Ale Vallecchi

Dear Carnity Desarnauts. Thank you for signing up in record time for the drive (1 minute it's all it took). Allow me to reward your trust by previewing the drive's main characteristics. The Bab al Shams area (nicknamed because of its proximity to the well known resort) loosely refers to the South-Western section of the Qudra basin. The terrain here is made of fine white sand dunes, rather long and apart from each other. They are mostly lined up in a North to South direction, and are gathered in groups separated by either sabkhas or tighter technical dunes. We will be looking to make a loop that will take us to the more northern, higher and closer dunes, where we may also encounter also a bit of low vegetation, then in a southern direction, toward an area where the sand is sometimes dotted with low, crooked mud formations, and lonely acacia trees. Sabkhas will be our way in and out of these dunes, with some technical areas also to be crossed. As Fewbies, you'll be expected to execute higher side sloping, easier ridge riding and ridge crossing, show good control of your car in tighter technical dunes, and to conduct the drive at a faster pace (while keeping full control of your vehicle), compared to the Newbie excursions. We will have the opportunity to practice all of the above skills, following a detailed briefing toward the beginning of the drive, and under supervision, so that each off-roader will have the opportunity to feel more comfortable, and improve throughout the day. @Biju Abdul, @Jolly Abraham, @luwaimn, @Tero Vallas, @Heisem, @Lisa Pemberton, @David Ortells, @Mehmet Volga, @Islam Soliman, @Yousef Alimadadi thanks again for joining (and @Brette, thank you for managing). Please remember to read and acknowledge the information regarding the Covid-19 rules we have put in place to insure a drive which is compliant with the current (and still valid) legal requirements. Not acknowledging these guidelines by clicking on the "Totally Agree" emoticon will lead to the driver's exclusion from the drive. We'll be in touch toward the end of the week, for more information and instructions.

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 When: 4 September 2020, Friday. Meeting time: 5:30 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: Long range, white sand dunes, with mud formations and sparse trees. Practice in higher side sloping, principles of ridge riding and crossing, possible controlled driving over technical dunes, overall faster pace. Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/icdeHRxXhk44yBg2A 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. Approximate finish time: 09:30 AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL STARTING AND ENDING THE DRIVE AT THE SAME POINT, WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. 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. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 Fewbie and above drivers. RSVP will close on Thursday - 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. 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 BELOW CALENDAR

DUBAI CROSSING - THE LONGEST DRIVE It was designed to be a long drive, and long it was. A streamlined convoy of 4, with @Kalahari starting as Second Lead, with @J J following (ready to take up second place throughout the drive) and @Javier M sweeping, started at 5:11, passed the camel track (and the training camels), followed the pylons until the entry point, and after a short technical area broke free into the long range dunes of Al Lisaili, at the break of dawn. We started calmly, warming up for the first half hour, then picked up the pace, targeting the longer and more open dunes of the southern part of Lisaili (avoiding the tighter technical area to its west), before heading back toward Solar Park, which we reached after 1 and half hour (and one stuck in a soft bowl, resolved by Javier's precious winch). From there we proceeded crossing the tarmac and the bike track, reached the heart of Qudra, then turned south toward the Bab al Shams area, and its white sand dunes, dotted with clay formations at their bottom. Upon reaching the exit track, the convoy's thirst for driving had not been quenched, yet, so that it didn't take much convincing to agree to the drive's extension, and gingerly headed back north-east, toward Qudra Lakes' exit. With only one stuck, and perhaps a couple of refusals, we completed the crossing by 9:20am, after 4:09 hrs of driving, covering 92.1Km, at an average speed of 22Km/h (27 Km/h while moving). Well done to all the drivers. See you soon somewhere on the sand.

Noted @Rinelle Sanaani. Thanks for advising. See you next time.

@Kalahari, @J J, @Rinelle Sanaani I am having problems accessing the meeting point through the link posted on the drive's announcement. Just to make sure, it is the following link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LZQR4QNpx6hmjRTE8 This is at Lisaili camel track. See you tomorrow.

PS. Please @Kalahari let me know, anyways, if you'll have to cancel or if you have any delay. Thanks again.

@Kalahari thanks for the information. Hope all is good tomorrow🍀

Hello fellow Desertnauts. Here is the last update before tomorrow's drive. As usual, please make sure that you all have the necessary equipment: besides a flag that stands the test of the slightest bump, a good shovel and the compressor, at this level also tow ropes with soft shackles are really recommended, as well as a good jack (not one of those flimsy ones coming with the car). Regarding the convoy numbering, we'll start with @Kalahari in Second Lead, followed by @J J and @Rinelle Sanaani, but this time I would like to switch the positions as we go along, so every 30 minutes we'll move the second lead to the sweep position, and each driver will have the chance to move up one place in the convoy order, for a more dynamic drive. The meeting place is next to Al Lisaili cameldrome, from where we'll move along the track, through the pylons, until we'll be able to access a small area of technical dunes, before plunging into the long range dunes. Make sure your tank is full: you can fill up at a couple of stations just before Al Lisaili's exit. When you arrive, please tune into Carnity Channel 2 (446.031). Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

@Emmanuel we can repeat any time. I enjoy these fast, long desert crossings, at least alternating it every once in a while to the more technical spins in the "bowl" areas. Looking forward to it.

Dear @Kalahari, @J J and @Rinelle Sanaani. Thanks for joining the drive. For you and those undecided Intermediates out there, a few words about the drive. We have visited this previously neglected area a few times lately, with other Carnity convoys, plus 2 of my leads. Now that we have become more familiar with the does and donts of this terrain, the goal of this trip is to bump it up a notch, and execute a more speedy drive, navigating Lisaili's long range dunes all the way to Solar Park, then beyond it, through a small technical area, back on more long range dunes, through the Qudra basin, toward the Bab al Shams road. The drive would stretch through most of the north-western Dubai desert region: a longer trip, which becomes possible only at higher off-roading levels, requiring less "acrobatics" then a bowls' tour in Badayer or Big Red, but more speed and endurance skills. Looking forward to seeing you (registered and yet unregistered drivers) on Friday morning.

Hi @Chaitanya D. Thanks for advising. Hope to see you next time.

Hi @Chaitanya D. Thanks for advising. Hope to see you next time.

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: Intermediate and above When: 28 Aug 2020, Friday Meeting time: 5:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: Long range dunes and some technical areas, side cresting, ridge riding and crossing, faster pace. Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/gWpiP3f7oRxKpotd9 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. Approximate finish time: 09:00 AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL STARTING AND ENDING THE DRIVE AT THE SAME POINT, WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. 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. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 Intermediate and above drivers. RSVP will close on Thursday - 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. 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 BELOW CALENDAR

NIGHT AND DAY - PINK ROCK EXTENDED This time every driver's maniacal punctuality allowed us to start the day....with a night drive. With the cover of the dark we snuck into the dunes leading to Pink Rock's nothern base, and easily climbed its saddle, just in time to enjoy the first hints of dawn. From there we proceeded, skirting Fennec Cave, all around the rock, in a south-westerly direction, toward the beautiful range of sand bowls and low ridges that makes up the plateau betweem our starting point and Big Red. The terrain, and the quality of the drivers, allowed us to practice all off-roading skills: streight crossing, side sloping, and the rudiment of criss-crossing. Eventually, as everybody got more comfortable, we pushed the level up, and by the time we exited, the convoy had managed to ride in and out of the lower Big Red's bowls in good form, driving smoothly , crossing over the last 3 bowls without stucks. Great job by @Chaitanya D, executing flawlessly his first Second Lead. Very good contribution by @Rinelle Sanaani in his first Center Forward position (good recovery of Islam's GMC). Also perfect job by @Febin Frederic, also in his first Sweep, keeping the convoy together, and managing its flow when some refusals demanded directing the traffic. Special mention to @Islam Soliman for the impressive handling of his "beast": after the first challanging ridge, you never looked back, and managed a perfect ride. Very good drive, cool and collected, by the "younger" off-roaders (@Tero Vallas, @muzamil hussain, @Biju Abdul and @Gregory Perkin) as well as the more experienced ones (@Anish S and @Shiju Manuel) one could see all of you gaining in self-confidence, improving at each crossing, managing the last, more fast paced ones at Big Red, with good precision and control. Well done. By 9AM we had managed to drive for 3:35 hours and 38.4Km, at an average speed of 11Km/h (20 Km/h while moving), with a maximum speed of 58Km/h, and a total of 608 meters climbed. Thank you all very much for joining, and see you next time on the hot sand. Have a great week!!

In case there was any doubt about the meeting point, 2 December Cafeteria in Sharjah, this is the Google Maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Z7wYX4mBs9nCNno77 See you to...Night 🌙

Dear Desernauts. In preparation of Saturday's AM drive, this will be the convoy order: @Chaitanya D will be my Second Lead @Islam Soliman will follow in third @muzamil hussain will take place #4 @Anish S will drive his Pajero in spot #5 @Rinelle Sanaani will take on duties of Center Forward @Biju Abdul will follow at #7 @Shiju Manuel will drive in place #8 @Tero Vallas will wear jersey #9 @Gregory Perkin will be #10 @Febin Frederic will sweep the convoy. Just a reminder about the necessary ingredients to participate in the drive. Must haves: a good shovel, a tow rope, preferably with soft shackles, a compressor, and most of all, always, well maintained and functional tow points, front and back. Lacking any of the above will force me to remove any driver from the trip. Please double check all is in order. The terrain will be very diverse, and while we'll never encounter long cordons of open dunes, we will have a lot of opportunities to climb, side slope, and enter different "bowls", as safely as possible. Some dune crossing may be necessary, so please check the post regarding this dune-crossing skill in the site's archives. I will also give a technical briefing about this skill. We will meet at 5:00 am at 2 December Cafeteria (which of course will be closed), with radios tuned in to Carnity channel 2 (446.031). See you all on Saturday.

Thanks @Tero Vallas. You are confirmed. See you Saturday.

Hello @Christian Andras. Sorry to hear that. Thanks a lot for advising. See you next time. @Tero Vallas we have had a drop-out. You would be next in the waiting list: will you please confirm you can join the drive? Thanks a lot.

Thanks for the confirmation. See you on Saturday.

See you on Saturday.

Hello @David Ortells. As the spots clear up I am bumping up the drivers in the WL, according to their order. You are currently n.2 in the waiting list (2 spots up from before). Let's see if there are any changes today (or tomorrow). Thanks for your patience. Hello @Islam Soliman. Just checking how it is going with your car's repairs. Will you be able to have it back in time for the drive? Thanks a lot for advising. Have a good end of the week.

Dear @Mehmet Volga. Thanks for advising. I will amend the convoy list now. Hope to see you soon. Hello @muzamil hussain. You are now in the drive. Please confirm it's OK for you. Thanks a lot.

You are welcome @Chaitanya D. See you on Saturday.