Ale Vallecchi

Well done @Kailas . You rose to the challange with ease and style, and deserve the high rank.

Dear Desertnauts, here's tomorrow convoy order: @Niki will be my Second Lead @Ehab will be driving at #3 @Sunil Mathew at #4 @Mus_hus78 at #5 @JeromeFJ will be #6 @Chris Wing #7 @Wrangeld will be the Anchor of the convoy @Tareck at #9 @Looper will be #10 @PaoloMaraziti will take #11 @AlexPol #12 @darren thompson will line up at #13 @Russ in place #14 @Darren Brooke at #15, and @Alex Raptor will carry a very long broom, to Sweep this giant convoy. I have chosen to increase the length of the convoy, both in consideration of the drivers' quality and experience (with an equal mix of Intermediates and above, and Fewbie Plus), as well as with the goal to share the fun with as many member friends as possible (thanks, also, to the support of very experienced drivers). Nonetheless, in light of the convoy's length, extra caution will be required, not only in choosing a path that can remain drivable all the way to the end of the line, but also in following it safely and attentively. Each Fewbie Plus member will be guided through the drive by an Intermediate or above driver, who will be able to show the best lines of approach, and "tutor" the more junior member throughout the drive, from their position just in front of them. The entry point has been chosen at the margin of an area of camel farms, in Faqa's Al Ain region, off of the Dubai-Al Ain highway, and reachable via very badly paved roads (with lots of pot-holes, so careful driving on them). This is where we'll be assembling: https://maps.app.goo.gl/V1s5p28WZHdvNQp1A Please reach the location below in time for an early deflation, with the expected time of departure as close to 6AM as possible: The Carnity radio frequency will be Channel 1 (446.006). Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

Hi @Russ. Are you still OK to join? Thanks

Hi @AlexPol. I will add you. Thanks Dear Desertnauts, as we are getting ready for the drive, here is some feedback from yesterday's recce drive (thanks @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ for coming along). The drive will be clearly divided into 2 parts. The first in Al Ain territory, will be on open dune terrain, with relatively high formations, quite close to each other, but strung in a canyon's like fashion. The driving will be made more difficult by the presence of tracks, left by what appeared to be an earth moving machine, and visible pretty much all over the place. Even with these man-made obstacles, we'll make the drive challenging for ourselves by looking to move through the corridors at higher speeds, until we'll reach first the area close to the E20, then back toward Faqa, to arrive at the crossing of E14. This is where the second part of the drive will start, just in the Dubai side of Faqa's border district, across very tall and long range dunes, where occasional groups of trees hide in small valleys. More side-sloping and criss-crossing will be practiced in this area, less marked by recent human activity. Our planned exit will be in Faqa town. @darren thompson, @PaoloMaraziti, @Sunil Mathew, @Looper, @Ehab, @JeromeFJ, @Tareck,@Darren Brooke, @Chris Wing, @Mus_hus78, @Niki, @AlexPol, @Wrangeld (thanks for your extremely valuable and reassuring presence) and @Alex Raptor, Tomorrow the final convoy members and order will be issued, together with meeting/deflation point, and radio channel. Enjoy the end of the week, and see you soon.

Hi @Russ. So far I added Niki and Alex as it would be their first drive. If I get good support I will add you too 😉

Done @Niki. See you on Sarurday.

Dear @AlexPol and @Niki, due to the quality of the convoy, I would like to extend it, and ask if you still wish to partecipate. If yes, I will sign you up. Thanks

Sure @Niki, I am adding you to the WL. Thanks a lot.

Dear Desertnauts. Thanks for joining this drive, relaunching Faqa as a favourite off-roading area. This time we'll finally be able to venture, most of the drive, on the Al Ain side of this border town. Not driven as often as Sweihan's great dunes, we are going to discover what this side of Abu Dhabi and Dubai's desert has to offer. To make sure the drive plan will be well designed, a small Carnity posse will do a flash recce around this area, tomorrow afternoon, searching for the best entry and exit points, and all there will be to discover in between. @darren thompson, @PaoloMaraziti, @Sunil Mathew, @Looper, @Ehab, @JeromeFJ, @Tareck, @Darren Brooke, @Chris Wing, @Mus_hus78 and @Alex Raptor, stay tuned for more in the next couple of days.

Very well done @Sunil Mathew. Steady progress on your part has brought you this far quite quickly. Looking forward to seeing you driving your way up the ranks.

You've come a long way @Mehmet Volga. Congrats!!

Hello @AlexPol. You are #1 on the WL, with @Russ now at #2 (as this would be his 2nd drive). Thanks Hi @varunmehndiratta. You will be #3 in the WL. Thanks.

Done @Mus_hus78. See you on Saturday.

Hi @Russ Yes. I will. You will become #1 in the WL. Thanks Dear @Mus_hus78 good news. There is an open spot in the drive. Would you like me to add you? Thanks

Hi @Chris Wing. You are #1 in the WL. Thanks Hi @Alex Raptor. Yes I will, so I can open up one spot in the convoy. Thanks a lot, and looking forward to your support. Actually @Chris Wing, I can already add you to the drive, as Alex has been moved to the Support tab. Can I confirm you? Thanks Dear @Mus_hus78, you are now #1 in the WL. Thanks a lot.

GRANDE @Lorenzo Candelpergher!! To each drive, at each level, you have always brought a degree of competence, enthusiasm, leadership, and creativity which has rightly culminated in Marshaldom. The flavor of your drives is a great addition to Carnity's bouquet, and I can't wait to taste more.

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: 6:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/V1s5p28WZHdvNQp1A Action Plan: With the removal of the border checkpoints comes the opportunity to roam freely between the emirates. We'll start from the Al Ain's side of Faqa, exploring a route connecting the village of Al Jabib to the area of farmsteads bordering the E20, then, time permitting, we'll turn back toward the E14 road, with the goal of crossing into the dunes of Faqa's plateau, and eventually reach Faqa town, or the nearby sabkha. The skills most in demand will be patience, as always on exploration drives, together with the ability to adapt to many different driving styles: from technical maneuvers, to faster bowl riding and criss-crossing. 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: 10:30 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 Monday - 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 @Islam Soliman. You wrote the most thoughtful and all encompassing comment to any promotion. It's a testament to your full, 110% participation to the Club's life. Everything you achieved off-road has been fully earned, with your earth and mind. I didn't think my looking at your Yukon gave my worries away....but I was a bit worried on that Pink Rock drive when we first met. And yet, your will to learn and persist has not only brought you to Marshaldom, but has made me a more thoughtful, and hopefully better leader. I enjoyed enlisting you as my repeat SL in many of my drives, and look forward to off-roading with you many more times.

Please come @Joseph Raju. We'll see what we can do. Thanks

Hi @Joseph Raju. I can show you tomorrow. See you soon.

Dear @Algin Varghese, if you have never driven with Carnity (or at all) this drive is for you. Please, check this thread to see (and answer) if you have the necessary equipment. If yes, you are welcome to join, as indicated in the post's announcement, at 6:00 AM, at the agreed meeting point. Thanks a lot.

Solar Orbit - Intermediate Drive Report Limp along until your legs are spent, and you fall flat and your energy is drained. Then the grace of the Divine will lift you" - Rumi As expected, perhaps even as planned, we did drive long, we did drive hard (not only, occasionally, with speed, but also with determination and endurance), and we did drive steadfastly. Sir Winston Churchill would have been proud of us. The tribulations mentioned in the drive's brief, actually materialized only in the form of a pop-out (quickly fixed), a broken bumper (promptly removed), and a rear shock's spring ... springing out of the car (needing a lengthy temporary repair and early exit). Other than that, the drive was perfectly executed by the whole convoy., including all the new Intermediates, who managed just as well as the veterans. The circumnavigation of Solar Park started, with the blessing of a spectacular sunrise, in the direction of the south-western dunes of Lisaili, across its sabkhas, to Murqab's bushy tall dunes. The time needed to reach Lisaili first and Murqab second was a stunningly fast 1:20 hr, with virtually no stops, and a lot of concentrated radio silence, as we crossed the mostly technical dunes which skirt the innermost parts of Lisaili, and the western reaches of Murqab. The first stop brought with it a small lapse in concentration (I noticed this often happens, if the break lasts too long), which led to the pop-out (thankfully, a quickly solved one), and to the accidental detachment (and removal) of a rear bumper. Both incidents were solved with total 19 minutes of work. The last, and less common, predicament was that of a spring coming literally off the right back shock of @Amir Amiri's truck, probably due to an excessive torsion while criss-crossing the last dunes before reaching Faqa's sabkha. @Rob H, with the assistance of @GauravSoni, came through with a brilliant repair, which allowed the big truck to get back in action within the next half hour, and then reach the tarmac bordering the sabkha, for its safe exit. The drive proceeded to cross, again uneventfully and in just 1:10 hour, a stretch of closed, soft dunes, nested between Faqa's sabkha to the south, and "The Chimney" to the north (actually a solar tower, in the latest development of Solar Park). Having completed the southernmost side of the orbit in good time, we moved north, through that set of tall, long, and quite bushy dunes, better known as "The Middle Earth", from which we managed to exit, tired but unscathed, just next to Solar Park's glass spire. With a total of 104 Km covered, in 4:18 hrs of driving time (with just 1 hour of additional mechanical breaks), at an average moving speed of 24 km/h, the convoy, assisted by @Ranjan Das in Second Lead, @GauravSoni as Anchor, and @Rob H in Sweep, and composed of @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Chinthaka Ruwan and @Humayun Ghias (all 3 debuting at Intermediate), as well as @Looper, @Matt.T, @Russ and @Amir Amiri (BTW, how is yiur truck doing?), earned their wings as Long Range Desert Group troopers. Looking forward to seeing you all again in another sandy adventure. Enjoy the weekend ahead.

Dear @Afraz Ahamed. Both tow points are necessary, but Prados should have them both, front and back. As Gaurav suggested, take a better look. Alternatively, if still unsure, you can come tomorrow, and we'll check together. If both available you'll have no issues driving tomorrow, if not, you'll have to return home (unfortunately). I leave it up to you (but please double check). Thanks

@Muhammad Omair it looks good. See you tomorrow. Thanks