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Trip report Writing this before the sand of Sweihan wipes off.🤣. All the hassles of testing and 2hr drive are blown away once you are in the vast dunes which this area has to offer. I really hope border restrictions ease and we explore more here . We all were on time except few ( including me as I arrived 5 min late) because of some intermittent dense fog on E66. We had a very interactive COVID safe briefing and we left from Yahar (somewhere near the health center or Al Saad police station). Taking care not to disturb the camel families grazing around we were on to some nice wide and in fact huge dunes for testing our off roading skills. You all did well, even in some tight areas with super soft sand ( come summer and the sand gets more softer due to lack of moisture). We kept driving for most of the time except some minor refusals and quick well managed self recoveries. Towards the end near the famous lady dune , I almost entered a huge bowl to realize the entry and bottom were hard sand formations (rocks). Exit being very steep slip side and a barbed wire running across where I could be dragged with gravity. @Mikhail Lukichev was very attentive here and stopped in time on my instruction which made the whole task easier to avoid this area. Quick rerouting by @Craig Finlayson meant all were parked safely while I needed a nudge to get back managed by winching. Finally towards the end we had some nice crests , some quick tugging and out we were on tarmac almost as planned on time which was fantastic. @Mikhail Lukichev played 2nd lead to perfection, your defacto lead for today. Very responsive and redirecting correctly when asked. Well done @Farouq Owdeh managed his well groomed JGC really well .Hardly any issues even when getting in and out of soft bowls. Great driving @Warren Flay managed his SWB pajero. Great to see your enthusiasm, clear response for the instructions and great improvisations as we drove along. Well done @Zed finally we meet, a new Zed 😜. Changed car and changed look, but the same warmth and friendliness. Great driving buddy with minimal issues. @Karthikeyan Govindarajan did well in his LC. Some refusals and stucks managed well. You will only get better at handling your car as practice in these areas more. Every terrain will be different and will need a slight different approach. @Hasan Wahlan driving another LC was seen enjoying this area , while I was driving 2nd time with you. Always helpful when needed . I suggest you to please add a additional recovery point in the front as discussed @Mus_hus78 showed all his experience at the back with hardly any issues. Managed his Pajero without any issues @Craig Finlayson was the star for today's drive. All over the place - refusal, stucks, tugs and winching. It was a pleasure and delight to see how well you have progressed in the ladder not just with your driving but also with sharing the experience gained which was evident from your advises. Very well done and Thank you 🙏 for being my support for today's drive. Please apply for your promotions if you have the required gears, drive counts and most importantly feel you are ready for the next level. It is not a race to get to next level ,but with time and enjoyment. See you all again sometime soon Cheers , I am missing Sweihan already!🙂

Wadepat2 @Wadepat2 Morshedi @Morshedi Badar Tariq @Badar Tariq @Mohammad Imran Khan ARAGON @ARAGON @Rahul kumar Lucas Neo @Lucas Neo Redza Jamil @Redza Jamil Imtiyaz Ali @Imtiyaz Ali @Christopher Assal Myself and @Shamil were very impressed with the AN drivers today. 45 km through different types of terrain not too many problems or recoveries, a lizard, some gazelle and excellent cool weather. We covered around 45km driving west from our start point and then North to reach last Exit - a fantastic achievement for an Absolute Newbie drive. All of you can now continue your journey with Carnity and are free to join any Newbie drive. Looking forward to seeing you al soon in the future.

Dear all, thanks a lot for a wonderful drive! As you mentioned, stunning Sweihan Desert is totally worth all the hassle of long drive from Dubai! Love this place! Thanks to lead skills of @Chaitanya D, we all had a chance to learn and admire outdoors in a very safe yet thrilling environment. It goes without saying that @Craig Finlayson was a perfect sweep, always ready to help in just a few seconds after a refusal or stuck. Generally, the whole convoy managed the area very well! We had just enough little stucks to have fun and to be over stressed. Hope to see you all in the sands soon!

Absolutely bloody epic drive lads!!!!!!! Top notch marks to all wish it went on for another 5 hours! Thanks to the wife for letting me join you guys as it's my 15th wedding anniversary today - she's definitely a keeper!

Hello guys, believe everyone had a wonderful night drive today. Thank you @Chaitanya Dfor the best of all night drives I had and it was sooo nice and an entire different feel. The pace of the drive was perfect in both evening and night drives . The sun set view, and breezy whether ..and a convoy of very good drivers.. all made it superb. @Hisham Masaadthank you bro for a perfect second lead and as always enjoyed driving with you @Jack Thomas and @Rob Harper did really well and was nice to see you having fun with your beast @Tero Vallassince you were behind me, you are the one to evaluate how I did.😀. Suggestions and comments are most welcome bro. @Mario Cornejo, @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ guys hope you had real fun at back, could see you guys few times enjoying you sideys. @Islam Soliman..thank you for your wonderful sweep with your full size SUV and it's always nice to drive with you bro. Take care 👍. Thank you guys once again and hope to see you guys soon.

All - it was a pleasure driving with the Abu Dhabi guys today! Everyone drove great - everyone’s car was well equipped and handled the sand amazing. No drive is complete without some stucks and refusals! It defines a drive and it’s how we learn. @Karthikeyan Govindarajanyou pulled yourself out of some great situations and self recovered really well. I think you were just playing with me when you crested it twice on the same ridge. @Hasan Wahlanyou’ve got some rig and you drove it great today! It was a pleasure watching that beast pass thru the dunes with out much hindrance. @Mus_hus78as said earlier, I’ve seen a lot of Pajero’s struggle in hot sand, but yours never showed any signs of giving up! In fact I’m sure it’s prob a Jeep in disguise! @Mikhail Lukichevsuperb second lead today - especially in Sweihan which is never an easy trail. I’m still convinced you crested it on the last dune just for a photo opp! You looked so pleased with yourself for It too. @Farouq Owdeh- it means something when your name is rarely mentioned across the radios - top driving, and I love the mods on the Cherokee! @Warren Flayapart from a couple of refusals (which are part of the fun to be honest) you navigated that short wheel base round the sand great - must’ve been the gloves! @Zed- it was a pleasure to meet you today. Similar to Farouq, you chucked it around the dunes without any issues. and last but no means least - @Chaitanya- we’ve driven a few times and I remember being on your first lead drive. You’re a joy to drive with and always a safe pair of hands leading the team! Good to meet Chaitanya junior too - you can tell he’s just itching to get behind the wheel! it’s been a great day and thanks to everyone! I’ve been up since 4.30am, it’s now my bed time! Have a good weekend and hope to see you again soon! Craig

Thank you everybody for joining today's drive! Path between Faqa and Bab Al Shams is always a new challenge. We covered more than 60 Km with a good pace in a very variable terrain, with small technical dunes and high climbs. Unfortunately we didn't reach Bab Al Shams but was anyway a great drive and Everyone was great today! @Thomas Varghese was the first time SL with me, your driving skill is definitely at intermediate level. The only request for the future is to be more vocal, any of us can have refusals or stucks and when that happens he/she should inform the rest of the group as soon as possible. That is way more important when you are SL. @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader and @Danish Mohammad I saw you way more comfortable today then last week, maybe the position was more favorable. anyway I am very happy to have both of you on my drive hope to see you soon :). Keep improving! @Lawrence_Chehimi I know that changing the setup of the car requires a little time to be used with, keep coming with us! You have a great car just matter of learning how to deal with it! @Dodi Syahdar you played magnificent with your toy. Hope you enjoyed it with us! @Shehab Alawadhi thank you for your help, really needed Today was impossible to come somewhere before you! Keep your willingness to learn and enthusiasm! Hope to see soon! @amir amiri and @imranaasghar81 you were very comfortable at the back. The terrain today was not easy to manage because the soft sand definitely messed up after so many cars :). Thank you for coming! @Jeandre Bezuidenhout you were perfect on your sweep position. I felt immediately comfortable with you. Thank you for you help, very appreciated! And Very well done!!

I'm in!!! She won't be though she will rip my head off!!!! Take her on a "romantic" drive tell her to close her eyes she hears a hissing I tell her I'm blowing up a balloon but I'm deflating my tires and kaboom we're smashing through the dunes!! Hahaha

Great drive in a beautiful part of the world. Thanks Chaitanya for leading a tight team. Again I learnt a lot and had a heap of fun. Of interest to Pajero owners, I put in a K&N filter this week and my fuel consumption for offroad halved. It cost 313 aed but the extra power alone made it worthwile. Recommended.

Thanks @Luca Palanca Falsini, it was an amazing drive. Yeah the new wheels and tires felt much more comfortable and gave more traction but I lost some of the ground clearance, before I used to reach the top of the crest and the car's bed will slightly touch and then crosses easily, but today when using the same momentum I used before, the car was touching much more and getting stuck.. Also thank you everybody for helping me shovel when I crested. @Shehab Alawadhitoday I was trying to discover my new tires to know how much I need to push and find the perfect balance. The refusals helped me almost reach that point. Thanks for the tugs and for your help. Looking forward for the next drive.

Thank you @Luca Palanca Falsini for a very challenging drive. Thanks @Shehab Alawadhi & @Jeandre Bezuidenhout for the excellent support as CF & Sweep. Sorry for not being very vocal about my refusals. My left shoulder was cramped and the other was busy on the steering wheel. Except for 1 refusal all others could be managed relatively easy by me. Next time I will be more vocal. Thanks for the advices.

Thank you @Luca Palanca Falsini for the awesome drive, it was very different, very mixed drive, I liked it. @Thomas Varghese good job on second lead, but as @Luca Palanca Falsini be more vocal. @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader great job on getting out of that stuck alone and with no shoveling. That’s the best skill to have and amazing one to learn. @Danish Mohammad I think other than the pop out (can’t be helped at times) great driving @Lawrence_Chehimi don’t be afraid of the Patrol it will do things that will make your jaw drop, just unleash the beast at times. Other than that good job. @Dodi Syahdar were you driving on cruise control? Because everything was so easy for you 😂 For everyone else that was behind me I was so relaxed because you guys did fantastic @amir amiri @imranaasghar81 and our sweep @Jeandre Bezuidenhout I wasn’t even worried one bit about you guys! Great job everyone, great driving. See you all soon!!

Was an amazing and fun drive with @Wrangeldand @Shamilwho held reigns of the whole event with absolute flair and control .. with the constant directions , explanations, snippets shared by @Wrangeldduring the drive over radio , it was a huge "knowledge gainer" as well.. The small chit chat session with fellow jeepers @Lucas Neo, @Morshedi, @Imtiyaz Ali was also enlightening during the "big recovery event" we were listening to over the radios...we should meet more often on future rides 😊😊 to discuss how to get our jeeps fitted with new stuff 👍👍 So..the next ride should be a newbie one and i hope it will be on same levels as todays drive, i still need to polish my skills on riding on inclines, and doing the "semi circles" on hills, i could not quite catch up on most semi circles and i exited early steering down..looking forward to honing this part on the next drive

@Rahimdad It was a great day. Had lot of fun and experience. Thanks a lot for your guidance. Hope to see everyone next week.

@Chaitanya D - thank you, it was a great drive yesterday and a good opportunity to get a taste of a night drive. As always, a pleasure to drive with all, we sure had fun. Have a great weekend ahead!

Happy anniversary @imranaasghar81 it’s mine too 😉 , thinking of collective “ anniversary drives “ 🤪 if our wives agree 🤣

What a day, had fog, early refusal, technical problem, last but not the least the hot sun, with@Rahimdad and the entire convoys determination we made it a great day. Great team effort. Enjoyed it throughly!!!!!

Happy Wedding Anniversary @imranaasghar81. May God Bless Ur Family.

What shall I say @Ahab Shamaa you know better 😀😀 what a big change, but still yesterday didn't use it much since it was more of technical dunes. Thank you for the advice👍👍

TRIP REPORT Lost for words, can you believe it, the most talkative finds himself lost for words. I was amazed to see everyone on time even with the dense fog in places. I called @Tbone just before the briefing and knowing he would arrive in an hour, I put the centre forward position on grab for an hour. I'm glad @Roger K put his hand up for the position, just an hour right. So we started our drive riding the ridge and crossing over. A few refusals, but we'll handled as @Roger K and @Richard Franks helped from the centre forward and sweep position to keep everyone moving. As leads we need to be flexible and ready to change plans as required. But what is more important is patience which I must say was evident with today's amazing bunch. I had some issues with my car and I had full support of @Ranjan Pattanaik, @Roger K and @Lakshmi Narasimhan. We found the culprit to be a hose just below my power steering pump. We had to remove a few parts to reach it and tape it. By this time @Tbone had reached us and we decided to take my car to the road side and continue with @Tbone Xterra. Evident is in the details, @Tbone allowed me to continue in his Xterra, which kept us awake throughout the drive. @Roger K was now our full time centre forward and @Richard Franks was totalky competent in communication and keeping our convoy moving. We enjoyed playing in 3 of the best play areas and it was lovely to see everyone in such good form. We even crossed over and climbed Fossil Rocks just to come down the other end with @Roger K supporting me from the top to guide people down. So the majority decided they wanted to continue and I obliged. We were off through a challenging terrain yet one that would teach us the value of momentum. Climbing it with great team work and marching on we went step by step to reach the top of Faya. What started out with a solo of "This girl is on Faya" turned put to be a duet at the end. This sums up the events of the day, the team backs you up even if you're singing bad. So that's the end of the drive, no way, we don't quit that easy. So we came down from Faya and started climbing from the front face till @TT_Dubai Tim's Checkered Jeep felt a heat stroke when there was a clunk and the clutch went hard. After trying it for some time and unable to resolve the issue we decided to pull it out. Team work was again on display as @Roger K realized the challenge and led the rest of the team to the tarmac, while @Tbone helped us to pull the Jeep out. @Ranjan Pattanaik was up to my expectations as he pushed his Explorer through every challenge as my second lead. What made everything sweeter was he did it all without having a low gear. @Rizwan Waheed made his way on my drive to meet up with me after a long time. His confidence seems high and he is handling his Pajero very well. Although he told me he is finding his Pajero to be a little underpowered specially on high climbs, but I am impressed with how he has grown and how well he drives. @Daniel Fernandez thank you for the black tape while you were trying to help me out. It was fun having you on my drive and you're more than welcome on my drive anytime. The one of refusal is the best way to learn and we sure had fun learning together. @Lakshmi Narasimhan does not need any position to contribute. Love having you on my drives and love the way you handle most situations. Great contribution on this drive as well and nice to have you and your family out to enjoy. @Roger K starting with raising your hand to help out for an hour as Centre Forward and continuing the gig for the entire drive with a smile and a half. Really enjoyed your company and also the support offered throughout the drive. Great spirit, keep it up. @Rawad Bahsas was quietly and patiently enjoying his ride. Such a pleasure to watch that whale of a Y62 doing some low level flying on some mighty play area. Always a joy to have you around. @Tbone gives team work a whole new perspective. Offering me to continue the drive with his amazing Xterra. Besides offering his ride he also offered me great company. How can one individual be so talented in so many ways. Just have a chance to spend some time with @Tbone to be inspired.@Chinthaka Ruwan had an amazing Xterra which was lovely to watch and I had a brief pleasure to drive it. Need a few more drives to improve the throttle control, but seems got a good control on the steering inputs. @Pierre de Maigret came with some great feedback from Marshals he has driven with. His grey FJ reminded me of @Ale Vallecchi and @marks FJs. For a newbie he managed well throughout but with time the finesse will make a big difference. Looking forward to many more drives with you. @TT_Dubai did amazingly well. The Jeep just kept up with every challenge thrown at it. Thankfully the clutch issue came up right at the end and we were able to tug it to the roadside. Luckily having the RSA insurance the recovery tea. Was contacted and a promise of between 45 - 60 minutes to reach. Hope you got the people on time to recover your Jeep, I had to rush to my car and thankfully able to drive it back home with @Rizwan Waheed giving me an escort service all the way to Sharjah City. @Yawa was driving a yellow Jeep which was very familiar to me. Ofcourse @WaYan was one my previous drive with the same yellow Jeep. Today she was a passenger, and I had the pleasure to meet her husband. Great to see husband and wife partnership's, great to see him handling the ride well. Although at one point it seemed he was lost, but he got through with a little help. Working on the safe distance where you don't miss out the tracks of the vehicle in front is also important. @Richard Franks last but not far the least took on a brand new challenge today of being in sweep. How well he did in the sweep is evident by keeping the convoy moving and me informed regarding the movements of the convoy. @Yawa losing track at one point was helped by @Richard Franks to help him join the convoy again. if our drive was structured today, he was one of the foundation which made our convoy strong. In the end I would like to thank each and everyone of you today for showing true Carnity spirit and strength. Whether it was taking up responsible positions to enhance everyone's driving experience. The patience shown during the troubled times. The effort to help and guide each other as a true team. Really heart warming. Looking forward to many more drives cultivating these traits in more and more community members. My salute to all the heroes today.

Have to agree with @Chinthaka Ruwan and @Lakshmi Narasimhan regarding today's drive. Started out a little rough, but our great team members chose to make it an awesome day!. Many thanks to @Rahimdad, @Ranjan Pattanaik(second lead and chief leak stopper), and @Tbonefor guiding us up fossil rock and down the other side. Hoping that @Rahimdad and @TT_Dubaidon't have too expensive repairs on their rides. Can't say enough positive things about everyone in the convoy today! Such fantastic personalities and willingness to help when the chips were down. So great to see everyone caring about their fellow drivers! I know I left a few LR3 Discovery parts in the desert today...oh well, SO WORTH IT!

Thank you @Thomas Varghese for your photos!

Congratulations @Lakshmi Narasimhan

Thank you @Shehab Alawadhi

Careful everyone it’s kinda foggy. Drive safe sorry not kind of foggy. It’s really foggy, was driving at 70 on al ain road. Drive safe everyone!

Congratulations @Lakshmi Narasimhan💪🤘

Can’t wait to see all the awesome upgrades you’ e made my friend @Hisham Masaad! How is the Pedal Commander? 😀

@Rahimdad thanks for your wishes. I always enjoy learning and needless to say for off-roading and learning with such a wonderful team. Without my son tomorrow’s drive was not possible!!! He started watching all our drives on youtube and insisted my wife also to join tomorrow, luckily drive is to fossil rocks!!!

Thank you @Brette for an excellent NB drive. I really enjoyed being in sweep and helping out with the recoveries. Some very good driving by everyone that even when you started to bump the level, they managed it quite well. Look forward driving with you all very soon

😍yes, and he was behind me telling all along the drive - papa you should have a Wrangler like Craig, looks so nice and cool. In fact he felt it too - some soft sand where my old X was struggling, you just made it look like a piece of cake.

@Shehab Alawadhi my confident level improved because you support me from behind and thank you for your advise.... @Luca Palanca Falsini you gave us great challange through many soft sand track.. really new experience.. thank you Luca..

Well done everyone! Took a different perspective today as a passenger. I have posted some photos on Gallery and below is the link to our route video. Hope to see everyone on future drives! https://www.relive.cc/view/v26MGEDY4Ev

No problem! We are all here to help each other improve!! Get well soon!! Great job today though, the patrol is a beast in the desert. You’re welcome and I hope you discovered what you can and can’t do with your car!

Thanks Richard and Shamil! Was absolute fun and learning.. well done all the ANs!

Great to know that Never push yourself to next level for getting there. Learn it safely and enjoy, take as much time as u want. Practice and repeating makes you better every time

Thanks @Chaitanya D my last few week day drives with you helped me a lot in finding right momentum and to feel my car. Thanks @Ahmed Wagdy sure would love to, not before 4-5 more newbie drives

@Tamas Hoffmann @William Fernandes @Joe Biju Joseph @Hisham Masaad @Lawrence_Chehimi @varunmehndiratta @Islam Soliman Here's the convoy list for tomorrow. We will be on channel 1. Please plan you trip, so that we can start by 6:00 am. See you all soon.

Thank you @Wrangeld

@Luca Palanca FalsiniI will bring Pajero 3.8 SWB white

Hey guys, it's not a competition 😂

Thanks @Mohamed Seidam

Thanks to all the leads, seniors for providing such a great learning opportunity, extended support and all friends for the wonderful drives. I look forward for the learning opportunity and take the journey to next level with all your support. I will take it slow and steady to make sure I learn all the basics to enjoy the drive safely.

Congrats @Lakshmi Narasimhan and well deserved !