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What a beautiful drive indeed it has been . Thank you @M.Seidam for this pleasant gift that you planned for today. Despite the dense fog, everyone was on pretty much on time - which shows how everyone was looking forward to this one ! Thank you for showing up ! To save time, even though it was foggy, we had our de-brief about 7.30 and waited for the fog to clear , but without any luck on it clearing. We then decided to proceed and enter the sand, to see if visibility gets better - if not , have a good time conversating in Sands. So finally the convoy was on the move at 8am. Despite dense fog, the visibility did permit the convoy movement and we did a nonstop 45 mins of drive, for our first break. During this time, the drive was with very fluid movement with hardly any major refusals. The second half of the drive did offer a mix of broad ridges, technical patches and while with visiblity getting better , it did offer a patch full of vegetation requiring more focus to maneuver ! We had couple of refusals but all well managed by self recoveries - thanks to @Mehmet Volga anchoring the convoy in the middle. Well done for your first SL job @Faraz94 - I noticed you were my SL from the time I reached the meeting point - Well done on keeping that adequate distance. Congrats all the first time FBs - @Prithvi Raj @Sandeep Nayar @Sohini who did well given the conditions today ! Guys at the back were also am sure having good time in this relaxed but quiet a few times requiring full focus on those drops ! @Mahmut @Shiju Raju @abdallah @frederic demolder @Gautam Banka@Abhilash Kottakkal ! Considering the time limitations, I decided to skip the last planned patch of Murquab, which offers some more technical challenge without vegetation - which is my fav area of Murquab and hence we exited on time near the Mosque. Thanks all again and this for sure is one of those rare drives which offered such fantastic weather. Below some stats of the drive for your reference !

@PAJERO petelczyc luke, @Rafey Hashmi, @Batuhan Kulac, @Juan R, @Hugo, @george charbel, @Bravoecho , @Stumpy Hope you are all ready for a quick drive starting at Faqa’a that will end at Solar Park, after we cross a bit of technical terrain in Little Sweihan. We will also encounter some long range dunes on the way. Some of us have done this few times but we were also frustrated with a lot of vegetation on the way to the main play areas of Faqa’a and trying to find sand. This drive will start where many drives end, at the far side of Faqa’a in Abu Dhabi. We will climb dunes on Channel 2 and we will follow this convoy order:

Thank you all for joining the drive this morning, despite the heavy fog on the road. The fog was heavy, and we had to wait until 9:30 am to get enough visibility. But then it was really worth it, the vast dune areas of Sweihan were open for us ! The warm-up was not easy, with the sand wet and soft at the same time, and of course all convoys starting at the same time. But after a few high ridges and bowls, everyone was awake! From one ridge to the other, we made our way to the tall Nagra dune. With a lot of cross tracks, it was not the best conditions, but we managed to cross the summit ridge, and to loop around the faces. The second portion, continuing in the direction of Nahel, offered clean open dunes, totally empty. Crossing the sabkha we reached the Ghafeteen bowl, nice spot to play once we found the right line. With a last portion of technical dunes, we reached the exit track. Thank you @Jona for a perfect 2nd lead. Whatever I was doing, you were always there in my mirror, at the same distance. @Zulfikar, well done for your first IM. You lost a few ridges, but the important is being able to control your car in all situations, the rest will come. @Patrick van der Loo, always a pleasure to hear your jeep in the convoy. Very well driven. @Ashutosh Garg, well driven also, but you had 2 near misses. Remain focused on your environment, and think momentum rather than speed to cross obstacles. @Davie Chase, thank you for watching the convoy from the back, it was a peace of mind for me to know you were there; Enjoy the rest of the weekend and see you soon !

Dear Sand Tech enthusiasts As we always promise we try not to leave any one behind so all WL have been added to the drive. Important Pre-drive Details below: Be ready at the meeting point by7:00am (or before) with tires deflated (Front 14psi Rear 13psi) and flag erected Please ensure your programable radio is on, fully charged and set to Channel 4 (446,081) Briefing will be done on the sand before we start moving. Please ensure everything in the car is tied down and there are no moving objects Please check all car fluids, tow hooks, and ensure no hanging parts below the chassis. please ensure you come with a full tank (as much as possible) in addition to all necessary gear for this drive level specially your tire deflator, pressure gauge and a compressor, safety flag and radio and proper shovel. (NO FLAG or RADIO = NO DRIVE) MeetingPoint: https://maps.app.goo.gl/j6iY3GvWKUPpTxqr6?g_st=ic Convoy Order will be shared during the briefing

We flew above the clouds this morning and in complete safety, congratulations @DP1011 for guiding us through this magnificent desert 🐪 see you next time 😉👍🙏💪

Great drive today, thank you @Frederic for the second half challenges in sweihan good to experience the different sand feel with the side slopes. Happy to say my first drive no stuck or crest mount although thats my signature move, i know due to the hard sand but still feels great. pictures added to the gallery

@JeromeFJ great drive today thanks for allowing me the pleasure to sweep the convoy really enjoyed being at the back @Jona great second lead you kept us all on track and safe well done @Zulfikhar Naiyar @Patrick van der Loo @Ashutosh Garg you guys drove the wheels off your cars today with zero stucks and only a couple of refusals well done to all it meant that Jerome could get us across the desert despite our fog bound late start 😀 Have a great rest of your weekend https://www.relive.cc/view/vPv4V1kdkR6

THANK YOU!!!@doc for not cancelling the drive even when you had all the reasons to. @DP1011 for the AMAZING lead and @mehmat for your support with my refusals. This is one of the best dives of my life. I would like to thank Deepak for the pep talk that helped me calm my nerves as this was my first fewbe and I really needed that. thank you to all carnityners for you company and the knowledge sharing sessions that we had during the break. hope to see you all next week God bless all, enjoy the weekend. adios amigos

DRIVE PLAN We have all seen a lot of vegetation in Faqa'a whenever we drove down the line from Chimney, so this time we will start at a new place and directly go to the fun areas of Faqa'a. While we will meet at a slightly distance place to start to drive, but we save ourselves the hardship of driving though all the bushes. From our favorite playground at Faqa'a we will go towards Little Swihan and end our Drive at Solar Park ~ 10:00 am or so. GENERAL OVERVIEW 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 Plus and above When: 25 February 2024, Sunday Meeting time: 7:00 AM - Sharp (we will start the drive at 7:00) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/c7csDnXfSSVzZzgz9 Approximate finish time: 10:30 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. RECOMENDED 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 Saturday - 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

Live your drives @JeromeFJthabsk for staying in the desert a bit longer. Such a beautiful area and the flow at certain points was just amazing. Having both you and mister @Davie Chasein the convoy and triple suspension @Jonain 2L! What a great set up. Thank you and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Nice one mate. See you on some FB+ drives soon

Hello, I noticed someone has dropped out of the drive as it is saying 11 are going. Can I join the drive tomorrow?

Congratulations @Marek_was003

Dear Desert Wanderers, @Arravind, @rroker, @dhurisam, @TIMMY, @EbrahimZAF, @Benjamin, @Fares Adel, @Wilfredo Perez, @Juzer Talib, @karim hamandi and @Srikumar The drive RSVP is now closed. Please remove yourself if your plans have changed and you are unable to attend this drive. Pre-drive Details: Be ready at the Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/NDqf4w9FWMVyaqvt7 by7:00am (or before) with tires deflated (14psi HT and 12psi AT) and flag erected. Please ensure your programable radio is on, programmed to all 9 Carnity Channels, fully charged and set to Channel 4 (446,081) for this particular drive. For first timers, please ensure you complete all of the mandatory readings and watch the video in the main drive post before arriving at the meeting point (there might be questions). Please do not worry about anything as a full pre drive briefing will be conducted on the sand before we start moving. Please ensure everything in the car is tied down and there are no moving objects, please ensure that you are using cargo straps and not bungy type restraints. Please check all car fluids (Oil, Coolant, Brake Fluid, etc), tow hooks are essential front and back, and ensure no hanging parts below the chassis. Please ensure you come with a full tank of fuel (as much as possible). Ensure you have all the necessary gear for this drive level especially your tire deflator, pressure gauge, compressor, safety flag and radio. (NO FLAG or RADIO = NO DRIVE) Be ready to have fun and we will see you all in the sand bright eyed and bushy tailed on Sunday morning. Convoy Order Will Be As Below:

Good morning all ! RSVP IS NOW CLOSED FOR THIS DRIVE Please find the convoy setup for tomorrow's drive. We will be using Channel 2 - 446.031 Mhz as walkie talkie channel. Please ensure to bring: * proper shovel, radio, safety flag, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, compressor, pressure gauge/deflator. * smiles and patience to learn See you tomorrow !

Great level-up @sohinik 💪 Mia and I looking forward to catching up with you on a drive soon 🙏

congratulations @sohinik