Rahimdad

@imranaasghar81 it was less sea sick and seemed you had this huge FJ which you were running the world over with by yourself. That being said, it is good to experiment and learn, definitely looking forward to some wonderful video footage from you in future.

 @Archibald Jurdi this drive already took place on 8 Jan, please sign up for a drive for 15 Jan.

This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely.

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions

MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST

Two Way Radio Guidelines

• Every Offroader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic.
• We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. 
• Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving.
• Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops...
• No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it.

Drive Details

Level:  Fewbie and above (all levels) (No Newbies)

When: 15 Jan 2021, Friday.

Meeting time: 6.30 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: Al Lisali Fort - https://maps.app.goo.gl/5hVW2Xfj8BJtHd9e7

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), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn.

Please also make sure you have all the equipment required on board as a Fewbie - Proper shovel, deflation kit, flag. 

THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. 

Approximate finish time: 10:30 AM

End Point:  Marquab

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE:

• Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 10 AM.
  • 1 Lead Marshal + 2 or 1 Senior Members + 10 Members.
  • If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list
• Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS.
• Members that do not confirm the terms of the COVID requirements will be removed from the RSVP list.
• 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 THE BELOW CALENDAR EVENT

Thank you @Mohamed Seidam for posting this and very good observation from @N@ved. I would like to hear more comments from more newbies who are trying to learn the art of off-roading.

@Goutam unfortunately its not all about height and ground clearance. I have recently seen a brand new Xterra in Bur Dubai area and it definitely looks modern and might even have all the necessary gadgets on board. But with time and due to some safety regulations coming in and Nissan trying to fulfil those conditions to keep running their vehicles on the road the attention has some what shifted from its earlier version of a rugged off-road vehicle. The low bumper overhangs and many other factors will also be taken into consideration. I for one have always been proven wrong by the likes of @Brette with his JGC or with @Lorenzo Candelpergher with his Y62, but we cannot be sure of it's true capabilities until we see it in the sands for ourselves. Our expert with the figures about ride height and clearance angles @Frederic can share his point of view on this and of course @Gaurav bhai who has driven almost every beast in this world and settled for his capable Pajero and its quirks can shed more light.

Hi @Ahab Shamaa, you don't want to learn from Dr @Chaitanya D or me, we will let @Foxtrot Oscar show you what we mean by honeymoon dunes.

Congratulations @Danish Mohammad, I hope you continue to learn and polish your off-road skills at this new level.

Congratulations @Thomas Varghese, really pleased to see you among the promotions and well deserved. Not only your drive style but also your spirit with the community is highly recommendable. Keep on learning and growing within the @Carnity structure, these challenges keep us motivated.

Congratulations on your promotion @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, your drive ability and the way you comprehend off-roading has always touched me. Like @Ahab Shamaa put it so nicely, you look amazing trying to match your attire with your son, unlike me who has the same old Superman T-shirts I turn out with every week. With this being said, get ready for some hard labor to chizzle you into shape.

Congratulations @Salarios on your promotion to Intermediate level. looking forward to using your services for some really hard labor, hope you have the right size shovel in your kit.

Congratulations @Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader, I have had the pleasure to drive with you and really love the way you handle your ride. I hope you enjoy learning and polishing your off-road skills at this new level.

Well deserved @Goutam, congratulations. Your real lessons in off-roading start now.

@Ahab Shamaa at your service bro. I am a peoples person and love interaction with each and every one of you. Remember no questions are bad, only bad answers. I hope I will never give a bad answer to any one who wants to learn from me. But love the fact that people can prove me wrong, as @Brette has done with his JGC.

As I repeated throughout the drive, this drive for me had started even before we touched the sands. With the kind hearted gesture of @Shehab Alawadhi, @Thomas Varghese, @ALI ALMOUMAR and an equally generous offer made by @N@ved to give opportunity to those on the waitlist to have atleast one drive over the weekend at their preferred timing. As I drove up to the deflation point it took me back 4 years to when we had our first @Carnity drive in the same area, out for the few cars that attended that first drive @Srikumar was among them. As I gave my first @Carnity convoy brief as I later discovered @Srikumar was bemused by one of my statements. That statement was that one day you will be leading the drive and I will be happy to support you all. @Srikumar still remembers that part of my convoy briefing and I am sure at his level looks forward to see the newer convoy learn and grow under his wings so that he would be bale to support their drives. @Brette was a part of that promise made 4 years back and a product of our hard work and commitment to launch the structure which would assist us in this endeavor.

@Brette had his own butterflies in his stomach which he had to deal with, but under his calm exposure nobody would be able to make out how nervous he actually was leading his first Newbie drive. So he joined Dr @Chaitanya D club and nailed it. Although he started with a bit of my flavor to bore the people for the first 15 minutes of the drive, but a quick chat sorted that out as he increased the level of his drive to suit everyone. The fact that everyone did so well was one reason why he grew in confidence as the drive continued and since everyone was so capable he decided he will be the first one to get stuck to teach everyone how it is done. The exercise did us well as we dug around his JGC and lessons learned by Newbies as to where and how to dig, as that is an important part and soon we had some movement on his JGC and soon it was out and we were on our way again. We did not bother with the busy sections and kept moving which was a brilliant decision, not to go all the way up on Fossil Rock was another wise decision as we continued towards Faya.

On the way we had a slightly difficult stuck with some soft sand and rocks at the bottom which could easily damage any vehicle. But precise maneuver and keeping a cool head and listening and following instructions saw that challenge overcome with zero casualties and we were on our way again. This got us to the section which most people on the convoy enjoyed the most, this area is just behind Faya and has some awesome rolling dunes. My fear was Newbies might not be able to manage in this area, but I was wrong as @Brette chose the best lines and the convoy followed him perfectly through those lines. Our next challenge came just behind Faya as we had a couple of refusals and 2 pop-outs, thanks to @Brette for taking the entire circle to come back to where we were as he handled one pop-out while I fixed the other one.

This left us with a huge bowl to cross and we were on the front face of Faya. I cannot imagine the joy of the convoy attempting and having the thrill which made them forget about time. As the first girl arrived on top of Faya I was singing "This girl is on Faya" in my car. We all took several attempts as we tried to touch the peak, and I must admit that for the first time I reached the highest point I could ever do with my Pathfinder, however it was still not the day for me when I could make it all the way. Some of the newer drivers showed me how it is done with their vehicles and one kind soul who lend me his Jeep to discover that nothing is impossible for the Jeep. A Jeep is a jeep sirjee. The wind was seriously strong and was blowing up sand all over which made it difficult to see where you were headed too at times, but everybody managed well.

@Brette you were amazing in your lead and raised the level gradually but steadily up to gauge how everyone was managing, and I am sure everybody learned loads. @Michael Glavanis managed his LR3 well and even showed me that the Discovery can climb Faya in the right hands. I had no idea when you were able to take out your drone, but I loved the pics you have taken and they just blew me away. @Bala Krishnan has my most favorite ride of the lot, the almighty Prado and I was glad to see him keep a very good control at all times both with his throttle and his steering control. @Alphin Aloor and his Xterra are really gelling well, as he knows exactly when he needs to squeeze some power out of it and the Xterra nicely reciprocates by allowing him the luxury of all of the 276 hp it can deliver.

@Hisham Masaad did a fantastic job as a center forward with precise and clear instructions over the radio and perfect information as to the convoy movement. His smile and enthusiasm are second to none and showed us how to put his FJ to good use. @imranaasghar81 I just saw the video you shot and was a bit confused when I first saw the setup on the day. I now realize exactly what you were using it for, my frank opinion is I felt it cartoonish at times but is a good start to get to know the mode better and experiment to get the whole video more watchable. @Ben84 was absolutely amazing with his ride and showed good control. @Sara EL FANIDI was busy getting chased by the boys in the club, but showed she could use her Jeep to good effect to get away from such hooligans'. @Kaile Barrameda my kabayan did very well as I have come to expect of her and besides handling her ride well stays focused and calm to process any instructions well. @N@ved with his 2006 model TJ showed amazing progress and is a fast learner who has very good attention to detail. @syed salman raza is my savior as this is his third occasion on my drive to be a sweep and he just keeps getting better at it with time. My amazement comes when he posts so many photos in the Gallery as I hardly find time to click any pics when I am sweeping any convoy. He is now starting to own his F150 and showing us how it can be used and I always enjoy to hear it roar to life as and when required.

@Lorenzo Candelpergher has also managed his Y62 very nicely, maybe he can give options as to what he has done with his bumpers.

Dr @Chaitanya D butterflies for the first newbie drives is a norm, @Brette had a similar experience and as the drive progresses and everyone starts supporting one another and you see that team spirit flowing through the convoy you settle in and start feeling better. It is important never to forget where you started and revisit your first days in the desert every time you lead a Newbie drive. Well done all.

Wow @Asif Hussain bhai, you've done it again. Astonished everyone with some amazing terrain and awesome playable dunes to wet anyone's appetite for more.

Well done @Lorenzo Candelpergher, @Luca Palanca Falsini and @Janarthan. I am so excited for this upcoming talent in our group. Can't wait to support the drives our our new leads, each one description has left me with the dilemma of which of them to support first. @Gaurav bhai hats off to you for taking this initiative and has now added to part of our structure to give a feel and understanding to the new leads so that we don't have any unpleasant surprises or disheartened leaders with unexpected events.

Hi @marillionnut. Maybe the below car business can help you find a few leads, you will just need to call them individually and check with them what you need and if delivery in Oman is possible. But like @Frederic pointed out anything used does not come with any kind of guarantee and the transport cost for crossing the UAE and Oman border every time will far exceed the cost of a proper engine rebuild. Wish you luck buddy and hope to hear about the updates regarding your patient.

Congratulations @Ashok chaturvedi. Take a bow. This is a great news and I am very happy for you. I am really impressed to hear so many wonderful things about your dedication and sharp learning over the past couple of weeks. I really wish I could have been on those drives to see this amazing improvement. Congratulations on joining the FJ family as well, I am looking forward to driving along your side soon.

Congratulations @Brette. The most relaxed person on any given trip and enjoys his time out in the desert and with like minded people. @Ahab Shamaa you 1001 questions are more than welcome, I remember when @Brette joined us he had his set of questions too. I would tell my wife on my afternoon trip I would be home by 10 pm, but if @Brette was on the trip I would reach home at 1:30 am the next morning. The biggest thing I appreciate about him is not his capabilities, but questions as to why I would advise him against using his JGC in the desert and why I would advise him to get a desert toy. He has put all those comments in positive perspective and worked on those issues before they can happen and enjoyed his JGC throughout his time with us. This also gives us a chance to welcome new JGC owners along with first hand advise from @Brette on how to tame his wild stallion in the desert. His cautious approach is another amazing trait he processes, its not about crossing that huge dune, but doing so safely and never push his Jeep to extreme to cause any unwanted damages. Truly a gentleman and yes @Shehab Alawadhi a mentor to have when you are aspiring to reach a Marshal level.

Please also be aware that the compressor main job is not to inflate you after the drive, rather to help out if you have a pop-out. Lower end compressors will make your job to pop a tire back in impossible or at the least very difficult for the tire to pop back in to the rim.

We all love your voice @Arman you can't single out @Shehab Alawadhi

@Yasas Dharmadasa our fight is not with the government here. As long as we share the same interests let's see how we can help them with our experience to make things better.

Thank you @N@ved for your kind words and views. I am so happy the most people going through these tons of post realize how important it is to learn from others mistakes in this sport. Like you rightly said if ego takes over and you say if he can do it so can I, is something which can end up in a mistake. But the same statement is necessary also to move forward and learn but with a humble approach and not an egoistic approach. Again I would like to thank you for acknowledging the importance of the grading structure, as the more experienced drivers can gauge you with every drive how well you have developed, how you have improved your throttle and steering control and if you are ready for the next maneuver.  Surely everybody has a different way and speed at which they learn and pick up things, I have realized visualization is the best method. So having these visual aids to learn is not to scare people from this sport, but to further emphasize the importance of learning and gaining experience at the right pace and not to hurry yourselves. Like @Gaurav bhai rightly keeps repeating, this is not a competition, this is not a race, but a fun day out and an activity you can enjoy with like minded people.