Morning Fewbie Plus Desert Drive - Nahel to Qudra - Abu Dhabi to Dubai - 25 Feb 2023

[JeromeFJ]

General Info

We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities.

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquette's
• Emergency details for all off-roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

Drive Details

Intent :  The intent of the drive is to reach Al Qudra, starting from Nahel in Abu Dhabi, passing through the dunes of Faqa. More details to come during the week, but be prepared for a long drive, with a great variety of terrains.

Level:  Fewbie plus and Above 

When:  25 February 2023 , Saturday

Meeting time: 6.30 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: Nahel, on the E20  https://goo.gl/maps/T912CcdPLuNQbHuZ7

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.

Approximate finish time: 11.00 AM

THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL STARTING AND ENDING THE DRIVE AT THE SAME POINT, WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. 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. 

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE:

• Limited to 10 drivers.
  • 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.
• 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 BELOW CALENDAR

 

[Gaurav]

Fantastic and very creative idea @JeromeFJ to connect AD with DXB, must be an exciting fast pace sprint, I'm sure.

[Krishna R]

Looks like its FJs and Xterras for now  

[Richard Franks]

Apologies it I must withdraw as now have to travel 😞

[JeromeFJ]

33 minutes ago, Richard Franks said:

Apologies it I must withdraw as now have to travel 😞

Sorry to miss you Richard. Thanks for informing early

[JeromeFJ]

Dear Desert Drivers, 

Thank you for signing up for the drive on Saturday morning. Be prepared for a long drive at a steady pace. There are many ways to connect Nahel, in Abu Dhabi to Qudra, in Dubai, that allow for different options to adjust to the group and circumstances.

Being a Fewbie Plus drive, with a short convoy, I intend to search for dunes rather than sabkhas. The purpose is NOT to go in straight line. We will have small and medium size technical portions, high dunes and long ridges in the Faqa area, soft sand, tight bowls and sharp edges in Little Sweihan, This will require your continuous focus and concentration for more than 4 hours.

If you are taking passengers, be sure they understand the challenge. For yourself, ensure you can have sufficient sleep before the drive. Take some snacks to boost your focus on the go. And of course, have your car checked if you have any doubt.

No need for additional fuel, but for peace of mind, be sure to top-up at one of the fuel stations close to the meeting point Al Hayer-2 https://goo.gl/maps/xhDNR2GJ7V9HqXSb6 or in Nahel https://goo.gl/maps/dTP877C4WcjtrR4F8.

I will indicate the convoy order tomorrow by the end of the day.

[JeromeFJ]

@Joji varghese @Yaseen87 @Krishna R @Pierre de Maigret @Rajiv Sam @Chris Wing

Last update for tomorrow's drive. Be sure you read the post above.

Meeting  at 6:30 am at   https://goo.gl/maps/T912CcdPLuNQbHuZ7 

The convoy order will be 

We will use radio Channel 3

Enjoy the evening, take as much sleep as you can, and see you tomorrow morning !

[JeromeFJ]

Dear Desert Drivers, 

You have been amazing today, following the track at a steady pace, whatever the difficulties, remining concentrated up to the end of this long drive. Together we succeeded to reach Qudra starting from Nahel, straight into the dunes, not backing down from any obstacle.

First portion leaving Nahel was super soft construction sand, progressively clearing into medium size dunes, with sharp edges.  The first thrill of the day was into a small massif of high dunes where after a long climb we were suddenly like in the air, on a sharp ridge going down, with steep faces on both sides. This was well managed by everyone, Continuing this portion, we reached the E14, and crossed into Dubai, just behind the high dunes of Faqa. 

Faqa's long range dunes are always a pleasure to run through, and we were not disappointed. We had long stretches on the top of the ridges, one after the other, trying to maintain the balance of the car as long as possible. The wind was blowing sand over the crests, blurring a bit the view of the ridge itself, and maybe participated to the second thrill of the day, when @Krishna R misjudged a step on a ridge, and was close to loose the control of his car. Luckily, more fear than harm, he escaped safely with a self recovery. 

After this, a beautiful portion of white sands, long rolling dunes, with magnificent views led us to the sabkhas close to Little Sweihan. We had already some technical portions on the way, But Little Sweihan remains something special, with this thigh concentration of small bowls and sharp ridges. Everyone was focused behind me, flowing from one dune to the other. Here also, the clear sand, the light, where making it some times difficult to assess the sand, and the fatigue was starting to set in. Little Sweihan had to claim a car, and it was @Pierre de Maigret who remained crested. After a bit of shoveling, and quick review of the FJ's built-in tools, he was out, an we merged to the long track along the military area. 

Passing by the Stingray/ River/ Saba Lake, we entered the last technical portion. Small dunes, but very narrow and tight ridges, plus a lot of bushes around, it was maybe the most difficult part of the drive, as we had already 5h of concentration behind the wheel. The group remained focused passing one dune after the other, but the desert had to claim for a last car. @Yaseen87 remained stuck crossing a dune, in a very narrow place. Shoveling would have taken a long time, little space was available around, I could pull him from further up, using 2 ropes tied together. 

We exited this technical portion, and reached along the cycle paths of Qudra. For a flavor of Qudra, we pushed a final small loop to the high dunes around Moon Lake, passed the lake itself, paid our respect to a lonely oryx, and reached the exit track to Bab al Shams. 

@Joji varghese big thank you for the second lead, perfectly executed as usual, @Yaseen87 and @Krishna R, congratulations for your first Fewbie Plus, it was a tough introduction to the new level, @Pierre de Maigret, it was a pleasure to have a sister FJ in the convoy, well done going through the obstacles with the unmodified car, @Rajiv Sam, many thanks for watching the back of the convoy, and supporting the recoveries. 

I've recorded 112 km in 6h, moving time 5h15, stopped time 0h50, average moving speed 21,4 km/h. Considering the large technical portions, it is an excellent performance from all of you, and a testimony to your driving skills. 

 

[Yaseen87]

Epic drive. Thx @JeromeFJ for leading this convoy through some of the most interesting sections I have encountered in carnity. It was the perfect introduction to Fewbie plus 👍🏾

[Krishna R]

Incredible drive!

Thank you @JeromeFJfor planning and executing this awesome drive to perfection!

Perfect introduction to Fewbie plus. I am sure @Yaseen87would agree on this.

The variety of the terrain was incredible and the "Fudra" part was the best  

I had a close call as @JeromeFJmentioned, I lost the ridge and then tried to climb it on the soft side and nature politely reminded me about gravity by tipping the side of the car over gently for a split second and I fell back on 4 wheels soon. For a second, i felt proud of myself for having stopped at the right moment but was soon overcome of the repetitive saying of the marshalls - Never ever fight gravity! 

The longest drive I have ever been and supported by an amazing convoy. we ate up the desert like theres no tomorrow. 

Thanks a ton @Rajiv Samfor the sweep and support. Calm and cool as ever with a hint of humour!

@Joji varghesePerfect second lead. It was like watching my car 30secs into the future  

 @Yaseen87Bro. We gonna kill the fewbie plus. Lets race to intermediate. I loved the way you were climbing with bare minimum momentum. I never heard your car roar. That shows your true offroading skill  

@Pierre de Maigret Your drive was wonderful. I was seeing you in the rear view. You left a nice gap and were smooth in your ridge riding and just floating in the sand enjoying the view  

 @JeromeFJThere as a reason why i picked your drive this weekend and I am pleased with my decision  

until next weekend guys!