Ale Vallecchi

Dear Desertnauts Paraphrasing Churchill's words, tomorrow's drive "will be long, will be hard, and will be unpredictable". The itinerary is divided into 4 segments: 1) from Murqaab's mosque to Faqa's sabkha - mix of technical and long range dunes, some vegetation, the longest of the four; 2) Faqa to the Little Sweihan - possibility of choosing diverse tracks (from technical but straighter, to long range but longer), mostly sandy, could be the fastest; 3) From the souther sabkhas to Solar Park's edges - in the long run, vegetation may be the biggest challenge of this segment (patience required); 4) final dash (Inshallah) to Qudra - familiar terrain, we'll have to worry about some technical areas, and abundant cross-tracks. The time required to cover each segment will not be exactly 1 hour,but may vary. I am counting to reach as far as Solar Park, from 7 to Eleven, with the hope of having been fast enough, and unencumbered by problems, to manage a last sprint home to Qudra, instead of an exit. Breaks will come only as necessary, so bring refreshments to stay hydrated and focus through the drive. @Vaibhav, @Tom B, @Stav, @Mohamad Anwer, @Waqas Parvez, @Naim Aoun, @James Thorn, @Rsjiv Samuel, @Looper and @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. PLEASE TRY TO REACH THE MEETING POINT AT LEAST 15 MIN BEFORE 7AM, SO WE CAN START EXACTLY ON TIME. Convoy order and radio channel will be given tomorrow morning prior to the start. Have a great Saturday evening.

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 strictly follow these guidelines. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions Mandatory Safety Requirements Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Fewbie Plus and above Meeting time: 7:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/om5sMbWJ4Ze6cZME9 Action Plan: Open from 7:00 in the morning, to 11in the evening. That's how the well known chain of convenience stores came to be called 7-Eleven. We'll also open for business at 7:00AM, and we'll be going at it for the next 4 hours, until 11:00AM, providing a non-stop, always open throttle, driving adventure. Our drive plan will be designed to last exactly 4 hours, and/or to cover 120 Km. The drive will end, wherever we'll be (with exit points planned nearby our route), at exactly 11:00 AM, or upon covering 120 Km, whichever comes first. The goal is to drive at a minimum average moving speed of 30Km/h. To make things more challenging, the terrain will entail also a few technical areas, at the beginning, and as many long range dunes as we can find, with a couple of sabkhas in between. 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 11:00 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Friday - 9 AM. 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 ON THE CALENDAR

Mystery Drive - Report "Listen to silence. It has much to say" - Rumi A much delayed report, due to work commitments, where the fun of the mystery drive can finally be recounted. In fact, silence spoke very loudly throughout the drive. It indicated that all were concentrated, and most of all, that nothing warranting support, digging work, or a tugging job, was in demand. After all, my definition of a fun drive, includes seamlessly driving through diverse terrains, at the fastest possible speed that security allows, taking one's mind off any other daily matters, to thoroughly enjoy the landscape, the technical challenges, and the achievement of covering as much "unfriendly" ground as possible, in the most efficient way. The itinerary took us through a new sector of the so called "Middle Earth" (the sand cordons sandwiched between Solar Park and the E14), to a middle entry into Little Sweihan's tall and sinewy dune canyons, which we drove through three times, in all directions, prior to reaching the sabkha that connects this area to Faqa, and the AD border. It was decided to extend the drive to reach the Dubai-Al Ain road, through the yellow sand dunes next to the newest Solar Park development (yes, #4 reaches all the way to Faqa), rather than the more usually travelled Faqa district itself. The extra challenge in choosing this little travelled areas came from the fact that we had to make progress mostly from the slip face sides of the dunes, except the very last 10 minutes of the drive. These slip faces were even more difficult to cross, due to a strata of soft, powdery sand, that had deposited itself onto the ridges, following the windy weeks that preceded the drive. That actually didn't stop the convoy from moving, but made me come down from a few ridges, being "rejected" by the soft sand, back down the slope, to look for a more approachable crossing point. Great driving by the whole convoy, with a well executed Second Lead by @Thomas Varghese, an efficient anchoring by @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, a clean sweep by @Dodi Syahdar, and a very proficient performance by @Charbel, @Zixuan Huang - Charlie, @Anoop Nair, @Chris Wing, @Pacific and @Rawad. Thank you all so much for joining me in my 100th Carnity lead, and for making it a silent, yet very eloquent, virtually perfect drive. See you soon out there.

Hi @Charbel. Thanks for wait listing. I will let you know by tomorrow at 11AM if anybody drops out (if so, you should automatically move into the drive).

Hi @JeromeFJ. Welcome to the drive. I'll have you share duties with Varun and Looper in the management of the convoy. See you tomorrow.

Dear Desertnauts a few more info about the Rush Hours drive of tomorrow. As mentioned in the original post, we'll be driving with a double, alternative, objective: cover 60 km, and/or drive for maximum 2 hours (whichever comes first). With these goals in mind, this would normally be graded more as an Intermediate drive: nonetheless, the idea has been to offer a stimulating, challenging, itinerary, to members who are looking forward to reaching the next rank. Hence, concentration will have to be the utmost, driving skills practiced as close to perfection as possible, while, of course, the route will have to take into consideration that it is NOT an IM drive, but it should still provide the upgraded challenges that will allow us to reach our goals, in a speedy and safe manner. Please reach the meeting point so that all preparatory operations are completed just before 4PM, which will be the exact starting time of the drive. We will decide the radio channel just before departing. The convoy order will be the following: @Sunil Mathew as Second Lead @Naveen Raj at #3 @Santoso Marjuki as #4 @KAMALIO will take spot #5 @Looper will be at the Center @Gregory is going to be #7 @Vaibhav will be #8 @Fabien Monleau #9, and @varunmehndiratta will Sweep. See you tomorrow, punctual for a timely departure. Have a great night.

Sure @varunmehndiratta. Hope you can make it. Thanks

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 strictly follow these guidelines. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions Mandatory Safety Requirements Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Fewbie Plus and above Meeting time: 3:30 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HxCgwXds3QHjDSdR8 Action Plan: As most people start to crowd the streets to rush back home, after work or school, we'll be rushing through the dunes, with a drive plan designed tom cover at least 60 Km in 2 hours. Departure is scheduled exactly at 4:00 PM (meeting time will be from 3:30 PM onward, so that we'll be all ready to start precisely at 4PM). The drive will end, wherever we'll be (with exit points planned nearby our route), at exactly 6:00 PM, or upon covering 60Km, whichever comes first. The goal is to drive at a minimum average moving speed of 30Km/h. The terrain will entail as few technical areas as possible, and as many long range dunes as we can find, with a couple of sabkhas in between. 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 6:00 PM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Friday - 9 AM. 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 ON THE CALENDAR

Dear Desertnauts "Mystery is defined as something that is secret".... and a mystery the drive will be. No information as to where we are going, where we are exiting, or when. No info about the convoy order (which is ready, but will be announced tomorrow morning). Just a meeting and deflation point, to be reached as close to 7:00 am as possible: Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/HxCgwXds3QHjDSdR8 We'll be heading to the main area of the drive, through a novel route, which will lead us to enter it from a new angle. From there on, we'll keep improvising. The Carnity Radio Channel of choice will be #4 (446.081) @Thomas Varghese, @Rawad, @Charbel, @Pacific, @Zixuan Huang - Charlie, @Chris Wing, @Xavier Treasurer, @Anoop Nair, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, and @Dodi Syahdar, see you all tomorrow morning

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 strictly follow these guidelines. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions Mandatory Safety Requirements Ban from Carnity Off-road Club Two Way Radio Guidelines Drive Details Level: Intermediate and above Meeting time: 7:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/HxCgwXds3QHjDSdR8 Action Plan: We will surely start within Dubai, and will surely not enter AD. We'll meet all terrains, from technical dunes and sabkhas, to long range dunes and sand bowls. We'll snake around low bushes, zip past tall Ghaf trees, or draw lines on pristine slope. We'll plan a warm up phase, to reach our main area of interest, and we'll extend the drive in the direction we'll find more interesting, for as long as we see fit. We may loop back to our original starting point....or not. We'll also enjoy a major break during the drive, for which you may want to bring refreshments, and most of all, you should bring your good spirit. 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, face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 11:00 AM P.S. Only join if you have a compressor to inflate your tires after the drive. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Friday - 9 AM. 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 ON THE CALENDAR

Sorry @Harshal, my mistake. You will take position # 10. See you tomorrow.

Dear soon to be Desertnauts, as mentioned in the previous post, please reach the meeting point as close to 7:00AM as possible, to allow as swift a start as possible. You can refuel, if needed, at the Al Qudra's Last Exit ADNOC station. Please, be watchful of bikers coming through the bike lane just off the turning point on Saih al Salam Road, before crossing it. You will find myself and @Kailas just to the right of the turn-off, waiting for you, and ready to assist in checking your cars for appropriate clearance and tow hooks. The Carnity frequency we'll be using throughout the drive will be channel #1 (466.006). Once deflated we'll proceed to approach the actual entry into the sand, where we'll have a detailed driving briefing before starting the actual drive. The convoy order for the drive will be the following: @Aghabi in Second Lead @fayazc as #3 @Salvador Perez in place #4 @Sreenath Giridharan at #5 @Ravi Kumar will be #6 @JDub at #7 @Riyas Mohammed in place #8 @Yerem Davtyan will be #9, and @Kailas will sweep the convoy. Enjoy your Saturday evening, and see you tomorrow morning.

Yes @JDub I will. I will send the last info tomorrow afternoon. Thanks Hello @Aghabi. I will be there to inform you, but you can start deflating as soon as you arrive. Thanks

Dear soon to be Desertnaut @Aghabi, @fayazc, @Salvador Perez, @Sreenath Giridharan, @Ravi Kumar, @Harshal, @Yerem Davtyan, @Riyas Mohammed, @Followthehippo and @JDub - Welcome to Carnity! As you are aware of, this is a drive strictly for who has never been off road with Carnity. In preparation for it, it is important that you inform us if: you have any prior off-road experience (some of you have already answered); your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets (as above); if your car has the required ground clearance of min. 8 inches (21 cm) between the ground and its bumpers/undercar. Before joining the drive on Sunday morning, you will need to have viewed the introductory videos (links above). Please also make sure you are equipped with a tire deflator and a tire pressure gauge (sometimes they are all in one tool). You will need these. If you have an off-road flag as well that would he great. In case you do not have a flag mount on your car, you may look for a flag with suction cups, which can be easily placed on one of the rear windows. Even if the drive should end near a gas station, where they have an air compressor, if you have your own please bring it along, as it may be quicker than waiting in line. So, to recap, useful tools to carry would be: tire deflator (must) tire pressure gauge (must) radio (recommended) off-road flag (recommended) air compressor All these items should be available at any ACE or Speedex store, as well as at Dragon Mart (at this latter location you can find especially the radios, where I advise you ask to set on manual inputs - you can memorize the channels later, as Carnity uses channels which are different from the ones that are usually memorized at Dragon Mart's outlets). Regarding the area of the drive, we will access the desert from an entry point along the Saih al Salam Road, going from Qudra Parking (where you can use the ADNOC gas station to fill up your tank), toward the Bab al Shams Resort. Follow carefully the Google Maps directions: once you turn off the tarmac road (after circling a roundabout next to a mosque), you will cross through the bike track. Myself and @Kailas will be waiting for you just to the right, past the bike track. We'll likely have to drive around a very big water puddle, left by the recent rains, to access our final entry point. Once arrived at the meeting point, we'll conduct a final inspection of your cars (sufficient clearance and accessible tow points are a must, without which you'll be turned back). Following a detailed technical briefing, we'll be ready to enter the dunes, and start your off-roading adventure. This area is rarely used by other clubs, and the sand is much cleaner ad smoother, so this is an ideal ground to move your first steps in the desert. Any new member who's planning to join this introductory drive, please contact me on this thread for any preparatory question. In the meantime have a great rest of the week.

@Eli Zandro Hamoy, I believe you have already done an Absolute Newbie drive, with @Gaurav, so you must have inadvertently signed up for this AN drive. I'll sign you out, so you may sign into an available Newbie drive. Thanks

Join us to explore Al Qudra Desert to find what's beyond Qudra lakes And learn the art of offroading in a versatile playground for your first off-road adventure. You will learn to self-drive your vehicle from experts having decades of off-roading experience in the UAE. This area offers a good mix of playable long set of dunes and broad ridges to practice your off-road skills slowly but surely. Drive is open for all 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD vehicles having 8-10 inches of ground clearance and (MANDATORY) Front and rear tow hooks (MANDATORY) This is an off-road drive for beginners where you'll drive and learn at your own pace: This is not a training session. This is not a 1:1 teaching class. This is not a Desert Driving Course. If you are interested in comprehensive 1:1 training sessions, please check Desert Driving Courses. Desert Driving Masterclass Desert Recovery Champion Advance Desert Driving Course First time with Carnity Off-road Club: Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Year. Do you have any prior off-road experience? Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets. Learn More About: Carnity Off-road Club STRICTLY: For ABSOLUTE NEWBIE who are driving for the first time with Carnity. MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Important links to read: Off road Club Grading Structure V.3.0 Frequently Asked Questions - Click and scroll down. How do I join? Is my car fit for off-roading Many more FAQ's - ANSWERED. Mandatory Safety Requirements Essential Off-road Gear Ultimate Compressor Review Transfer your previous off-road experience Drive Details Level: Only for "ABSOLUTE NEWBIES" or first timer with Carnity Off-Road Club When: 23 Jan 2022, Sunday. Meeting time: 7:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.google.com/?q=24.818832,55.255631 Type of Car: Any 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Tire deflator, pressure gauge and compressor, Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 11:00 AM LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 new members only. RSVP will close on Saturday - 5PM. 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 or members who are not on the RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Please cancel you RSVP if you cannot make it, so your spot can be taken by others. Please RSVP on below Calendar

Ghantoot Express - Drive Report "One day, when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open, and the world is full of beauty. Today is such a day." - Rumi When the drive was being planned, little did I know that moving the starting point to Qudra would provide such a beautiful and unusual start of the Ghantoot Express. Instead of the forecasted rain, a strong, almost gale force wind, blowing from the south, opposite the usual prevailing winds' direction, swept the long range dunes along the Sih Al Salam Road (a.k.a Bab al Shams Rd.). The effect of the sand streaking on the open areas, and ruffling the ridges to a fine powdery dust, lit up by a hazy, yet luminous sunrise, created a surreal Martian landscape. On this extra-terrestrial terrain, full of beauty, our train of cars floated speedily. As much as the morning's strong winds, the abundant rains of the previous week, had also had a great impact on the architecture of the dunes that we would cross. First, the pelting rain had saturated the ridge's crests, making them collapse in many places; the winds that followed, blowing from the slip-face to the hard-face, had pushed what sand remained on the ridges away from them, flattening the tops (to a width of almost a whole car) and creating a step just below the ridge on the hard face (one meter or more at times) that made crossing quite tricky (as it required finding the place on the ridge with the lowest and narrowest step). While the newly re-shaped, much more packed dunes, allowed for a faster average speed, they also became very tricky, when drivers attempted to mount the ridges from too low a line of approach, with a counter-steering maneuver: the hard-packed sand would quickly build a dangerous trench on the upward side of the car, which in at least one situation almost led to a roll, and caused an unwarranted pop-out. Having quickly learned from these small incidents, the whole convoy drove very well, in a terrain that offered a mix of challenges. Long range dunes (entering and exiting Qudra, toward Ghantoot), a couple of areas with smaller, closer, technical dunes, in the middle part of the Ghantoot stretch, open dunes and sabkhas while heading back to Qudra from our southern-most point, another set of technical dunes to access Qudra once again, and a final sprint through open long range dunes to finish back at our starting point, near Qudra's ADNOC station. Great driving by all: @Alexanderrr(thanks for the Second Lead), the newer Fewbies @Sudhanva Sonawane, @Simon Dawood, @Rob S, @Harshad Ashraf and @Karthik Raptor, the more experienced ones @Waqas Parvez, @Miamimoe, @KAMALIO, and @Reggie Landicho, with a special thanks to @Niki, who swept and supported the convoy with speed, precision and reassuring calm. At the end of a longer day than forecasted (we extended to make up for the 40 minutes that it took us to fix the pop out), we drove for 100.1 Km (Qudra to Qudra), in 3:28 hours of driving (4:40 h overall), at an average moving speed of 29 Km/h (21 Km/h overall). Thanks to all for the drive, and see you soon in drier sand.

Dear Desertnauts, in preparation of tomorrow's drive, a bit of information to enjoy the ride as much as possible. The meeting point has been set just beyond the exit of Al Qudra's Last Exit ADNOC station, to the left of the short stretch leading back to the roundabout. This will allow us 1) to stay away from, and not get confused with, two more Carnity convoys meeting at Bab al Shams track, 2) to deflate near available services where we could quickly dry ourselves up in case of rain, and 3) include the crossing of western Qudra's long range dunes to our itinerary, in the direction of Ghantoot. Having already answered the question of whether we'll be driving in case of rain (with a yes, we will), just consider perhaps a slightly higher deflation point for your tires (still better not above 15 PSI), as the sand may still be harder and more compact than usually. Once reached the meeting point, you may start deflating, and tune into Carnity Channel #3 (446.056). The convoy order, at the moment, will be the following: @Alexanderrr in Second Lead @Sudhanva Sonawane at #3 @Simon Dawood will be #4 @Rob S #5 @Harshad Ashraf will drive at #6 @Karthik Raptor at #7 @Waqas Parvez is going to be #8 @Miamimoe at #9 @KAMALIO will be #10 @Reggie Landicho #11, with @Niki sweeping the convoy. We'll be driving across mostly long range dunes, with some technical areas to cross, with the goal of reaching the date palm trees (some solitary, some growing in small groves), toward the border with AD (which we are NOT planning to cross), before deciding where to exit. Enjoy the end of the week, and see you tomorrow.

From Red to Yellow - Margham Bowls to Faqa - Drive Report "As you start to walk, the way appears" - Rumi In an episode of the Netflix series "The Crown", King George VI, father of Elizabeth II, waking up a groggy soon to be Prince Philip, cheerly open the curtains on a cold, rainy dawn, and proclaims: "Wonderful morning for ducks!!". Well, last Friday, it truly was a "wonderful morning for ducks", where ducks stands for "desert driving on packed wet sand, through a web of crazy technical dunes" 😁. Funny how someone's most uncomfortable conditions become others most cherished opportunities. Indeed, it turned out to be a virtually perfect drive, with an exceptionally performing convoy, moving at unison from the red bowls of Margham village (those looking toward Tawi Nizwa, Big Red and Badayer), through Lisaili, all the way to Faqa. The drive consisted of three sets of long range dunes - the first, embedded within the low sand bowls of Margham, the second just after entering Lisaili, and the final set from the Chimney to Faqa's sabkha - , alternated with two sets of technical terrains - one leading to Lisaili and just past its pylon line, the second one from Lisaili to the Chimney. Especially the technical areas, and partially the red sand bowls of Margham's, were driven with a very loose driving plan, mostly based on visual orienteering, with the laissez-fair attitude of "let's see what comes next", well embodied by the above mentioned poem by Rumi. Concentration was utmost throughout the drive. In the technical area, expediency was possible thanks to the decision to ride all the ridges, even when it meant snaking around with a lot of steering, instead of going straight through the dunes, with the advantage of the crests being duller, and wider, due to the late rains, thus more steadily ridable, with the only disadvantage being that some of the crests were quite broken due to sand erosion, thus requiring some early exits, or taking them at a slower pace. Thanks to this improvised strategy, we ended up finishing the drive with perfect timing, no stucks, and only one re-attempt throughout the whole itinerary. @Ranjan Das was an impeccable Second Lead, followed by @Xavier Treasurer and @siddharth maheshwari. @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil anchored the convoy, ahead of @Sunil Mathew, @Looper, @Ashok chaturvedi and @Thomas Varghese, with @Jorge Stepniak Felippe closing the convoy, with perhaps the cleanest sweep ever. Together, we covered 90.1 Km, in 3:16 driving time (3:47 hours overall, including only refreshment breaks), at the very fast pace of 28 Km/h moving average speed (considering the amount of technical driving). Great, exemplary driving by everyone. Hope to see you soon in the sand.

Hi @Rodi. You can surely place yourself in the Waiting List. Will update you by tomorrow on your status. Thanks Hello @Miamimoe. We'll still drive, although there may be delays in the departure time, if raining is going to delay our deflation. If not, it'll be driving as usual, and even more fun.