Morning Newbie Desert Drive - Murquab - Dubai - 10 Dec 2021

[Dinesh Kumar A]

Hi @Vanessa8580 - regret the last minute info. I will not be able to make to the drive today. 

 

[Ahmed Wagdy]

Thanks @Vanessa8580 for the awesome drive today, it is always enjoyable with quite a variety in terrain and techniques.

Thanks @varunmehndiratta for the great support in today's drive.

[Joseph Raju]

Thank you @Vanessa8580 for the awesome drive.

it was really a memorable one

[Varun Mehndiratta]

Thanks @Vanessa8580 for leading us through this lovely drive - the terrain, the weather and the above all the energy of the convoy all made it a perfect start to the weekend. 

A brief drive report

All reached the meeting spot at scheduled time. Drive to meeting point with hot air balloons up in the beautiful morning sky and nice breeze had already set the mood. And if there was any element not fully energized was well covered during briefing by ever smiling Vanessa and the overall energy of the convoy. Deflated and flagged up, convoy entered the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve at around 730am.  

As was the plan, with sun at our back, we drove South ending our drive at Al Qudra Cycle Path. Through the 3:30hrs drive, we explored the beautiful dunes, experienced some nasty soft patches of sand, enjoyed some fast drive at Sabkhas and thanks to Vanessa, convoy got some basic introduction to Criss crossing, an element of desert driving that i am sure all in convoy will have a chance to cherish further, as they move ahead in their off-roading experiences and ranks.

Overall, we travelled around 42.3Km with moving time of 2hrs 32 min, at an average moving speed of 16.8Km/hr, really good for a newbie drive, especially considering the terrain. Its a good indication of how well the convoy as a whole performed. 

We had our fair share of refusals and stucks, however, overall all did very well through the drive. 

@Alfred Alinazar - thanks for your support at second lead, following Vanessa instruction to perfection through all re-routes and minor change in directions. Very well done. 

@Anton Dimov - From CF, i didnt had much of sight of your vehicle, however, from radio and little chats we had, understand you had almost a perfect drive with no refusals. 

@Simon Dawood  You handled the pajero very nicely, you followed the lines well. As you would have noticed from your refusals, its all about approaching with the right momentum, so just dont be gas shy.

@Joseph Raju - Very well driven, especially for your first NB drive. Super Safari is an awesome vehicle with lots of power in it and you handled it very nicely.  As you would have noticed from your stuck at that soft patch, once the momentum is lost, there is no possibility to gain it back. So rather than trying to fight it, better to steer down in time and reattempt. 

@ahmed salama Man, your TJ is just awesome and you are very comfortable handling it.  One small observation, follow the convoy tracks. Shortest distance between point A and B on a dune is not always the most suitable approach - especially on high dunes with plan to touch the ridge, key is to drive the curves/contours of the dune. I am sure you can relate it to the couple of refusals you had. 

@Gerrit Bus A prefect drive for you, as smooth as your awesome looking Gladiator.

@Antony Abraham - There's no end to what Rubicon can do, dont shy away from giving some more gas and you are good to go.

@Tom B and @Manish Kashyap - Being at end of a large convoy is never easy, however, you both had perfect drives with no refusals. Really well done. 

@Ahmed Wagdy - Thanks for your support as sweep and ensuring that convoy always stayed togather.

@Karthik Raptor and @Dinesh Kumar A unfortunate that you had step out at last min. Hope to catch up with you sometime soon. 

Hope to see you all soon, for those interested, some stats from the drive attached below. Thanks again for the wonderful drive. 

 

 

 

 

[Gerrit Bus]

@Vanessa8580 thanks for a lovely drive and welcome back. Truly enjoyed today and it was great to be back again after my absence. 
@varunmehndiratta thanks for today and the write-up. Nice report of today’s drive. 

[Tom B]

@Vanessa8580 @varunmehndiratta Really enjoyed yesterday’s drive. Thank you. Have posted a few pics in the gallery. 

[Gerrit Bus]

@Vanessa8580 thanks for a lovely drive and welcome back. Truly enjoyed today and it was great to be back again after my absence. 
@varunmehndiratta thanks for today and the write-up. Nice report of today’s drive. 

Small video from Gladiator POV. 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CXWTodcgJL3/?utm_medium=share_sheet