Leaderboard

Good morning everyone, the weekend was an eye opener and a perfect example of 'we always need to expect the unexpected in the desert'. The failure of my clutch cylinder was completely unexpected as I had a safety check on the previous week and I also used to check underneath the jeep every day to see if there is any leakage and there was none. Also, this has happened almost at the exact midway of the track next to the Saudi border made the task very difficult. But, the presence of all of our most experienced off roaders @Gaurav @Srikumar@Asif Hussain @GauravSoni @Hisham Masaad with us gave me relief and hope. and the rest is history! There were moments which was scary and felt like the car will slowly topple over but with improvisation, on the spot thinking and teamwork the car came out. The inclined position without seat belt has given me a stomach cramp. Another incident to note is that the last pull from raptor has sheared off the cast iron recovery point from the Jeep. Due to @Gaurav doubling down on safety and securing it separately it did not fly off and hurt anyone. This highlights the importance of practicing all the safety procedures during a recovery. I would like to thank each and every convoy member who gave me confidence such as @GauravSoni who said will not leave here without the car and otherwise we will camp there itself @munkybizness who accommodated and fed me during the night, and all the shovelling boys. I am sorry that @Tharun Kumar V @Bjoern has to miss out on their planned drives, but I am really appreciative of you being there at the recovery. Again, a big thanks to @Gaurav @Srikumar (who had to leave his son in the other car to lead this recovery) @Asif Hussain @Hisham Masaad @Ranjan Das @Dodi Syahdar @Bjoern all others for doing this and bringing the car (and me) out without any major issues. Just for update, the recovery truck came around 11.50pm that night and I reached home with the car around 5am. Now it's in workshop and the issues are expected to be rectified in a week-10 days time. See you soon on sand. Anoop

Liwa crossing is always an exciting chapter for any offroader, but this year IM drive has seen a lot more challenging situations that I have not yet witnessed in my decades of experience. We all learn new things every day. In case of any mechanical failure, we always try to rescue the car as much as we can. If we cannot manage the recovery of the vehicle, car owners have to rely on a more professional approach of calling the tow truck or returning back with a mechanic to fix the issue on-site. Yes, we never leave any driver behind, but on some occasions, we have left the car inside the desert as per our roles and responsibilities to keep everyone safe. Thanks to @Dodi Syahdar Raptor's presence whose beast mode is able to drag the dead car through Liwa's enormous dunes. However, luck ended too fast when we were unable to swing past the soft sand patch after multiple failed attempts. Without a rolling momentum, Raptor's beast mode wasn't able to activate again due to extra soft sand all around. Hence we left with a winching option for the last leg and that went in for good 12+ hours, simply because the angle of the dead car was against all physics, and pulling through slip face + wedge pocket made it our worst nightmare. Thanks to @Ranjan Das winch we were able to drag the dead car a little bit uphill, but when the car started to slip into the pocket at night, we left the recovery to restart again with more winches and energy. Thanks @Hisham Masaad and @Bjoern for supporting this extreme recovery with your powerful winches, patience and determination. Without so many winches at hand and 10-15 ropes, this recovery wouldn't have been possible. After the previous night's challenge, we straight away launched the heavy-duty idea to introduce a snatch block with a Hisham winch to 1.5X the winching power at 90 degrees angled pull, through Raptor heavyweight to anchor. It did its magic and failed when the car started to tip off on two wheels, so we secured the B pillar with @Bjoern winch on the right side steep climb. Then after a little while 1.5X winch also failed as the car was getting into the wedge with an even steeper angle to deal with. Now we double down the winch by adding Ranjan's winch to the equation and finally saw the "Yellow Jeep" crawling up the hellhole. It was an unforgettable experience of my life. Thanks @Srikumar, @Asif Hussain and @GauravSoni for all the tactical support, critical thinking and impeccable leadership to deal with this EPIC extreme recovery through Liwa's enormous dunes. Thanks to @Waqas Parvez @Vaibhav @ASAD. @Pacific and @munkybizness for being there at the backend. Big thanks and shout out to @Ishak @Santoso Marjuki @Tharun Kumar V and Asif bhai's friend - Asif for offering EXEMPLARY SUPPORT by handling the most grueling and physically taxing need of attaching and detaching 10's of tow rope multiple times on huge Liwa dunes slip face with soft sand. Without your all great teamwork, this extreme recovery wouldn't have been possible.

@Anoop Nair in Carnity we are a big huge family. There was no way we could leave anyone. Great minds like @Gaurav @Srikumar @Asif Hussain @Hisham Masaad @GauravSoni made this possible. This was a great experience and learning for everyone present. Hats off to you for sitting in that car in the same angle for more that 4 hours without water and food.

amazing redirecting forces Please watch this till the end

A bit more real-life practical video: Single Pull Line without use of a snatch-block. This is the most common used technique for winch recovery: Double Line Pull by using a single snatch block: The Single Pull Line will work for 90% of winch recoveries we do in the sand. Make sure to unreel your winch rope as far as you can, as this provides more winching power (less rope on the reel means a smaller diameter means better power ratio) but keep at least 5-6 reels on the winch, otherwise the rope can get loose from the reel. The Double Pull Line with a snatch block will basically reduce the load for the winch with 50%, so it is recommended for those rare extreme recoveries. Of course in real life scenarios there are many possible ways to recover a vehicle, including the use of other vehicles to redirect forces, or use them as an anchor. There is no perfect handbook and it will be trial and error to see what works best.

I think he had plenty of food and water to enjoy the front seat on the recovery!! 😂 It would have been a human atrocity to keep him hungry while we enjoyed few snacks here and there! 😂😂😂😂

Dear Desert Drivers, Looking at the weather forecast, it looks like Al Ain area is less exposed to rain than Dubai, and for now Saturday morning looks dry and even partially sunny. I will keep watching, but we can expect nice conditions for the drive ! The plan is to explore the Southern part of Sweihan, between Sweihan and Yahar. From the meeting point move East in direction to the Old Lady Dune, then turn South, cross the road, continue in direction of Al Ain Airport, then looping back and exit close to Yahar. Big dunes and nice bowls on the way ! As usual, alternatives are possible to adjust to the conditions, and how we progress. We have 5 drivers in wait list, including 3 for a 1st drive. Please check check your schedule and in case you cannot attend, remove your RSVP early enough to allow them to join. I will issue the final list by the end of the afternoon tomorrow

Dear Desertnauts. A few info about this drive, its spirit, and the possibility of accommodating as many members as possible. After many excursions in the area between Murqab, Lisaili and Solar Park, having acquired (hopefully) enough experience with the characteristics of these terrains, and having driven by a few recognizable landmarks (sabkhas, tracks, groups of trees, camel farms or feeding stations), I thought it may be time to add the element of orienteering to the drive, and proceed to manage the drive "blind", that is without the use of GPS maps. This will mean mostly that we may arrive at some dead ends, and loop back somewhere along the trail, or find obstacles that will need more careful navigation, and in any case, adjust the track according to whatever we'll face, on uncharted territory. Considering the great number of waitlisted members, we'll also do our best to allow as many members as possible to join the drive. With this in mind, I wish to thank @Vanessa8580, who has offered to lead a second convoy, along a similar route, leaving from the same starting point as Convoy #1. Thanks to this possibility, at the moment I will be leading the 10 members who will be signed up for the drive on Friday evening (considering the possibility of some drop-outs from the current list, and the automatic signing up of those waitlisted). At the moment Convoy #1 includes @Jaro Tuzinsky, @Gary F, @Sunil Mathew, @Abdul Basit Khan, @Stumpy Paj, @Ishak, @Frans M, @Adam James, @Bravoecho and @Stan (I will be supported by @Dodi Syahdar). Also at the moment, considering the first 10 members on the current waiting list (signed up for their 1st drive), Convoy #2 includes @Ahmed Wagdy, @FARAZ MOHAMMED, @Andrei S, @Thejas Uthran, @Sebb, @Krishna R, @Murtaza Bhuria and @Naim Aoun, @Shahid Mehmood and @Yaseen87 Givne the above, the updated waitlist includes, from #1 onward, @Rashid Alseeni, @Zubair @DanielN, @Ahmad Nerat, @Dimitrios Kalogirou and @Claudio C. More updates on the drive's details, and the convoys final composition and order in the next couple of days. Looking forward to see you all soon.

That single tow hook went through almost 8 hours of tugs and winching bearing heavy load… m glad it didn’t break during the winching… @Anoop Nair please fix two tow points for recovery on the front.. another reason for not so effective pull during the initial stage was absence of a 2nd tow point which could not prevent the car from slipping..

the details felt in between the lines now its clear . thank you @Gaurav for your comments about it . was waiting to learn it from you and i did. qudos to every one . words will allways echo Liwa's dunes :" the Unforgettable yellow jeep "

Hi @Srikumar I would love to join the ride if you are able to add me please!

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 PLAN Fayah, with its crispy white virgin dunes, offers amazing views, ridge riding, and criss crossing possibilities. The plan is to cover quite some distance and have great fun ! DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie and above When: 4 February 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 7:30 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/uzZYzPr5A3gSHAxy7 Approximate finish time: 11:30 AM 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. Recommended off-road gears: Walkie-talkie radio and off-road flag (MANDATORY), plus tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and 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 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 CALENDAR

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 PLAN: Explore the Sweihan area. DRIVE DETAILS Level: Intermediate and above When: 28 Jan 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 7:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/3AP1mn7ovRJ42KDx9 Approximate finish time: 11:00 AM 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: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 5 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

Thanks @Gaurav for the advice. I have already given the car to add 2 nos of recovery points in the front and back (each). Tomorrow itself I will check with them and ensure that it will be three-bolt tow points as mentioned.

Dear Desertnauts, latest info in preparation for the drive. MEETING POINT - Will be just past Murqab's mosque, right off the exit on the Dubai-Al Ain Road. Considering the number of drivers, we'll have Convoy 1 lining up on the RIGHTside of the road, and Convoy 2 (@Vanessa8580's) on the LEFT side of the road. As soon as you reach, please start deflating and mount your flags. RADIO CHANNELS - Please set your radios as follows: CONVOY 1 on Channel #2 (446.031), and CONVOY 2 on Channel #3 (446.056). CONVOY ORDER The following are the members signed up with CONVOY 1, who will line up as follows: @Jaro Tuzinsky in Second Lead @Ishak at #3 @Stan at #4 @Bravoecho #5 @Gary F at #6 @Sunil Mathew will be drive as Center @Frans M at #8 @Abdul Basit Khan at #9 @Adam James #10 @Stumpy Paj at #11, and @Dodi Syahdar will take the Sweep's position CONVOY 2, lead by @Vanessa8580, with the support of @Lawrence_Chehimi, will line up according to the order that the Lead will establish, and will communicate on site, prior to departure. The members in Convoy 2 are the following: @FARAZ MOHAMMED, @Andrei S, @Sebb, @Krishna R, @Murtaza Bhuria, @Naim Aoun, @Shahid Mehmood, @Yaseen87, @DanielN and @Ahmad Nerat. It looks like it will be an interesting drive, on an unusual terrain, heavily soaked with the current rains, even though the day is forecasted to be sunny and pleasant. Looking forward to seeing all of you at Murqab. Have a nice end of the week.

Totally agree

This should remind us all why we always insist on "Three-bolt" recovery tow points as we have seen many factory's tow points fail with two-bolt systems. Two-bolt is acceptable for medium load but will surely fail under extreme stress. 3 or 4 bolt is the way to go. Btw, the last pull from Raptor was still a medium intensity as Raptor itself was struggling to take the load on the soft patch and still, it broke.

@Lawrence_Chehimi you have been added as support to Vanessa's Convoy 2. Thanks for joining.

Hi @Varun Mehndiratta. Thanks for setting up this drive. Unfortunately something came up for Sunday which will cause a change of plan for me and as such I will not be able to be part of the drive. Apologies for this and hoping that this would give enough time for the wait listed members to join in. I will drop out from the drive to make room for others. Wishing everyone an enjoyable drive.

Liwa adventure 2023: This had been one of most awaited drive for the year and brings along the excitement of just being surrounded by the majestic dunes and the ever gasping views of endless desert. The drive had all the elements one could expect.. from a slow delayed start due to fog , to long climbs and difficult technical bowls to sweeping slopes to cherish. it was all going well until the fateful moment when we heard the radio call of the clutch failure on Anoop’s Jeep at around 2 pm just after the lunch break. (Near waypoint 12) it was then the drive became a recovery drive led by the legends @Gaurav and @Srikumar…the entire convoy including myself and@Asif Hussain moving to the support team following step by step instructions.. after a carefully selected exit route was recced, the Jeep was attached to the ever powerful Raptor and the two started the tango to get out of the tight bowls area…. It was a couple of dunes later, just before the final dune before the exit, the raptor and jeep got stuck climbing a slip face with two steep bowls on either side. multiple attempts were made to reposition the cars to have one last go at that stretch but all in vain. The area was just too soft and steep angles. With every attempt, The Jeep started to slipping more into the bowl and after about 5 hours of attempts , it was decided to leave the car and head to the camping spot. we reached the waypoint 18 around 9.45 pm and the convoy members were finally able to relax and unwind after the long had day. The next day, We all gathered our thoughts and decided to take support from the other convoy members who had winches. we made our way back to the recovery point around 11:45 am and with renewed spirit and new tools ( extra winches of @Hisham Masaad and @Bjoern) under the watchful eyes and leadership of @Gaurav, began the next phase of recovering what now was being called the “yellow Jeep”. With car about to rollover while winching, to setting up anchor , to pulling against all physics , the recovery was like a masterclass for all members present. After multiple changes in strategies based on what’s working and what’s not, the yellow jeep finally emerged from the bottom of the hellhole and onto the flat patch at around 3:30 pm. kudos to the entire convoy, @Gaurav and @Srikumar for leading the recovery, @Dodi Syahdar for the never give up attitude and going thru the sheer physical stress, @Ranjan Das for the winching on day 1 and day 2. Your machine took a heavy toll for sure.. shoveling boys @Waqas Parvez @ASAD. @Pacific @munkybizness @Vaibhav @Ishak @Santoso Marjuki @Tharun Kumar Vyou guys were special without whom the recovery would not have been possible. Special thanks to @Srikumar for leaving the fb convoy and going through all the pain on day 1 while we attempted the recovery. C @Tharun Kumar V @Bjoern for showing amazing team spirit and courage to leave your designated drives and join us for the recovery, knowing that it may very well delay them getting back home. special thanks again to @Hisham Masaad for being instrumental with your contribution in the recovery both physically and mentally. thankyou @Sunil Mathew and @Mario Cornejo for being part of this epic drive and I am sure you would have also stayed back on day 2 with the IM convoy had it not been for personal reasons and the car issue. thankyou all for the brilliant support and m sure this drive will be talked about for not only the tenacity of the team, the complexity of recovery, the leadership, but also for the carmaradire of the convoy and the heartfelt laughter that resonated at the campsite until late night!! see you all soon in sand.

What an amazing experience, Liwa is something else!! Congrats to all of us making it to the other side safely @Kailasyou were an amazing lead, you made it a fantastic drive, challenging yet safe. Thanks @DP1011 , Deepak wranglerfor holding the convoy at the center and for all the help and tugs you gave. Thanks to everyone who supported the support, I guess we were the only ones getting stuck hahaa.😀 Hope to see you all on sand soon.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15_5xTRV9E4s0eLY6iKOQY9q8ympO4RJd Couple of pictures and videos for ya

Congrats to all participants, and thanks to everyone who took part in organizing this amazing Liwa Crossing. Special thanks to @Kailas for accepting the challenge and being such an excellent lead, always searching for the most enjoyable track, to @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler & @Lawrence_Chehimi for support, and to @Gertjan for 2nd lead (and photographer!), and thanks to the rest of the convoy for being part of a memorable weekend, outstanding job guys! I've uploaded most of the videos and pics that I took (360 videos will take longer) and will keep them for a few weeks here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZL6q82_mAwXTibyA5pr7Akevv9S_-CMa?usp=share_link

Thank you thank you thank you everybody for being part of this great trip, special thanks for @Kailas for signing up for this challenging area , I consider it was a succesfull trip as everybody returned safe with cars in one piece. Also a good part was that there were no cellular connections so everybody got a little brake from their phones 😄 and enjoyed the nature closer. Thank you @Lawrence_Chehimi and the rest of the team for extra support, thank you @Gertjan for taking extra time to take pictures for all of us. Hope everybody enjoyed , I will upload couple of pictures and videos later, cause now it doesnt go through on google drive. Now back to work 😔

Oh Liwa !! You Were majestic ! And Our Lead ! Oh @Kailas, You were unstoppable ! Not missing out on anything that offered to make it such a fantastic drive ! Nothing less than what we would have asked for ! Thank you ! @Lawrence_Chehimi.- Always great to have you and thank you for sweeping us, and those few tugs/shovels ! @Gertjan - You were absolutely impressive as a second lead and great judgement of right distance ! U never fail to impress with your professional captures - and am Glad you have some of your captures too this time with your camera .. A fantastic convoy and congratulations to all of us again ! Thanks guys for the shovel support those couple of times, everytime i was revising the learning i had from previous one , always great to have you as part of convoy @Senthil Kumar, @Jona, @Alexanderrr, @imranaasghar81, @Brett Eicher . @Mus_hus78 hope you managed to fix your car and am sure next time hopefully @Sunil Mathew am sure you too had a great time on day 2 with us ! Thanks @Carnity, @Gaurav @Frederic @Srikumar@Gaurav Soni@Hisham Masaad@Vanessa8580 - The masterminds and the leads behind this to be remembered drive for rest of the year untill the next one - Thank you !

Super congrats to all of you for completing this unforgettable challenge ! Amazing job @Kailasfor taking up the lead in this kind of terrain and completing it wonderfully !

Thank you very much @Kailas for leading this incredible trip... such a fantastic weekend, and you made the route superb! Great highlights along the way. And such an amazing convoy of drivers... so many laughs and smiles, truly made it all so much better. And a special thanks to @Gertjan for providing such spectacular photos on top of being second lead.... you didn't miss a beat 😎 Already can't wait for the next one.

Hi @imranaasghar81 no issues go ahead.

@Gertjando you mind if I share the Google photos link with my dad ?

Oh Liwa!! Congratulations team FB+ for the Liwa Crossing accomplishment. We had a relatively short convoy as there were few dropouts and @Mus_hus78had to exit very early due to 4WD issues. Couldn't ask for more. Every thing was perfect, the convoy, terrain, camping. There were lots of climbs, huge bowls and drops that were almost 150+m @Gertjan was the prefect second lead. I felt very comfortable driving in front of you. Always kept good distance and your awareness was fantastic. And thanks to all the pictures and videos. @Jona and @Brett Eicher were the only FB+ in the convoy. But you guys allowed me to push to an IM level and handling it so well. @imranaasghar81 looking forward for the 360 clips. @Senthil Kumar & @Alexanderrr had no issues handling churned track. @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler & @Lawrence_Chehimithanks for your support. Thanks to others for supporting the supports. Looking forward for next Liwa drive. Drive Stats We covered almost 180kms in total. We drove very close to Saudi Border taking more of dunes and less Sabhka.

Thanks all for RSVPing for the drive. We have a really strong convoy with some awesome machines and warm bunch of ppl. I don’t know why but usually I always end up having convoy full of Jeeps and FJs with some even bigger trucks on my drives, it’s good to see a beautiful elegant Lexus this time, thanks @Ali Abas for signing up 😀. Rabbit is considered to be luckiest of all 12 animals as per Chinese culture - so I am hoping we will be lucky enough to have a nice pleasant weather. I am planning to join with a naked Jeep, so no rain plz 🙏🙏 Also it symbolizes smart and elegant personality - so we are in for some elegant ridge riding and a drive where we all will be smart enough not to fight gravity 😀 Plan for the drive is simple - we will start with the first ray of sunlight. And try to explore ourselves on as many long range dunes as we can - riding over some nice sharp Faqa signature ridges and criss-crossing through some awesome dunes to end close to where we will be around 11am (hopefully). I am not planning to have a set route, who knows if weather and convoy pace permits, we may end up close to Solar Park or maybe even Little Sweihan area in Qudra with its awesome tightly packed huge Sweihan style bowls. And if not maybe in Faqa somewhere - there’s no limit of what we can explore at Faqa in any case 😀. It’s really tough to control a rabbit once it’s out of hole. Focus is on having fun and having a jam. Looking forward to see you all this weekend. In case of any change in plans, please update the rsvp in time so as to avoid last min planning. @Jona @Pierre de Maigret @Richard Franks @Mus_hus78 @Beide Worku @Brett Eicher @Patrick van der Loo @Mike M. @Richard Franks @Felix Obst @Davie Chase @Ali Abas

Good news for the waiting list. Unfortunately for me I have to bow out this time. Enjoy the drive and see you all next time.