Afternoon Fewbie Desert Drive - Solar Tower Sunset Hour - Dubai - 20 Dec 2024

[Ale Vallecchi]

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

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• Offroad Flag Guideline
• Two Way Radio Guideline
• Off road Driving Etiquettes
• Emergency details for all off roaders
• Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities

Drive Details

Level:  Fewbie and above (all levels)

Meeting time:  02:30 PM (PLANNED DEPARTURE)

Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LptYfiZMaY3fKqeg7

Action Plan: a relatively short, but very engaging drive, to decompress at the end of the working week, searching for a nice sunset spot in the proximity of the Solar Tower (AKA The Eye of Sauron), after navigating a beautiful yet challenging route, with plenty of technical dunes, amazing trees, and possibly gazelles and camels. The drive plan, if well executed, will cover the better part of 3 hours. A nice recap of technical driving skills, before Christmas and New Year, to prepare the members for the many drives to come during the Holidays time.

What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, face masks, rubber gloves, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn.

Approximate finish time: 05:30 PM

P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive.

RECOMMENDED OFF-ROAD GEAR:

• Tire deflator & Tire pressure gauge
• Compressor (MANDATORY)
• Walkie-talkie radio (MANDATORY)
• Off-road flag (MANDATORY)
• Shovel, Tow Rope & 2 Shackles
• First-aid kit
• Fire extinguisher.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM.
• If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list.
• RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list.
• Latecomers will be returned - Without any exceptions.
• Members without RSVP will be returned - 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 CALENDAR 

 

 

[Emanuel]

Hi @Ale Vallecchi, happy to support on your drive.

[Ale Vallecchi]

Hi @Emanuel. I added you to Manage. Thanks a lot. 

[Ale Vallecchi]

[Jessica Lambert]

Furious that I missed the sign up 😭 

[Ale Vallecchi]

I'll see what we can do @Jessica Lambert. I am tempted to increase the convoy, but want to give it more thought, due to the complexity of a long convoy on technical dunes. Will decide by Thursday morning, if you can be patient. Thanks a lot. 

[Michael asir]

Good morning @Ale Vallecchi Meeting time: mentioend as  02:30 AM   , i hope  our drive on after noon , kinldy advise 

[Ale Vallecchi]

3 hours ago, Michael asir said:

Good morning @Ale Vallecchi Meeting time: mentioend as  02:30 AM   , i hope  our drive on after noon , kinldy advise 

Of course @Michael asir, it'll be at 2:30 PM. Thanks for noticing. I would not set that departure time even in the summer 😅.

So, @Wilfredo Perez and @Jessica Lambert, let's try and extend the drive to both of you.

Please confirm before this evening that you still want to join and I will add your names.

Thanks.

[Wilfredo Perez]

hi Alex, unfortunately i will not be able to reach ontime, so need to abandon  

[Ale Vallecchi]

Dear Desertnauts

quick briefing about tomorrow's drive to inaugurate the weekend leading to the Holiday Season.

It has been planned to cover a relatively short distance, in consideration of the unusually challenging nature of the terrain. We'll meet and deflate next to Murqab's mosque, from where we'll take a track leading to a large triangular sabkha, where we'll enter the first of two technical areas where we'll focus tomorrow.

For "technical" areas we mean stretches of desert characterized by very young (not consolidated) and quite low dunes, very close to each other, separated by not very deep, but sometimes sharp, bowls, possibly filled with very soft fine sand. This terrain requires proceeding at relatively low speeds, using a lot of gentle throttling, slowing down while descending the bowls, while accelerating (for a very short distance) to climb out of the bowls, and working a lot with your steering wheel when required to follow the very curvy ridges.

This first technical segment has become infamously known as "the road to the Chimney", as the Solar Tower had been nicknamed while under construction. This segment is where Carnity's future Leads are trained to lead by Gaurav. For any first-time lead, it represents a very complex and difficult place to take a convoy, requiring great intuition in choosing the paths of least resistance, and avoiding the most treacherous spots.

This technical area will see us proceed in the direction of the Solar Tower. Upon reaching it, we'll veer west, to cross the second, and longer, technical area, while giving our back to the Eye of Sauron, to proceed in the direction of Solar Park, and Qudra.

The convoy order will be:

@frederic demolder in Second Lead

@Amr J at #3

@Abhishek Chikara at #4

@Michael asir at #5

@Pramod B at #6

@Jessica Lambert in the Center position

@Misha Puskar at #8

@J-P L at #9

@Ben Lee at #10

@Glenn W at #11 and 

@Emanuel in Sweep.

See you all tomorrow with the goal to start at 2:30 PM. Have a nice Thursday evening.