Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - 3 Day Emirates Weekend: Part 3: Abu Dhabi, somewhere in Sweihan - 16 Jun 2024

[Cesar Chacon]

Good morning, Ale, team, I can not open the meeting point somehow, do you mind sharing

[Batuhan Kulac]

Hey @Ale Vallecchi took a wrong turn might be 5 mins late. Sorry 😓

[ChrisW]

57 minutes ago, Cesar Chacon said:

Good morning, Ale, team, I can not open the meeting point somehow, do you mind sharing

(24.4353125, 55.3559844)
 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cL6zg3TaGdpoAGC78?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

[Andrew John Melvill]

Thanks once again @Ale Vallecchi for a fantastic and extremely varied drive. Had some of the most technical section I have done to date and some loverly flowing dunes, with lots of really soft summer sand thrown in! 

A good number of refusals along the way ably handled by @Batuhan Kulac and @Emanuel, but undertandable given the very soft sand at times. 

All in a great morning! 

[RiadJL]

Thanks @Ale Vallecchi for the great drive this morning. All 3 Emirates conquered  

This was my first time in Sweihan and I see why people like it. Very nice terrain with technical areas and dunes where you can let loose.

I fear I may have let loose a bit too much though - got my first pop out today 😅. PSI was higher than other drives I've done in the past, I guess I just took the turn too fast and got the wheel caught in someone's track. Thanks @Cesar Chacon, @nithish468 & @Batuhan Kulac for the help getting me back up and running, much appreciated!

 

Thanks to everyone who joined - was a blast! See you all again soon

[Batuhan Kulac]

Great drive. Great people. Doing my favorite activity at my favorite position of the convoys. CF. I am a keen learner, as is every offroader. Hence, I love teaching others what I've learned over the years and helping out especially in fewbie and under. But you guys handled Sweihan (one of the most demanding areas close to the cities) like pros. We gotta work a bit on our communication and radio discipline (except @Cesar Chacon who was cheating, using his wife as communicator. She deserves a special shout out) Thanks @Emanuel for being a great sweep. Lots of refusals today... but no stucks. I think we guided the lads very nicely every time. 

Thanks ofcourse to lieutenant Sargent LRDG @Ale Vallecchi for making it possible. See you all next time and enjoy the long weekend.

Dig and Claw.

Edited June 16 by Batuhan Kulac

[ChrisW]

Another brilliant drive, thank you @Ale Vallecchi  

 

A valuable trip as much for the experience of getting out in AUH’s bigger flowing dunes, as well as the many learning points taken from today (comm’s, convoy discipline, working with soft sand and having to be smart with spacing, lines and momentum). One particular learning moment for me pictured below…
 

As with yesterday, the main joy was being out with you all. A good team all in all. 
 

 

Edited June 16 by ChrisW

[Ale Vallecchi]

3 EMIRATES WEEK - SUMMARY AND THANK YOU NOTE

A heartfelt thanks to all the members who chose to join one or more of this 3-Emirates Eid weekend series. I had a great time, pursuing my passion for overlanding. Over 3 days we planned and executed one drive in each of the main Emirates (yet by no mean exhausting all the possibilities to be found in Abu Dhabi, which would require a full week just on its own).

Find below a crisp summary of the places we visited and the drives' statistics:

Day 1 - Sharjah: from Tawi Nazwa's farm, skirting Pink Rock, on to "the dune next to Big Red", Big Red itself, across the highway to Badayer, through the main "star dunes", to Iftar and Super Bowl, and onward to reach the exit at Bezhad Ranch (AKA Area 53, AKA Ericson Tower); Driven 85 Kms in 3:28 hours of moving time (total of 4:23 h.), at 24 Km/h moving average and almost 2,000 meters of cumulative climbing.

Day 2 - Dubai: from Lisaili's camel track, across to Murqab, onto the "road to The Chimney" (AKA Solar Tower), on to Faqa and west toward Little Sweihan, around the military enclosure, to Ghantoot oryx farms and palm oasis, to exit on the road back to Qudra; Driven 105 Kms in 3:42 hours of moving time (total of 4:29 h.), at 28 Km/h moving average.

Day 3 - Abu Dhabi: from Sweihan Tilal's entry, all the way across the cordons, through the sabkha and very technical dunes to reach Sweihan Pond, and onward across beautiful white dunes dotted with palm groves and sculpted clay rocks, to exit at Faya Road. Driven 77 Kms in 2:52 hours of moving time (total of 4:05 h.), at 27 Km/h moving average.

Thanks again to all the participants (in order of drives completed): @RiadJL (3 drives), @Andrew John Melvill, @ChrisW, @nithish468 (2 drives) and @DP1011, @Emanuel, @Sunil Mathew, @Batuhan Kulac, @Mohit Gurnani, @Cesar Chacon and @Nicolò (1 drive).

See you all soon for another long trek !!