporting all of us. You were certainly a great voice to hear when I had my refusal 🙏🏻
@Malachy McGrogan, I promise I’ll make those breakfast wraps soon! You deserve them because you’re a great nice person, and because you’re an awesome driver. Always cool and collected 😎

To the rest of my fellow drivers, thank you for making the drive so enjoyable. Your spirits were high and that made the whole drive that much better 😀

Finally, @mywinch thank you for not letting me down in front of all those people. I’m gonna give you a good bath on Sunday 🤣

Happy holidays to all, and see you soon on the sand 😘 

Ahahaha @Ahab Shamaa you are such a joy! I heard Santa only drives Japanese cars so there's no chance of him getting stuck in the desert as he makes his way to us with the vaccine.  

Although I spotted a couple of reindeers masquerading as gazelles yesterday. so I think the fat man in the red suit might be closer than we think 

O

10 hours ago, topgear said:

Thanks @Foxtrot Oscar and the rest of the convoy members for your patience due to my constant refusals. I lost count. I probably had at least 10!!!  Even my son asked me why I am struggling so much today. However, after getting some really useful tips from @Brette  (many thanks!) and upon deflating further, it is as if I have 4 new wheels and it was really enjoyable. Also special shout out to @Gaurav Soni for holding position whilst waiting for me to clear my refusals.

Overall, it was still a very enjoyable drive for me notwithstanding the challenges.   The winter weather and mixture of terrain was great!

You are being too hard on yourself and it was nowhere near 10. With your PI at 18 those soft dunes were always going to be an issue. We sometimes forget about tyre pressure with the myriad of other things we are constantly checking as we drive. However, it is so important , as you discovered yesterday. Even in these cool winter months our tyre pressure creeps up. 
I'm delighted you still enjoyed the drive and it was a great learning experience for you.

[Rahimdad]

BTW, I hope everybody is aware that Christmas will be celebrated on 8 Jan 2021 this year, as Santa will be arriving on 25 Dec 2020, and will be in quarantine for 14 days. End of announcement/spoiler.

[GauravSoni]

On 12/23/2020 at 11:21 PM, topgear said:

Thanks @Foxtrot Oscar and the rest of the convoy members for your patience due to my constant refusals. I lost count. I probably had at least 10!!!  Even my son asked me why I am struggling so much today. However, after getting some really useful tips from @Brette  (many thanks!) and upon deflating further, it is as if I have 4 new wheels and it was really enjoyable. Also special shout out to @Gaurav Soni for holding position whilst waiting for me to clear my refusals.

Overall, it was still a very enjoyable drive for me notwithstanding the challenges.   The winter weather and mixture of terrain was great!

@topgear cheers! 
 

happy holidays and happy new year!

[Ahab Shamaa]

Some pictures from our trip