COVID19 Compliant - Tuesday Evening Fewbie Short Desert Drive - Lisaili - Dubai - 23 Mar 2021

[Melenany]

Many thanks @Foxtrot Oscar for the nice and great drive as usual.

Thanks @Islam Soliman for the hints and support for the self recovery adjustments

@Hisham Masaad always a pleasure to drive together.

@Thomas Varghese hope your car get well soon

@Shehab Alawadhi its amazing when u do the MOVE🤗🤣🤣🤣 it shows F150 is Fit as others 

And for all the convoy its was amazing to drive with you all

 

The photos are uploaded to the gallery

@Hisham Masaad will send you the edited gopro via link on WhatsApp so please text me your number 

Below is the gps extrat video from start till the battery ends🤣🤣

BTW @Foxtrot Oscar now it is clear i will need to get extra batteries for my devices during your drives 😉

 

[Thomas Varghese]

7 hours ago, Shehab Alawadhi said:

Great drive! Really enjoyed! Hope I didn’t slow the convoy down and sorry for destroying the track behind me at times😅. Thank you @Foxtrot Oscar for extending the duration of the drive. @Veedooshee for being a great second lead. Thx @Craig Finlayson for the small tips! Thx @Islam Soliman for being a great sweep as usual! Sorry you guys had to leave the drive early @Thomas Varghese and @Gaurav Soni. And a special thank you to @Thomas Varghese for breaking in my tow rope and shackles 😂.

Hope to catch y’all in the next drive inshallah! 
 

(pictures and videos in the gallery) 

I promised my car to break in your new kinetic rope and shackles. It was a perfect pull @Shehab Alawadhi. It was break in for my new tow points also. 

[Shehab Alawadhi]

3 hours ago, Melenany said:

Many thanks @Foxtrot Oscar for the nice and great drive as usual.

Thanks @Islam Soliman for the hints and support for the self recovery adjustments

@Hisham Masaad always a pleasure to drive together.

@Thomas Varghese hope your car get well soon

@Shehab Alawadhi its amazing when u do the MOVE🤗🤣🤣🤣 it shows F150 is Fit as others 

And for all the convoy its was amazing to drive with you all

 

The photos are uploaded to the gallery

@Hisham Masaad will send you the edited gopro via link on WhatsApp so please text me your number 

Below is the gps extrat video from start till the battery ends🤣🤣

BTW @Foxtrot Oscar now it is clear i will need to get extra batteries for my devices during your drives 😉

"The move" as we are calling it now is always fun to do, its difficult in a bigger car but can be done just as good as a small car, next time ill blast the Tokyo Drift song 🤣

[Thomas Varghese]

Thank you @Foxtrot Oscar for insisting myself to exit. The car had some heating issues since 2 weeks during the drives but it was keeping on going and going up the dunes. Since you insisted that its abnormal for the XTERRA I have given it to the mechanic for thorough check up of the cooling system. It seems the thermostat valve is clogged with years of sludge. I was under the impression the car was heating up because of the weather change. Anyways the cooling system has been given for complete unclogging and service and hopefully it will solve the issue. Thankfully no oil has seeped into the radiator and the engine looks fine. 

Thanks again for your timely advice and wise decision. It would have destroyed the engine very soon if I continued like this for some more time. 

[Ashok chaturvedi]

@Foxtrot Oscar many thanks for the last Tuesday drive it was planned to be short afternoon drive but turned out to afternoon to night time drive as everyone consented to the idea of extending the drive time. We have two early exits @Thomas Varghese had an engine heat up and @Gaurav Soni detected some vibration sound from the power steering and both for precautionary reason decided to exit the drive. I hope they did not have much of damage and can resume the drives ASAP. The desert becomes very scenic with the sunset and pleasant cool winds we saw very few Gazelles but no other animal life. This area to me is a perfect picnic spot and must be visited for it there some chatter between us on having a BBQ one night there (surely post Covid). Near the end we had one bad stuck and equally tough retrieval. Thanks @Ahab Shamaa mighty lights and with other we illuminated the area. @Islam Solimanas our consistent sweep and the rest drivers contributed as usual to the success of the drive under lead of our own superwoman.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Ashok chaturvedi
Removal an extra word

[Foxtrot Oscar]

Drive Report

 

Tuesdays are all about breaking the hump of the working week by getting out into the sand and letting off some steam. We covered just under 69km in 4.5 hours

We had a very experienced convoy for a Fewbie Level drive and all that expertise didn’t go to waste. I had decided it was time to pass the baton of responsibility to our Fewbie driver who is very keen to learn the ropes. Under the instruction of @Craig Finlayson and my watchful eye @Shehab Alawadhi was ready to get his gear out. Thankfully as we were negotiating the technical patch the opportunity presented itself as @Thomas Varghese got stuck. @Shehab Alawadhihandled the recovery very well.

We headed out of the technical patch and into the wide-open long-range dunes we had lots of opportunity to side slope and cross some ridges. This didn’t present anyone with any issues and the fewbies at the front of the convoy were all handling their vehicles very well.

I think we were about 1 hour into the drive when @Thomas Varghese had some severe overheating issues. We brought the temperature of the car down by spraying cold water on the transmission cooler and turning the heating on full blast to take the heat out of the engine. When the digital reader was at 92o it was safe to start moving the car again however for Thomas that was the end of the desert drive. The car had shot up to 110o by the time we reached the track. I do hope the repair is economical Thomas, , its such a shame you had overheating issues as you were having a good drive

No sooner had we started motoring again when @GauravSoni car started to have some issues, well an unfamiliar sound, It was better to exit the car then and there as opposed to risking damage so off we headed back to the track.

We headed back into the long range dunes, as we did so we were lucky enough to see the local training their falcons, I couldn’t hide my excitement when I saw the drone with ‘prey’ attached and the young bird swoop in to grab it with its mighty talons. What a treat that was!

Once more to the fore we headed back in again and had a good time continuing with or side sloping and getting atop some ridges. I was keeping a watchful eye on our two remaining Fewbies and both were coping admirably. Then a call came for me to add some spice. I checked with the convoy and it was agreed everyone wanted to get into it more. Huzzah! I’m always up for that! I upped the pace as we headed nearer to Solar Park and we had some great dunes to tackle en route to the Sabka

With light fading and being nowhere near our proposed end point I asked the convoy what they wanted to do and if they were up for a little night driving, My question was met with a resounding yes, @Ashok chaturvedi wanted to flash his new lights and @Ahab Shamaa lit up the skies with his trillion luminer set up. We slowed the pace but still tackled some good dunes. Night drives are thrilling without the need for speed !

As I made my way into another dune I caught sight of a cluster of rocks, it was unfortunate that I had just asked everyone to stay close as in the very same breath I asked for no one to follow, it was too late for @Veedooshee and @Lawrence_Chehimi. and it led to @Veedooshee being stuck on the side. I tried digging but the sand was so soft and deep that it became a thankless task. Given the angle and the precarious positioning of the rocks I asked Shehab  to step aside and allow @Craig Finlayson to recover @Veedoosheewith the rope, three gentle tugs and she was out . That was the signal to end our night adventure.

@Lawrence_Chehimi you handle your car very well,  I don’t recall you having any refusals, you had great control for the ridge riding and crossover. You coped extremely well when I raised the level on what was only your 2^nd fewbie drive Likewise @Shehab Alawadhi, you too had a great drive and I was pleased to see you learning how to recover, , I was delighted to be able to give you the learning opportunity and to see you develop as a driver since our first drive together back in Faqa. I know some of the tight dunes can be difficult, but you handle them well for the most part and you are adding self-recovery to your repertoire.

Every drive is a learning opportunity and it doesn’t matter if you are a newbie, fewbie , IM , advanced or expert. Every time we head into the sand we learn.
@Melenanyand @Hisham Masaad- I could heat Islam providing help when you had some refusals. I know its tough at the back of a convoy as the sand gets churned. Use stucks and refusals as learning opportunities to develop your self-recovery skills. You will get a better understanding of your car and how it handles in various situations we find yourself in with the sand if you try to get out on your own.
‘Tell me and I forget; Teach me and I may remember; Involve me and I learn.’ Benjamin Franklin. 
@Ahab Shamaa, it was great to drive with you again, Thanks for keeping an eye on the cars in front and highlighting fishtailing. We all know the dangers of that. I appreciated that. Another flawless drive from you too. @Ashok chaturvedi – a great drive from you, well done.

Many thanks to @Veedoosheefor being my 2^nd lead, to @Craig Finlayson for anchoring the convoy and helping guide @Shehab Alawadhi, and of course to @Islam Soliman for sweeping up everything at the back.
Until our next adventure. 

 

[Ashok chaturvedi]

17 minutes ago, Foxtrot Oscar said:

Drive Report

 

Tuesdays are all about breaking the hump of the working week by getting out into the sand and letting off some steam. We covered just under 69km in 4.5 hours

We had a very experienced convoy for a Fewbie Level drive and all that expertise didn’t go to waste. I had decided it was time to pass the baton of responsibility to our Fewbie driver who is very keen to learn the ropes. Under the instruction of @Craig Finlayson and my watchful eye @Shehab Alawadhi was ready to get his gear out. Thankfully as we were negotiating the technical patch the opportunity presented itself as @Thomas Varghese got stuck. @Shehab Alawadhihandled the recovery very well.

We headed out of the technical patch and into the wide-open long-range dunes we had lots of opportunity to side slope and cross some ridges. This didn’t present anyone with any issues and the fewbies at the front of the convoy were all handling their vehicles very well.

I think we were about 1 hour into the drive when @Thomas Varghese had some severe overheating issues. We brought the temperature of the car down by spraying cold water on the transmission cooler and turning the heating on full blast to take the heat out of the engine. When the digital reader was at 92o it was safe to start moving the car again however for Thomas that was the end of the desert drive. The car had shot up to 110o by the time we reached the track. I do hope the repair is economical Thomas, , its such a shame you had overheating issues as you were having a good drive

No sooner had we started motoring again when @GauravSoni car started to have some issues, well an unfamiliar sound, It was better to exit the car then and there as opposed to risking damage so off we headed back to the track.

We headed back into the long range dunes, as we did so we were lucky enough to see the local training their falcons, I couldn’t hide my excitement when I saw the drone with ‘prey’ attached and the young bird swoop in to grab it with its mighty talons. What a treat that was!

Once more to the fore we headed back in again and had a good time continuing with or side sloping and getting atop some ridges. I was keeping a watchful eye on our two remaining Fewbies and both were coping admirably. Then a call came for me to add some spice. I checked with the convoy and it was agreed everyone wanted to get into it more. Huzzah! I’m always up for that! I upped the pace as we headed nearer to Solar Park and we had some great dunes to tackle en route to the Sabka

With light fading and being nowhere near our proposed end point I asked the convoy what they wanted to do and if they were up for a little night driving, My question was met with a resounding yes, @Ashok chaturvedi wanted to flash his new lights and @Ahab Shamaa lit up the skies with his trillion luminer set up. We slowed the pace but still tackled some good dunes. Night drives are thrilling without the need for speed !

As I made my way into another dune I caught sight of a cluster of rocks, it was unfortunate that I had just asked everyone to stay close as in the very same breath I asked for no one to follow, it was too late for @Veedooshee and @Lawrence_Chehimi. and it led to @Veedooshee being stuck on the side. I tried digging but the sand was so soft and deep that it became a thankless task. Given the angle and the precarious positioning of the rocks I asked Shehab  to step aside and allow @Craig Finlayson to recover @Veedoosheewith the rope, three gentle tugs and she was out . That was the signal to end our night adventure.

@Lawrence_Chehimi you handle your car very well,  I don’t recall you having any refusals, you had great control for the ridge riding and crossover. You coped extremely well when I raised the level on what was only your 2^nd fewbie drive Likewise @Shehab Alawadhi, you too had a great drive and I was pleased to see you learning how to recover, , I was delighted to be able to give you the learning opportunity and to see you develop as a driver since our first drive together back in Faqa. I know some of the tight dunes can be difficult, but you handle them well for the most part and you are adding self-recovery to your repertoire.

Every drive is a learning opportunity and it doesn’t matter if you are a newbie, fewbie , IM , advanced or expert. Every time we head into the sand we learn.
@Melenanyand @Hisham Masaad- I could heat Islam providing help when you had some refusals. I know its tough at the back of a convoy as the sand gets churned. Use stucks and refusals as learning opportunities to develop your self-recovery skills. You will get a better understanding of your car and how it handles in various situations we find yourself in with the sand if you try to get out on your own.
‘Tell me and I forget; Teach me and I may remember; Involve me and I learn.’ Benjamin Franklin. 
@Ahab Shamaa, it was great to drive with you again, Thanks for keeping an eye on the cars in front and highlighting fishtailing. We all know the dangers of that. I appreciated that. Another flawless drive from you too. @Ashok chaturvedi – a great drive from you, well done.

Many thanks to @Veedoosheefor being my 2^nd lead, to @Craig Finlayson for anchoring the convoy and helping guide @Shehab Alawadhi, and of course to @Islam Soliman for sweeping up everything at the back.
Until our next adventure. 

 

@Foxtrot Oscar some rumours are there there were two mysterious outsiders who came to watch Vidooshi retrieval.. one was caught on my camera in red jeep... anyone else noticed.

12 hours ago, Shehab Alawadhi said:

"The move" as we are calling it now is always fun to do, its difficult in a bigger car but can be done just as good as a small car, next time ill blast the Tokyo Drift song 🤣

 

[Foxtrot Oscar]

17 minutes ago, Ashok chaturvedi said:

@Foxtrot Oscar some rumours are there there were two mysterious outsiders who came to watch Vidooshi retrieval.. one was caught on my camera in red jeep... anyone else noticed.

 

Yes, they were nice guys and were offering to help .

 

they wee with us as we inflated and asked if they could join ‘my club’ 😅

 

they have the Carnity details now , so hopefully we’ll see them again 

[Thomas Varghese]

29 minutes ago, Foxtrot Oscar said:

Drive Report

 

Tuesdays are all about breaking the hump of the working week by getting out into the sand and letting off some steam. We covered just under 69km in 4.5 hours

We had a very experienced convoy for a Fewbie Level drive and all that expertise didn’t go to waste. I had decided it was time to pass the baton of responsibility to our Fewbie driver who is very keen to learn the ropes. Under the instruction of @Craig Finlayson and my watchful eye @Shehab Alawadhi was ready to get his gear out. Thankfully as we were negotiating the technical patch the opportunity presented itself as @Thomas Varghese got stuck. @Shehab Alawadhihandled the recovery very well.

We headed out of the technical patch and into the wide-open long-range dunes we had lots of opportunity to side slope and cross some ridges. This didn’t present anyone with any issues and the fewbies at the front of the convoy were all handling their vehicles very well.

I think we were about 1 hour into the drive when @Thomas Varghese had some severe overheating issues. We brought the temperature of the car down by spraying cold water on the transmission cooler and turning the heating on full blast to take the heat out of the engine. When the digital reader was at 92o it was safe to start moving the car again however for Thomas that was the end of the desert drive. The car had shot up to 110o by the time we reached the track. I do hope the repair is economical Thomas, , its such a shame you had overheating issues as you were having a good drive

No sooner had we started motoring again when @GauravSoni car started to have some issues, well an unfamiliar sound, It was better to exit the car then and there as opposed to risking damage so off we headed back to the track.

We headed back into the long range dunes, as we did so we were lucky enough to see the local training their falcons, I couldn’t hide my excitement when I saw the drone with ‘prey’ attached and the young bird swoop in to grab it with its mighty talons. What a treat that was!

Once more to the fore we headed back in again and had a good time continuing with or side sloping and getting atop some ridges. I was keeping a watchful eye on our two remaining Fewbies and both were coping admirably. Then a call came for me to add some spice. I checked with the convoy and it was agreed everyone wanted to get into it more. Huzzah! I’m always up for that! I upped the pace as we headed nearer to Solar Park and we had some great dunes to tackle en route to the Sabka

With light fading and being nowhere near our proposed end point I asked the convoy what they wanted to do and if they were up for a little night driving, My question was met with a resounding yes, @Ashok chaturvedi wanted to flash his new lights and @Ahab Shamaa lit up the skies with his trillion luminer set up. We slowed the pace but still tackled some good dunes. Night drives are thrilling without the need for speed !

As I made my way into another dune I caught sight of a cluster of rocks, it was unfortunate that I had just asked everyone to stay close as in the very same breath I asked for no one to follow, it was too late for @Veedooshee and @Lawrence_Chehimi. and it led to @Veedooshee being stuck on the side. I tried digging but the sand was so soft and deep that it became a thankless task. Given the angle and the precarious positioning of the rocks I asked Shehab  to step aside and allow @Craig Finlayson to recover @Veedoosheewith the rope, three gentle tugs and she was out . That was the signal to end our night adventure.

@Lawrence_Chehimi you handle your car very well,  I don’t recall you having any refusals, you had great control for the ridge riding and crossover. You coped extremely well when I raised the level on what was only your 2^nd fewbie drive Likewise @Shehab Alawadhi, you too had a great drive and I was pleased to see you learning how to recover, , I was delighted to be able to give you the learning opportunity and to see you develop as a driver since our first drive together back in Faqa. I know some of the tight dunes can be difficult, but you handle them well for the most part and you are adding self-recovery to your repertoire.

Every drive is a learning opportunity and it doesn’t matter if you are a newbie, fewbie , IM , advanced or expert. Every time we head into the sand we learn.
@Melenanyand @Hisham Masaad- I could heat Islam providing help when you had some refusals. I know its tough at the back of a convoy as the sand gets churned. Use stucks and refusals as learning opportunities to develop your self-recovery skills. You will get a better understanding of your car and how it handles in various situations we find yourself in with the sand if you try to get out on your own.
‘Tell me and I forget; Teach me and I may remember; Involve me and I learn.’ Benjamin Franklin. 
@Ahab Shamaa, it was great to drive with you again, Thanks for keeping an eye on the cars in front and highlighting fishtailing. We all know the dangers of that. I appreciated that. Another flawless drive from you too. @Ashok chaturvedi – a great drive from you, well done.

Many thanks to @Veedoosheefor being my 2^nd lead, to @Craig Finlayson for anchoring the convoy and helping guide @Shehab Alawadhi, and of course to @Islam Soliman for sweeping up everything at the back.
Until our next adventure. 

 

Thanks for the concern @Foxtrot Oscar regarding the overheating issue. Luckily it cost me less than 1000 AED for the repair which was mainly flushing of the radiator of the slime and sludge, replacing the suspicious top radiator tank along with replacing the thermostat valve and the small fan on the right side of the radiator. The Japanese cars are very sturdy and very reliable considering the troubles other manufacturers give and parts are readily available. The XTERRA engine is still in good condition as compression was checked and seems to be in prime condition and the head and its gasket is intact. The garage has reported the car is ready to hit the dunes anytime after their road test. 

Thanks to you for making me exit even though I wanted to remain and I value the experience and expertise you have as a marshal. Probably the engine could have got fried as it started to heat up surprisingly on my way back to the garage after the exit. 

Thanks again to everybody else for waiting patiently for Angela's return after my exit. 

As Arnold says in Terminator series "I"LL BE BACK". 

[M.Seidam]

Excellent report Angela @Foxtrot Oscar as always which is surely not less than the drive it self , while reading I imagined how the 🦅chasing the prey  anchored to the drone and yet the convoy upping along your note👌
 

and for this one 👇

35 minutes ago, Foxtrot Oscar said:

Tell me and I forget; Teach me and I may remember; Involve me and I learn.’ Benjamin Franklin. 

I guess you have always involved us into something worth learning , at least for me , in any if your drives regardless of drive level . Well done to you as a lead and to all the desert loving drivers . 
 

hopefully see you on Friday at Faqa 

cheers all 🙏