Ale Vallecchi

Dear @Mahmoud ALhamed, @kiranshinde and @Usman Basit, will you have a radio with you? Thanks a lot and see you tomorrow.

Thank you @mkhatry. Also, do you have a radio? See you tomorrow. Hello @Ferl Brown. You will find the meeting point in the post's details. Can I ask if you have a radio? Thanks Thanks @Nibu Venu. Will you have a radio with you? Thanks

Desert Highway 66: Lisaili to Faqa - Drive Report "Veni, vidi, vici" - Julius Cesar We came, We saw, We conquered. Indeed, we drove swiftly, accomplishing the goal of reaching Faqa through almost uncharted terrain, mainly enjoying the silence, with minimal "casualties" (i.e. refusals and stucks), especially in the first segment (Lisaili to Murqab). It was then necessary to find again the concentration and focus, lost probably due to a longer break than necessary, in order to face the second stretch of the drive. This presented a variety of terrains, requiring to drive skillfully, mixing multiple criss-crossing with careful navigation of some soft crests and bowls. We reached the intended exit point with uncanny precision, exactly 3 minutes before the setting of the sun. The beautiful light at dusk, infusing the yellow sand with a warm reddish glow, allowed us to continue for a few extra minutes, to complete some long ridge-riding of the low but sharp and soft dunes, that border the northern side of Faqa'a sabkha, just before reaching the tarmac. I was very happy with the performance of the whole convoy, where especially the new Fewbie Pluses drove without flinching, and everybody came to the rescue of whoever was in need of support, showing great readiness, competence and care for each other. Following up the drive, my only reminder, and recommendation, is to never break convoy order, unless strictly necessary for safety purposes, and always announce it, if the need arises. Even though nothing serious happened, I issued a couple of warnings during the drive, which I am sure will be remembered and will come useful in the future. Special thanks go to @Lakshmi Narasimhan for his great Second Lead, @Craig Finlayson for a commanding anchoring role, @Russ for his first, clean Sweep, and to @Ashok chaturvedi and @GauravSoni for their readiness and availability to assist at the front and back of the convoy, with suggestions and recoveries. Extremely well driven drive also by the debuting Fewbie Pluses - @Zixuan Huang - Charlie and @Sunil Mathew. Very good driving also by @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil (your stucks happened at the beginning and the end of the second part, and may have been caused by loss of concentration), as well as a very silent, hence perfect drive, by @Chinthaka Ruwan and @Ranjan Das. The drive ended after 2:26 hours of driving (plus 1:10 min of breaks, for a total of 3:36 hours), covering 67.4 Km, driven at a fast average moving speed of 28 Km/h (19 Km/h total). Well done to all of you, and see you soon again out there.

Dear soon to be Desertnauts. @Ferl Brown, @Mahmoud ALhamed, @Nibu Venu, @kiranshinde and @mkhatry, 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; your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets. Before joining the drive on Friday 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) off-road flag air compressor All these items should be available at any ACE or Speedex store, as well as at Dragon Mart. Regarding the area of the drive, we will access the desert from a less used entry point, along the 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, and an opening between roadworks being done along the bike track. 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.

Dear Desertnauts, as promised, this is tomorrow's convoy order: @Lakshmi Narasimhan will be Second Lead @Zixuan Huang - Charlie will be #3 @Ashok chaturvedi at #4 @Chinthaka Ruwan at #5 @Craig Finlayson will take Center Forward @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil will be #7 @Ranjan Das is #8 @Sunil Mathew will be #9 @GauravSoni #10, and @Russ will Sweep. The position have been given in order to alternate Intermediate leading Fewbie Plus drivers, and tutor them along the drive. Meeting time will be 3:30PM, with the goal to leave as soon as possible. The radio channel will be picked at the meeting place. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Have a nice evening

Dear Desertnauts. Just a few more info about this weekday drive. While we are always looking for new routes, sometimes the easiest, and yet interesting solution, is to join dots from previous drives, to draw a new itinerary. This time we'll take a track from Lisaili's "Backdoor" drive, leading to Murqab, and we'll join it with the track leading from there to Faqa's sabkha. The result is an itinerary roughly parallel to E66, except not as straight as the highway, which we may call Desert 66, a "sandway" from Lisaili to Faqa. Some of you may have driven one or the other segment, even though both have been done only one time (so they are almost brand new), but none has done both together. The terrain will be a mix of mostly technical dunes, and a few long range cordons. Especially the second half of the drive, from Murqab, will be quite challenging: with very unpredictable cordons, surrounded by extremely tight technical dunes, this section has been tested only once with an Intermediate drive, and will require that all drivers give it their best, and rise to the occasion. We'll expect to drive for around 3:30 hours, hence the plan is to start a little earlier (3:30 PM) and reach the exit just in time for a sunset shot. Convoy order to follow tomorrow afternoon. @Russ, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Ashok chaturvedi, @Zixuan Huang - Charlie, @Ranjan Das, @Gaurav Soni, @Chinthaka Ruwan and @Craig Finlayson, have a nice evening, and see you on Tuesday.

Fewbie Plus Lisaili's Backdoor - Drive report "Sometimes we plan a trip to one place, but something takes us to another" - Rumi Dear Desertnauts What started as a drive with a clear, yet untested, plan, led us to the opposite end of the planned exit point, and unexpectedly back to where we started. And this happened not because of any problem encountered on the way, but rather because of the great off-roading performance by the whole convoy. We started before dawn next to Lisaili's camel track, entered its outskirts just after the track ended, and directed ourselves much more east than the usual track, in the direction of Margham first, then Murqab's. Unexplored by me, the route served up some surprisingly challenging dunes, with lots of bowls, small "sabkha" like flat surfaces, and numerous shrubby trees, both dead and alive, that made this segment very interesting. Once in Murqab, we enjoyed riding the tall, bushy dunes, criss-crossing from north to south. We also had the bonus of meeting @Wrangeld Richard's convoy, coming from the opposite direction, executing a perfect fly-by, closed by @Lorenzo Candelpergher's Rubicon. Meeting a convoy of fellow members always reinforces the family feeling of our club. After Murqab, past the sand track toward Solar Park, we re-entered Lisaili's plateau. Until this point we had had just one tug, and very few refusals, some of which by me, on the very soft ridges left by the wind blowing from the unusual south-eastern side, creating a bit of a "step" of soft sand on the dunes' hard face. Given the great performance by the whole convoy, once arrived at the Lisaili's pylon track, we all agreed to push the drive to a slightly higher level, directing it back to Lisaili, crossing the slip-faces of the long range dunes, all the way back to our initial entry point. The drive continued almost uninterrupted, even though the glare on the white sand was very strong, and reading the dunes had become not easy. Everybody performed perfectly, pulling off a long and very smooth drive. Great Second Lead by @Ranjan Das, perfect Anchoring by @Kalahari, and a cleanly executed Sweep by @Shehab Alawadhi. Great driving by @Matt.T, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Ashok chaturvedi, @Chinthaka Ruwan, @Niki, and @Russ. The day ended after 99.3 Km, driven at an average moving speed of 29Km/h (23 Km/h total), after 3:27 hours of driving, and only 56 minutes of stops, most of which to fix flags, and take well deserved brakes 😅. Thanks to all the members. Enjoy the week, and see you soon in the sand

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) What you'll learn: Introduction to off-roading. Desert driving basics and etiquette. Desert driving tips, techniques, myth and best practices. Off-road and safety gear familiarization and recovery procedures. Vehicle orientation, risk analysis, deflation and outdoor safety advice. 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. Why should I join? We will teach you how to self-drive off-road safely and learn the best offroad driving and recovery techniques. If you have already driven in sand before then you can learn more from experts having decades of offroading experience in the UAE. This area offers a good mix of playable long set of dunes and broad ridge to test your off-road control. Can my vehicle do this ? This drive is open for all 4x4/4WD/SUV/AWD vehicle having 8-10 inches of ground clearance and front and rear tow hooks. If in doubt please first announce your questions on the drive thread so we can advise you further. Any stock 4x4/4WD are most welcome, you don't need any vehicle modifications. Can I bring passengers ? Yes of course, but if you are absolute new to offroading it is better to drive alone first to avoid any distractions. Learn More About: Carnity Off-road Club STRICTLY: For ABSOLUTE NEWBIE who are driving for the first time with Carnity. MUST READ AND CLICK TOTALLY AGREE ON THE BELOW COVID19 PRECAUTIONS TOPIC MUST WATCH: NEWBIE VIDEO BRIEFING Drive Details Level: Only for "ABSOLUTE NEWBIES" or first timer with Carnity Off-Road Club When: 6 August 2021, Friday. Meeting time: 05:00 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: 9:00 AM LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 12 new members only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 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 EVENT IN THE EVENT CALENDAR

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 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/3Qja7M6at3P9TBMbA Action Plan: Always in search of new tracks, this time we'll make our own "highway" (Desert 66), driving parallel to the real E66, from Lisaili to Faqa's outskirts (exiting on the sabkha just before the actual Faqa town gates, well clear of the AD border). Both segments, from Lisaili to Murqab and on to Faqa, have only been driven once, in different drives. This will be the opportunity to join them together, in a semi-exploration drive, where the skills we'll practice will mostly be those needed to cross technical areas (finesse driving, bowl management, as well as some ridge-riding and short 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: 7:30 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 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

Copy that. Don't worry. Sorry to miss you. Thanks for confirming.

Hi @Alexander Alcala. Your name is listed on our Weekend Offroad Drive Plan's excel sheet as support for this drive. I guess you are not available then? Thanks for confirming.

Dear Desertnauts, the usual last minute information about the upcoming drive. This itinerary is a patchwork of a few older routes, sawn together with at least one new track. The latter will be the one connecting Lisaili to Murqab. I believe it would be an interesting way to offer a new perspective on this area to those members who have driven around Lisaili quite a few times before. There will be a lot of long range dunes, and at least a stretch with a technical area (if not a couple), that will provide a nicely balanced driving experienced. The convoy order will be as follows: @Ranjan Das in SL @Matt.T in spot #3 @Lakshmi Narasimhan at #4 @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil as #5 @Ashok chaturvedi at #6 @Chinthaka Ruwan as #7 @Kalahari will be Center Forward @Werno will follow at #9 @Niki taking spot #10 @Nithin Vaidir at #11 @Shehab Alawadhi with spot #12 @Russ at #13, and @Alexander Alcala sweeping the convoy This, once again, will provide the opportunity to have the less experienced members drive just behind the more skilled ones, in an almost 1 on 1 driving experience. Just to be sure, this is the meeting point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/3Qja7M6at3P9TBMbA Once arrived at the meeting point, please tune into Carnity Channel #3 (446.056). See you all tomorrow. Have a great end of the week.

Dear @Ranjan Das, dear @Kalahari, considering your rank and the strength of the convoy, I'd like to add you to the drive, if you agree. Please let me know. Thanks

Dear Desertnauts. Considering the drop-outs, based on the priority assigned to members looking for their first drive, at the moment I would like to sign up @Ashok chaturvedi and @Shehab Alawadhi, if they both confirm (please acknowledge). There still are @Kalahari and @Ranjan Das in the WL. I'll get back to you by this evening. Thanks to all.

Hi @Kalahari. Would this be your first drive? Thanks

Hi @Ranjan Das. Let's wait until tomorrow then. Will confirm ASAP. Thanks.

Dear Desertnauts, a quick update on next Friday's drive. Even though summertime reduces the number of off-roaders, and the desert has enough time to cancel most of the tracks that have scarred it during the winter time's high-season, we are always in search of pristine areas to explore. Even though Lisaili is not the most visited area by Dubai's clubs, finding untouched sand still requires a good amount of planning and searching. Hence, we'll use its "backdoor" to access Lisaili's less beaten paths, to get away from the area closer to the pylons, directing the convoy toward Murqab, where we'll spend some time playing on its tall dunes, before re-entering Lisaili's heart through the Highway to Solar Park's sand track. The terrain will be a mix of long range dunes and technical areas. The speed will vary, from fast to slow, and all off-roading skills will be tested. @Chinthaka Ruwan, @Russ, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Niki, @Nithin Vaidir, @Werno, @Matt.T, @Lakshmi Narasimhan and @Humayun Ghias welcome to the drive. More info on Thursday evening. See you soon out there.

@Shehab Alawadhi, just wait to see what response I get. No hurry.

Hello @Shehab Alawadhi. Thanks for signing in. Actually, there was a waiting list, so let me ask the other 2 members if they still plan to join, and then we'll decide. Thanks for understanding. Hello @Ranjan Das Are you still interested in joining the drive? Thanks for letting me know.

Well done @darren thompson!!

Congrats @Zixuan Huang - Charlie. Well done!

Hello @Ranjan Das. You are #1 on the WL. Thanks Dear @Ashok chaturvedi. You are #2 on the WL. Thanks a lot.