Ale Vallecchi

@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.

Note to all drivers: @Kalahari, @Jolly Abraham, @Shiju Manuel, @Salarios, @Lucky sAm, @Anish S, @Chaitanya D, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Lorenzo Candelpergher The drive will leave at 4:30 pm SHARP, no exceptions. It's quite a long track and visibility may be reduced sharply due to wind in the southern part of the drive. Please be punctual. You will reach the meeting point driving on a dirt road leading away from the main tarmac road near Bab al Shams. Pleaas proceed to the meeting point before deflating. See you soon.

@Jorge Stepniak Felippe Of course. Make sure you reach the meeting point no later than 4:15PM with the goal to leave at 4:30. See you soon.

Thanks for advising @Rinelle Sanaani. @Jorge Stepniak Felippe let me know if you still wish to join. Thanks

Hello @Jorge Stepniak Felippe. Will inform you up to 3PM if anything changes. Thanks

Hi @Kalahari. I am sure they would be appreciated. If you can please bring them I'm sure there will be interested people. Thanks for the offer.

Dear fellow Adventirers In preparation for tomorrow's PM drive, the convoy will move in the following order: 2.@Kalahari in Second Lead, followed by 3. @Jolly Abraham 4. @Shiju Manuel 5. @Salarios 6. @Lucky sAm 7. @Wrangeld at Center Forward 8. @Anish S 9. @Chaitanya D 10. @Rinelle Sanaani 11. @Lorenzo Candelpergher 12. @Frederic in Sweep position Given this variety of situations, keeping in mind that ideally this wishes to be a relatively long drive (up to 60 Km), and considering that it's getting dark sooner, I would like to kindly ask all the drivers to ARRIVE AT THE DEFLATION POINT NO LATER THAN 4:15PM, AND BE READY TO LEAVE BY 4:30PM. We will drive communicating on Carnity Channel 1 (446.006). As already mentioned this wishes to be an exploratory drive of the Western Qudra Basin in the direction of Little Swehian, to the South-West. I have had the opportunity of scouting this area recently, and have found it to be made of a mix of terrains, in order of appearance: 1) sets of long range dunes, where navigation is somewhat easier, and some side-sloping and safe ridge cresting can be practiced, 2) some technical dunes (which we'll do our best to avoid, due to their tightness) which will slow the convoy down and will require to keep safe distances, and very careful driving, 3) several sabkhas, where we will be able to pick up our pace and finally, if we'll manage to get as far as Little Swehian, 4) challenging dune bowls, following long cordons, with relatively tight space in between, and some soft sand patches. We will try to use the easier terrain (sabkhas and sand tracks) as much as possible, to be able to spend more time in the longer range dunes, and possibly in Little Swehian. Nonetheless, no matter how much we try to make the drive approachable, this particular mix of terrains will require your full attention and concentration. I recommend those avid desert goers who will also enjoy a morning drive to PLEASE SLEEP, TAKE A NAP, REST, and come refreshed to the drive. Have a great end of the week, and see you all tomorrow.

Dear @Kalahari, @Anish S, @Shiju Manuel, @Lorenzo Candelpergher, @Chaitanya D, @Lucky sAm, @Salarios, @Jolly Abraham, @Rinelle Sanaani As described in the drive's presentation post, we are looking to have as long a drive as possible, exploring the western side of the Qudra basin, passing through Solar park, and all the way to Little Swehian. The terrain will be mostly made of long dune ranges, but we will also find some areas of technical dunes. Plus, the more we'll head south, the more the sand will become soft and unstable. This is due to the cordon of dunes finding themselves in between sabkhas, which make the sand travel through these flat areas, and accumulate in the slip-sides and pockets of the dunes to the south of each sabkha. The result may be a drive with refusals and stucks that will become more likely the more we progress toward our goal of reaching Little Swehian. Because of these technical challenges, the length of the convoy (including, at the moment 12 cars), and the duration of the drive (likely to be over 3 hours), I would like to recommend, as in all Fewbie PLUS and above drives, to prepare yourselves in the following area: MENTAL READINESS AND CONCENTRATION - to make sure that all our energies and focus go to the characteristics of the terrain, our driving skills, and the security of the convoy, please be ready to concentrate yourselves on the drive alone. Kindly try to reduce all possible distractions, including bringing along too many passengers. If you bring along somebody, please explain that it will not be possible to converse while driving, or distract the driver from his duties. This recommendation aims to reduce the potential for refusals, stucks, and any other type of incident that may be caused by a distracted driver. AVAILABILITY OF PROPER EQUIPMENT - being at Fewbie Plus and above level means to have fully understood the need to carry the proper equipment in the car. This MUST include to say the least 1) a good shovel, 2) a tow rope (preferably with soft shackles), and 3) a compressor. Proper equipment also incudes a very important car accessory: tested, robust, tow hooks in good conditions. I will take care to verify the availability of all of the above equipment for all attendees, and will be forced to refuse participation for those who do not carry these essential items. COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS - there are two elements to our ability to communicate in the desert. The technical aspect demands that 1) your radios are fully charged, 2) that each driver always identifies himself when speaking, so to allow the convoy to react speedily to any predicament, and 3) that all respond when questions or instructions are directed at them, in order to acknowledge that all is clear and understood. The psychological aspect has to do with the willingness to communicate. Please, do not be afraid or ashamed to inform the convoy leader that one may not feel like making some maneuver, taking a seemingly risky approach, or doing anything beyond one's perceived skills, or physical conditions. When no communication of this kind takes place, the leader and the rest of the convoy will assume that all is well, and will not be able to address any concern of second-thoughts a driver may have. Kindly acknowledge the above information, so that we may look forward to a challenging, yet pleasant drive. Luckily, we'll have @Frederic and @Wrangeld assisting us on the drive, and bringing their expertise and flair to an already "star studded" convoy. See you all Friday (convoy order and radio channel will be published on Thursday evening). Dear @asifk, well noted. Sorry you will not be able to join. Hope to see you soon.

@Colin Jordan the exit should not be too far from Al Madam. There is a gas station just before Al Madam. Emmanuel can confirm, but shouldn't be more than 5-6 Km.

@Michael sammy if you are looking into Coppers I was offered the 260/70 R17 115T model A/T3 Sport Owl at Aed500 each at Sand Dance in Al Quoz 4.

Dear fellow desert addicts. While you are debating which drive to join (perhaps more than one), I'd like to give you a brief description of this Fewbie PLUS drive. First thing, it will accept Fewbie drivers with 5 or more Carnity drives within this rank. This is to allow those who joins to find themselves in the company of similarly skilled drivers, and enjoy an hopefully smooth and lenghty drive. In fact, I mention the length of the drive, as this means to be a sort of exploration of not so often visited parts of the Qudra basin. We'll leave from an unusual starting point on the west of Qudra, which allowes a relatively quick access to ranges of long dunes. We'll ride these all the way to the sabkha facing Solar Park, with the goal of reaching more long range dunes, which head in a South-West direction toward Little Swahian. This will be our final destination, Inshallah. While more details will follow soon, I am looking forward to seeing you on Friday, with your explorer's hat (and spirit) on.

Good point about checking, which I have not done 🤦‍♂️. Fortunately, I don't notice much extra noise. I will deflate more for better flotation, and try to adapt. The climbing was not too much of an issue, but felt less "agile" on a couple of slopes, where I had to push more to do what I was used to doing apparently in an easier way. Learning to adapt and respond.

So I finally have changed my tires. Went from my old stock Michelin road tires to Mastercraft 265/70R17 115T HSX. I have driven with them Friday and yesterday. My impressions. They seem to dig in more (to be expected I guess 😊) and "float" less them my old road Michelin. The question would be, to get used to them (other than just driving) should I: 1) deflate differently (I used to go to 11/12 psi, and still have used this during the weekend on the new tires), to make the tites float more/better? 2) use gears differently (on terrain like Badayer I used to drive in 4H 3rd gear (especially going in and out of bowls and dune formation, where I was looking for more power), but maybe with the AT tires 4H 4th is better, as on a couple of steep inclines I felt the car less agile and responsive)? Keep in mind I have an FJ where in 4H the gears go from the highest D to 4, 3, 2 and L 3) Also consumption on sand seems quite higher: on the same drive in Badayer I used to consume around 1/5 of the full tank, but with the new AT tires I used almost half a tank. Any advice/opinions?

Well done @Rinelle Sanaani. You have shown very good skills through your last drives. Keep it up and see you soon.

Well done @Febin Frederic. You have impressed in your drives. Keep going strong.

Good job @Najeeb Mohammed. You have improved much, hence deserve the promotion. Keep joining as many drives as possible, so your skils get honed. See you soon.

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 PLUS (Drivers with more than 5 Fewbie drives) and all above - NO NEWBIES ALLOWED. When: 24 July 2020, Friday Meeting time: 4:30 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/oosk2Mgcp181hKMJ8 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: 8:00 PM LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 10 cars maximum. RSVP will close on Thursday - 9 AM. 1 Lead Marshal + 1 or 2 Senior Member + 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

Dear fellow desert addicts. What a nice way to spend a Saturday morning (actually, late night and early morning)! Leading an intermediate convoy has the advantage that everything moves a little quicker (deflation, briefing, the pace of the drive) and with less idle time, also thanks to the fact that Intermediate and above skills allow the drivers to face any adjust quickly and effortlessly to any surprises that the track, or the leader, have in store for them. With this combination of readiness and ability, we set out from Shabiyat to explore and ride every possible group of high dunes between us and the Quad Rental location in Badayer. Temperature at 05:28 was perfect (low 30's) and the sand still relatively cool and compact. We lined up with @Mels Wolf in Second Lead, followed by @Tbone, @Michael sammy, @Colin Jordan, and @Javier M watching over the convoy in Sweep. We reached Super Bowl in no time, and attempted to climb it from every possible side. The inclination of its left side, the steepness of the center, and the super-bumpiness of the right side, all of them well dug with tracks left from the previous day's climbers, prevented us from reaching the top, but still warmed us up for what was to come. Therefore, Iftar Bowl was conquered with a certain amount of ease and flair (especially by Javier, who rode it from every side). From there, we went on to look for, reach through patches of enjoyable technical dunes, and explore, 9 more groups of high dunes: not all of them perfect "star" formations (for more info, see @Frederic's post dedicated to dune formations), but intricate enough to give us a good challenge while exploring their depths and heights. After only sporadic refusals, and no stucks, we exited at Badayer Quad Rental roundabout, after covering 49.8Km, climbing 854 meters (to reach an maximum altitude of 177 meters), and driving at an average of 22Km/H. (max. speed 61 Km/H), for 2:58 hours. PS. Considering this was my first true Intermediate Lead, I would love to receive the drivers' criticism (compliments I already received), particularly to allow me to understand if they were expecting something different (faster pace, more climbing, more playing, etc.). Any input will be constructive, toward better drives in the future. Thanks to all, and see you soon on a dune.

@Tbone, @Michael sammy,@Colin Jordan, @Mels Wolf and @Javier M One last thing (even though I am sure you know by now). Closest refueling stations: with coffee/tea available - https://goo.gl/maps/ZJqZvsBjzPcSQuAM8 without refreshments - https://goo.gl/maps/tpfp74Pmzv7E5XRL7 See you tomorrow (for some of us tonight) at 5:AM

Dear @Tbone, @Michael sammy,@Colin Jordan, @Mels Wolf and @Javier M find below the convoy numbering for this Saturday's drive: 1. Ale Vallecchi 2. Mels Wolf 3. TBone 4. Michael Sammy 5. Colin Jordan 6. Javier As already mentioned in the drive's announcement, we'll reverse the usual itinerary, and will start with Super Bowl and Iftar Bowl, with the goal to find better sand and cooler temperatures to make the climbs a little easier. Let's just hope that Friday's off-roaders have not left too many marks on these great dunes. In case these major bowls were a bit too marked with previous tracks, we'll have a lot of opportunities to visit other "minor" bowls, as we progress toward the final exit point. In fact, after Iftar Bowl, in the direction of Badayer, there are still quite a few great dune formations which we'll be able to explore, also in the hope of finding less signs of traffic. Please note that the meeting and deflation point is a little deeper into the village of Shabiyat, so keep on going after you leave the Dubai-Hatta Road, until you actually arrive at the marked point. When you do so, please tune into Carnity Channel 1 (466.006). Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday morning. Enjoy the end of the week.

I used to be a desert wanderer in Northern Africa some years back 😊. That's a far away place. But worth the trip.

That's the Guelb el Richat in Mauritania. It's a meteorite's crater. Been there twice. Can be seen from space. There is a local tribe living on its rim. Windy, dusty, outwardly place.

@Kalahari I think you did very well. You did not show much hesitation at all. Surely, I feel there is always an element of uncertainty when you crest a dune, but it becomes less prominent in your mind as you practice more. The reference of the car in front of you certainly helps a lot, and with time the correct ways to approach, cross and exit a dune crest become more natural. Also, each car requires a certain type of feeling with the driver for her/him to become more secure in completing a criss-cross. So practicing (learning on the fly) is almost unavoidable. The clip you show is very advanced in my opinion, due the height of the dunes, their sharpness/inclination, and the speed (and control) required to sustain such ridge riding and crossing for so long. Of course the courses are thought to provide the opportunity to learn the technique, as you mention. But we can also find the opportunity to post a drive which can be almost entirely dedicated to the subject. That will provide the necessary repetitions that even after taking a tutorial will always be needed to go from theory to practice. You breach a good subject, which I am sure interest many, so stay tuned for something coming soon.