Ale Vallecchi

Hi @Tbone of course I understand. Hope it's nothing serious. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

QUDRA QUADRANGLE - DONE Very nice drive yesterday, exploring the whole Qudra basin above of Solar Park. Started punctually after a few minutes of deflation and briefing, from the mysterious "beehive" like structure on the border with the Qudra Lakes, and proceeded westward with a few side sloping opportunities, toward the large farm visible from the road to Bab al Shams. From here we turned south, entering the long range dunes, where side sloping was accompanied by criss-crossing and some ridge riding. After reaching the border with the Solar Park section, marked by the electricity pylons, we maneuvered along the southern border of the quadrangle, in a mix of longer range and technical dunes, interspersed with nice clay-rock formations. Almost at the tarmac road we then turned north to weave our way back to the starting point (the beehive structure that in the meantime had become super animated with people strolling and enjoing the sunset). Learning from other Leaders' reports, I'll briefly cite each great driver's performance, hoping to provide useful tips for future trips: @Nivin you did extremely well as Second Lead, especially considering his recent promotion to Fewbie. Kept good distance and redirected promptly when requested. Your greatest take-away from this drive should be about ridge riding and crossing. Approach the ridge more parallel, and less perpendicular to it. If the car starts to fishtail during the approach, do not attempt to still reach the ridge and cross it, but rather steer down the slope from, circle back and reattempt. @E.C. TAN well driven, smoothly following the tracks. One observations I made on one of your dune crossings was to use more finesse and control of the line, and a little less speed. @Anish S, as usual very calm and collected. Great at communicating and progressing well through the drive. Only had one moment of difficulty, due to a bit of hesitancy while riding a ridge (when you feel the car is being slowed down by the ridge itself, keep as much momentum as you can to exit the ridge on the safest side (where the car is being pulled toward, but do not break or stop, to avoid being crested). @Salarios managed your beast very well, with no stucks and perhaps some refusals (which may always happen). As your confidence in your car grows, without relying too much on its undeniable power, you will be able to cope perfectly in all kinds of terrain. Lastly, great thanks to @Wrangeld, who swept the convoy and guided all self-recoveries and the few stucks with his usual calm and clarity of instructions. I am sure all drivers learned the recovering process as best as they could during the drive. Thank you all again, for driving 52.7 Km in 3 h and 2 min., at an average speed of 17 Km/h (24 Km/h while driving).

Congrats @Veedooshee. I really look forward to seeing you behind the wheel in one of the next drives. Enjoy the new rank.

Thanks @Srikumar for the great drive. It's very useful, especially for me as a new leader, and for any driver in general, to understand, and learn, what constitutes an Intermediate drive Vs. the others, how the trails can be made more challenging, and what is expected from all the drivers in the convoy. And very enjoyable as well, with no overexertion whatsoever. Thanks to you, and all the drivers in the convoy, who did respond to all the challenges of the long and fast itinerary with really minimal issues.

Well done @J J. Always very cool and in control. You'll do great.

All drivers please tune into Carnity Channel 2 (446.031). See you later.

Thanks for advising @Pancho. Hope to see you next time.

All drivers please use Channel 2 (446.031). Thank you.

@Srikumar what a great group 💪. See you tomorrow.

Dear Desert goers, Saturday's convoy will line up as follows: @Tbone in Second Lead @Febin Frederic #3 @Chaitanya D #4 @Rinelle Sanaani #5 @Kalahari #6 @Wrangeld in Sweep Please make sure that you all carry with you a tow rope, possibly with soft shackles. Due to the relatively short length of the convoy (there will be no Senior at Center Forward), and since all the drivers are Intermediate, I would like to give everybody the opportunity, if needed, to practice recovering, under the supervision of Richard and/or myself. Therefore, each driver will be responsible to recover the vehicle either in front or behind his position, depending on the situation. Richard and I will advise whose recovery it will be (hoping that we practice this skill as little as possible ). Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday at 4:00 PM SHARP (in order to approach our playground safely we'll have to drive quite a way on the sand track south). Until then, enjoy your weekend.

Dear Carnity friends. Tomorrow's convoy will line up as follows: @Nivin in Second Lead @E.C. TAN #3 @Anish S #4 @Pancho #5 @Salarios #6 @Wrangeld in Sweep Please make sure we all meet at the indicated deflation point by 4:00 PM, so that we may be able to set off maximum at 4:30 PM. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Have a great evening.

@Chaitanya D, first of all, very good subject. The situation you have depicted is not that out of the ordinary, so it's very good to have a thread to go back to, and refresh one's memory and skills. All of the above considerations, of course, are very appropriate and effective, so not much else to be added from my side. I actually have only seen one recovery of the #1 scenario (horizontal stuck) done with a tug (as usually the #2 and #3 scenarios can be self-recovered by pointing the wheels in the right direction, and letting gravity do its job). It was a successful recovery, but as it almost went badly, so I'll try to indicate what I thought went wrong. The car was slightly heavier toward the back, yet it was pulled from the front: always check meticulously if the car is front or back heavy (even an horizontal stuck, it's unlikely to be 100% perfectly horizontal). No channel was dug (as suggested by Gaurav) in front of the front wheel (considering the frontal tug). This made the car bump onto the small sand mound that the stuck had created, with the risk of a roll-over. Lastly, even if this was not the case above, I suggest to not dig out the sand from both lower wheels (which may seem intuitive to do, since that sand is what is making the car being stuck): that's when you risk a roll-over. What this means to me: take plenty of time to assess the situation, and confer with other seniors (each may see something different that you fail to notice), so you can always make the choice the minimizes any risk (including removing cars and people immediately below the stuck car, even it they are parked on the flat ground, down below).

@topgear, personally I had used all kinds of deflating gimmicks, and then, one day, when my latest fancy tool gave up on me, I was given a stem remover (the red ones) with a magnetic hold on the stems. My deflating life has changed since then: I went from being the slowest deflator in the world to a relatively speedy one. As Fred suggested above, learn how many seconds it will take to deflate to, say 15PSI (depending on how much pressure you start with), then finesse the deflation down to where you want to be (with the FJ I usually stay between 11PSI in the summer and 13PSI in the winter, but this will also depend on your type of tires). You can check the pressure with the use of any digital gauge. Just make sure you double check, and confirm, the accuracy of your gauge, at any gas station (using the gauge Vs. the compressor's measurement).

Dear @Anish S, @Salarios, @Nivin, @Pancho, and @E.C. TAN. Thank you very much for joining the drive, so far. Following my earlier post, just a few more info about Friday's drive. The convoy will be relatively short, with the presence of @Wrangeld in support: both factors are good, as the length of the convoy should allow us to keep a good pace, and the presence of Richard will guarantee that any situation we'll encounter will be managed smoothly and efficiently. Depending on how well we progress through the drive, as promised, we may either spend more time practicing different techniques, or prolong the drive on the other side of the tarmac road, east of our location, toward the Love Lakes. Just one important word of caution. At Fewbie level, all of us are expected to carry the necessary off-roading tools for this rank: a good shovel, a recovery rope (better if with soft shackles), a compressor (even though the Adnoc gas station will be near enough to our exit). Most importantly, please make sure your tow holds/hooks are in good conditions, and available both at the front and back of your cars. We have recently had situations where the tow holds were either in poor conditions (with consequent car damages) or absent/not reachable (which have required the driver to exit the drive). The convoy order will be announced, as usual, on Thursday. With this last fact, I wish you a good end of the week, and look forward to seeing you on Eid's Friday.

Dear fellow desert wanderers @Rinelle Sanaani, @Tbone, @Chaitanya D, @Kalahari, @Febin Frederic. Just a few pills to build the expectation around this drive. As some of you have already seen, the area known unofficially as Little Sweihan offers a very intriguing terrain. Well south of Solar Park, on the way toward the Abu Dhabi border, it owes its characteristics to the location between two rather large sabkhas. The wind sweeping these flat expanses of land, with very little and very low vegetation, makes fresh and soft sand accumulate in and around some more consolidated dunes. The formations here, therefore, are made of rather close cordons of long dunes, relatively high and sharp, with narrow "corridors" between each cordon, where, in the lowest places, the soft sand is deposited, before being blown away toward the next sabkha. We will approach our playground with the help of a dirt road, running from the solar panels toward the south, as far as the Abu Dhabi border. Where Little Sweihan begins we'll detour, and enter the dunes, to ride its "canyons", practicing rather sharp side sloping, and occasional criss-crossings. We will try to drive all 3 of the area's roughly triangular sides, taking care to use the dune's layout to our advantage. The sudden ups and downs, and the presence of the soft sand pockets, will require good control of the cars' momentum and pace. We will then exit on any of the sabkhas running parallel to Little Swehian, to make our way back toward Solar Park. Hoping to have wet your appetite, I look forward to seeing you on Saturday at 4:00PM. Have a great Eid.

Dear @Najeeb Mohammed. You can decide to withdraw at any time. You can wait until you are sure, or just let me know if you can make it even last minute. Do not worry (the drive will remain open). Thanks a lot, and still hope to see you.

Way to go @Chaitanya D. The change of car hasn't slowed you down (actually the opposite). Looking forward to seeing you next week.

Bravo @paolo dassi. See you at the next Fewbie drive.

Dear fellow off-roaders. For one of your Eid drives we have worked on an itinerary that will bring you to all 4 cardinal points of the Qudra basin, between the Qudra Lakes and Solar Park. We'll drive in a counterclockwise direction, from north toward south-west and back. We'll drive on long range dunes, more or less open, a couple of sabkhas, and some tighter technical dunes (mostly on the way to completing the quadrangle). Being the drive open to all Fewbies, we'll start with basic side sloping, and some dune crossings. If the drive allows, also based on the convoy's experience and response, we may venture in some ridge riding and gentle criss-crossing, exploiting the not so extreme nature of Qudra's dunes. The drive will start a little sooner than usual for 2 reasons: the lenght of the days is slowly decreasing, with dusk descending at 7:00pm, and the gentle and open nature of the Qudra quadrant should allow to move at a slightly faster pace, and ovoid overheating. While we are looking forward to seeing you on Friday, enjoy your short week.

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 Off-roader 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: 1 Aug 2020, Saturday. Meeting time: 4:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Cr4anwtMW3M1UYgu5 Action Plan: Evening drive till about 08:00 PM 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 an Intermediate. 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: 08:00 PM LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 1 Lead Marshal + 2 or 1 Senior Members + 8 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 ON THE 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 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: 31 Jul 2020, Friday. Meeting time: 4:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/4YAx1tv5U8mjvYXW9 Action Plan: Evening drive till about 08:00 PM 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. 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: 08:00 PM LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 Fewbie drivers maximum. 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. 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

@Kalahari thanks for enjoying the drive and well executed second lead. It's too bad you will not be able to join next week. We'll keep some dunes unspoilt for you.

The morning after of what was, for many of you Desert Wanderers, a very long and sand filled day. Congratulations to all the drivers, who managed smoothly a long and diverse trek from Western Qudra all the way down to Little Swehian. Particularly, my appreciation goes to @Frederic and @Wrangeld, who joined the drive after having managed their own leads earlier in the day (super effort by Richard, who was also the first to arrive at the meeting point). Congratulations to @Kalahari, @Shiju Manuel, @Jolly Abraham, @Lorenzo Candelpergher and @Chaitanya D, who had also joined morning drives, but did not show any fatigue or loss of enthusiasm throughout the evening. A welcome back to @Salarios, after a forced hiatus. Well done to @Anish S, @Lucky sAm and @Jorge Stepniak Felippe: you all did very well. Back to the nature of the drive,we started punctually just after 4:30 PM, using the track running parallel to a few feeding and drinking troughs for gazelles and oryx, to reach the first set of long range dunes. These allowed the convoy to gently get in the rhythm of the drive, with some sideys and very few and controlled crossings. Toward the end of this area we also had the opportunity to go over the basics of ridge riding and criss-crossing, which we practiced, when possible and safe, throughout the drive. The first sabkha took us beyond the furthest reaches of Qudra's bike track, into a second set of dunes, which revealed itself to be a mix of smooth, long ridable ridges, at the beginning, and a technical area toward the end, finally tapering down into the second, gazelle and oryx filled, sabkha. From here we managed to reach the south-western border of the area known as Little Swehian. Thanks to the limited number of stucks and very few refusals, we still had enough time to enter the tall, tight dunes of this magic location, and to drive along its canyons, side sloping and going in and out of small bowls, until the impending darkness prompted us to exit on the track that led us back to Solar Park. Well done to all the drivers for completing 60.8Km, in 3hr and 3 min., at an average of 20Km/h (moving average speed of 30Km./h). Just one encouragement to all drivers: keep looking for the feeling between yourselves and your cars' true potential, searching for the sense of security that comes from knowing how one's car will respond to different situations, so that you may "feel" which can be the best approach to a dune, its crossing, riding a slope, as well as when to go for a second attempt, without forcing yourselves into situations you are not comfortable with. See you soon on another adventure filled week-end.