Morning Fewbie Drive - Short Sharp Summer Fun Vol 2 - Sharjah - 23 August 2026

[Andrew John Melvill]

DRIVE DESCRIPTION

Vol 2 - Across the road . Join us on Sunday morning drive full of opportunities to climb the famous star dunes from Shuwaib Farms to Badayer Shops. We will be linking some of the famous star dunes, climbs and classic landmarks within this classic dune driving area, that is unfortunately rapidly shrinking in size due to industrial development. Made for finding your rhythm and building confidence behind the wheel. It should be a fun, scenic Fewbie-friendly drive, aiming to be aired-up and home before the heat bites. Bring water, bring your flag, bring a sense of adventure. The dunes are waiting. RSVP now and let's go!

MUST READ AND COMPLY

• Environmental Policy
• 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

Level:  Fewbie and above

When : 23 August 2026

Meeting time: 06:00 AM

Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/P2f2yg3bqu1apLeNA

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), smiles,, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Mandatory off-road gears: Fewbie and above, Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit, fire extinguisher, Intermediate and above, Kinetic Tow Rope and 2 soft Shackles.

Note: Please ensure that all of your off-road gear is securely tied down with ratchet straps in the rear compartment of the vehicle. Bungy type tie downs are not suitable for tying down off-road gear.

 Approximate finish time: 09:30 AM

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

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

• This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12:00 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 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 below calendar

 

[Andrew John Melvill]

Nice convoy developing, looking forward to the drive! 

[Andrew John Melvill]

Good Morning 

@Frederic, @Sandeep Padhi, @Enrico - Mountain, @Ishak, @Ana, @Lazy Frog, @Mahesh_, @Rajath Shetty, @khurramm and @JC_E

Hope your Saturdays are going well, please update the rsvp if anything has changed. I will be sending out the convoy order in a few hours' time.

For those watching enjoy the F1 sprint race and the SA v NZ test match GO BOKS!

Cheers Andrew

[Andrew John Melvill]

Afternoon All

@Frederic, @Sandeep Padhi, @Enrico - Mountain, @Ishak, @Ana, @Lazy Frog, @Mahesh_, @Rajath Shetty, @khurramm, @JC_E and @J-P L

Really nice convoy for tomorrow morning! 

We will be heading to a beautiful star dune close to the entry point to spend some time practicing climbs before we drive through to the Badayer shops exit point via super bowl and iftar bowl. The sand will be soft and the weather will be hot, so please ensure that you and your vehicles are fully prepared. 

We will be using CH 4 on the drive

Please be at the meeting point in time for a briefing at 06h00 so that we can maximize the time in the dunes before it gets too hot. https://maps.app.goo.gl/P2f2yg3bqu1apLeNA

[Andrew John Melvill]

Drive report

1st thanks for being on time allowing us to get away shortly after 6am. 

We had a good start talking about and practicing climbs. Each car is a bit different when it comes to gearing and power sweet spots. Knowing yout car only comes with practice. 

From there we had a technical section before the dunes opened up again. Here we had more chances to practise climbs along with ridge riding, switches and how to get out of bowls! 

To @Sandeep Padhi, @Enrico - Mountain, @Ana, @Lazy Frog, @Rajath Shetty and @khurramm some really good driving from all especially as we pushed your limits on occasions.

To @Frederic, @Ishak, @J-P L and @JC_E would never have been able to do this drive without you. Always a pleasure to drive with every one of you.

[Frederic]

Splendid drive today @Andrew John Melvill! 

A fantastic mix of warm-up with some detailed briefings on how to use your momentum, followed by some good practicing in the various bowls and larger dunes. Everyone drove great today, no ropes or shovels used, and the refusals we had were dealt with easily thanks to the great support on the drive.

See you all soon in the sand!

[khurramm]

@Andrew John Melvill thank you for an amazing drive. This was exactly what I had on my wish list for the past few weeks. Awesome convoy and great support!

[Ana]

A bit of sharing of what the desert thought me today , the destination is important but how you get there is what counts . After 5 refusals I stoped counting ,instead, I kept going , each climb I failed kept me save, going down was just a reset point . Thank you @J-P Lfor guidance, thank you @Andrew John Melvill and @Frederic for this amazing drive , @JC_E and @Ishak for support and all drivers in the convoy it was nice to see you all. Big big thank to everyone for another fun day , lots of learnings and the desire to keep going!!!

[Enrico - Mountain]

Thank you @Andrew John Melvill for another great day out on the dunes. It was certainly a mix between long and sweeping dunes with a stint of short and bumpy in the middle, and the offroad tax that just keeps on giving (rather taking). Thank you to everyone on the support team and all the familiar faces we are becoming accustomed to see and meet each week.

Well done @Ana for persevering today with a smile on your face and a go-getting spirit!

 

[Andrew John Melvill]

Hi

For those of you that are keen I will be posting a drive for the 6th that links the first two short sharp drives together and should give us a chance to put the learnings from the 1st two drives into practice.

Cheers Andrew