Ale Vallecchi

Very well done @Najeeb Mohammed. You have progressed tremendously. Glad to have you Saturday for the Exploration drive, to celebrate your new rank.

Dear Desertnauts, A few words about this exploration drive planned for next Saturday. Few words is all that I can use, since I have never been in this area at all. The idea to develop a "Sea to Mountain" route came to me after driving the first portion of this itinerary (before joining Carnity). That drive seemed nice at the time, and indeed it still is extremely interesting, even though the vegetation in the area has exploded since more than 1 year ago, changing the look and feel of the area. That first route was then tested a few weeks ago, and driven by an Intermediate convoy less than a month ago. We managed to go from the seaside (next to Barracuda Resort) to almost E611 (even though the access has been sealed off since 2019, and we had to exit back on E311). Hence, the second leg of the "Sea to Mountain" starts where we left off, at the end of E611, heading in an easterly direction, toward the foothills of the Ajar Mountains. The area we wish to explore, roughly from the entrance of the new Ritz-Carlton Resort to the industrial outskirts of Al Ghail town, is relatively large, and is criss-crossed by several tracks, leading in and out of it, connecting what seem to be farms with the major tarmac roads surrounding the area. Other than this generic information, there is nothing else that I can add: from satellite maps the area seems to be made of rather clean dunes (not much vegetation, apparently), but we know that with the latest cloud-seeding this may have changed quite dramatically. In spite of not having done a test drive in this area, and knowing that Part 1 of this route was quite challenging, we have chosen to open the drive to Intermediates (rather than Advance) drivers. This is to give all of you the opportunity to experience the double-edged sword of an "absolute first" drive, where the excitement of the exploration may be balanced by the disappointment of finding the area not as exciting as initially expected. Nonetheless, as for Part 1 of this RAK double route, all off-roading skills will be tested (finesse and control in particular), and at the end of the drive each should have gained a little more experience and knowledge about themselves, their relationship with their car, and the nature in which we'll be driving. The only thing that I'd like to advise, due to the unknown nature of the terrain and the obstacles we'll face during the drive, is to limit the number of passengers as much as possible, so that all the driver's concentration may be directed to the track in front of each car. Please advise if you plan to bring more than 1 passenger along. @Pancho, @Yousef Alimadadi, @Najeeb Mohammed, @Desert Dweller, @Nivin, @Jun Zamora, @Wrangeld, @Jeepie and @Kalahari, you will receive more info on Friday. In the meantime, have a great week.

Dear Desertnauts. Time to present next Friday AM's Fewbie PLUS drive. First of all, just to further clarify the meaning of this unofficial rank, Fewbie Plus refers to those Fewbie drivers who have had more than 5 drives at this level with Carnity. This sub-category intends to offer drives at a level between Fewbie and Intermediate, with a few more challenges, in order to provide an opportunity to hone one's skills toward a future promotion. Consequently the Fewbie Plus drives will be be conducted on more difficult terrains, at higher speed, and will require more refined skills, that should have been developed during the first Fewbie drives. This drive in particular will venture in what I have called the "Middle-Earth", the land in between Solar Park and Faqa, where one can find a mix of quite technical dunes, long range dune formations and sand canyons, each separated by wide open sabkhas. This combination of terrains will require all kinds of driving skills, from the finesse required to navigate technical dunes, to the momentum, and sometimes the power, needed to sustain going in and out of sand bowls, or side-crossing relatively taller and sharper dunes. As drives normally focus on either Solar Park, Faqa or Little Sweihan, this time we wish to explore also what's in between, that is otherwise skipped on the way to or from these locations. @Janarthan, @Jeandre Bezuidenhout, @Heisem, @Ilya Golubinsky, @Biju Abdul, @Gregory Perkin, @marks, @Tamas Hoffmann, @Islam Soliman , @Nabil Bishara and @Tbone thank for joining the trip. I will share more info closer to Friday morning. In the meantime, enjoy your week.

Dear @siddharth maheshwari. I thank you for signing up. However, upon checking your number of drives at Fewbie level, it turns out that you have not completed the required minimum 5 Fewbie drives. Therefore I will have to exclude you from this drive, which, as you can see from the announcement, is limited to Fewbies Plus (as defined by the min. 5 drives requirement). I am sorry for this inconvenience, which is however to insure the safety of each drive, based on the level of difficulty that the convoy is expected to meet. I hope to see you soon on another open drive. @Nabil Bishara, I am adding you to the drive's list. See you on Friday.

@Rajeevan Vickneswaran you have been added on the WL. Thanks a lot.

Hello @David Ortells. You will be #2 on the WL, until I clear the matter of Nabil's precedence to take the drive's last available spot. Thanks a lot.

Dear @jodha singh shekhawat I meant 5 Fewbie drives alone, not counting the Newbie drives. From Fewbie drive #6 (included) it's possible to register for Fewbie Plus. Even though this is an unofficial rank, some drives are reserved for more advanced Fewbies, due to the more difficult nature of the itinerary. I am truely sorry for this inconvenience, and will be happy to see you in the next open drive.

Yes @Nabil Bishara. I will sort it out. Do not worry. Will confirm to you ASAP. Thanks for your patience.

Hello @Nabil Bishara. You are #1 on the WL.

Hello @Islam Soliman. I see you found your way into the drive after a spot opened. Thanks for joining. See you Friday.

Dear @jodha singh shekhawat. Thank you very much for booking a spot on this drive. Nonetheless, as you may have seen from the announcement, this is a drive reserved for Fewbies with 5 or more drives with Carnity. At the moment you have 3 Fewbie drives under your belt, which unfortunately make you ineligible for this drive. Therefore, I am forced to take you off this list, hoping that you can still find a spot on another drive this weekend. I am very sorry for this inconvenience, and hope to see you soon in another all Fewbie drive.

Dear @Francois Germishuys. First of all, congratulations for your promotion to Fewbie. Unfortunatelly, however, this is a drive reserved for Fewbies with 5 or more drives with Carnity. Therefore, I am forced to take you off this list, hoping that you can still find a spot on another drive this weekend. I am very sorry for this inconvenience, and hope to see you soon in another all Fewbie drive.

Very well done @Mehmet Volga. You have gotten better and better, and deserve the new challenge.

Great news @Wrangeld. Couldn't think of a more deserving person than you!! You lead not just with your driving skills, but with your whole attitude, perseverance, patience, character and love for the desert. Looking forward to celebrating.

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 and above (strictly, any sign up from members who haven't completed 5 drives at Fewbie level with Carnity will be deleted) When: 9 October 2020, Friday Meeting time: 6:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: Navigate the mix of technical dunes, long range ones, and dune canyons with sand bowls, between Solar Park and the Faqa area. Opportunities to practice all off-roading skills, such as finesse driving, straight crossing, side sloping, ridge riding and crossing, always in a safe and controlled manner Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/ZJ3b9Wwza53ZL2K89 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: 10:00 AM End Point: Unknown 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 cars only. 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

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 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: 10 October 2020, Saturday Meeting time: 6:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: IMPORTANT NOTICE - This is an exploration drive, in a little travelled area for off-roaders, on very technical terrain. In fact, while Part 1 of this drive has taken place on an itinerary tasted at least once, this drive will be in uncharted terrain! The pace may be slow, and the skills required will include finesse and control, due to the need to pick the right path through an environment possibly with a lot of vegetation (shrubs first, then trees), with sporadic animal farms, and sets of sand dunes with little room to maneuver. This drive will test the complete set of off-roading skills, providing a good opportunity to make you a more complete desert driver. Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/UsVoyEaC9YdZdJbG8 IMPORTANT: As this is an absolute first, this is just a convenient meeting point, from which we'll try to move into the desert. We can deflate here, hoping the entry point will not be too far. 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: 11:00 AM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL END THE DRIVE AT A 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

SKYDIVE LOOP - New area, new Leaders. Premiere Drive Report First drive for Carnity's Fewbies in this brand new area, first lead for one of our upcoming Leaders. As mentioned in the drive's presentation, this is not a pristine area from the habitation's point of view (there are camel farms, falconeers hideouts, gazelle's feeding stations, and, last but not least, the Sheik's Villa), but it certainly has been untouched by off-roaders, making it a succulent new dish on Carnity's menu. Just behind Skydive Dubai, in fact, there is a set of beautiful yellow/red sand dunes, that are neither long and tall nor tight and technical, but rather flow in an intricate but very smooth sequence, allowing sideys, criss-crossing, ridge riding, always with an easy and safe exit point. Following this set of "intricately smooth" dunes has taken us eventually to the boundary of Margham village, into a super-fun set of bowls, following each other in an almost circular chain (max. altitude 137 meters). After a very fun half an hour into this great playground, we then turned back toward the north west, in the direction of Lisaili (the other side of the highway). After avoiding an area marked with skull and bones (literally, on signposts, not just on our satellite maps) where oil/gas related construction seems to be taking place, we finally gained the lower ground. At the entrance of a nice technical set of dunes, with beautiful gnarly trees, and some fine sand bowls, still 1 hour away from Lisali, I passed the baton to Chaitanya, for his debut leading a Fewbie drive. @Chaitanya D rose to the challenge, leading smoothly in a very little known area, also finding a final play area just before the exit track, where the whole convoy merrily did countless side-slopes. It was not easy to navigate in such an unmarked terrain, taking quite a long convoy with minimal problems: well done Doc!! We exited at the highway, just on the other side from Lisaili camel practice track, after 3:55 hours of driving, and 61.1 Km, covered at an average speed of 16 Km/h (22 Km/h while moving). Great thanks @Anish S for anchoring the convoy, @Foxtrot Oscar for her reassuring presence at Sweep, and to @Islam Soliman, @andy_macdxb, @jodha singh shekhawat, @Tero Vallas, @Kailas, @Jeandre Bezuidenhout, @Biju Abdul, @tcarrimjee and @Ilya Golubinsky for joining the exploration and driving very smoothly (no stucks in such a drive is an exceptional achievement): great going all of you. Have a great week, and see you soon.

NOT SO NEWBIES - Faqa Loop "Arboretum 101" Report As mentioned in the drive's preview, Faqa is not our first "go-to" location for a Newbie drive. Nonetheless, its northern part presents a very interesting terrain, with many copses of trees (hence the "arboretum", and long range, smooth dunes, very approachable by a Newbie convoy. Still, once the convoy gets into the heart of Faqa the dunes become taller and closer together, presenting also frequent technical areas, that may prove to be a challenge to unseasoned drivers. After a timely departure, between a moonset and a sunrise, we entered the long range dune from the backside of a large camel farm, warming up the convoy on a few side slopes, before directing ourselves toward the heart of Faqa. This is where the convoy proved to be not so Newbie, dealing extremely well with the technical dunes in between the tall cordons. All the few refusals and stucks were dealt with quite easily, so that we made very good time. Rather than driving all the way to Faqa town we chose to double back toward the low, open dunes, close to the northern sabkha, where the convoy, having gained confidence and coordination, managed to practice ridge riding and criss-crossing (in the safest possible way). The drive lasted 3:30 hours, and covered 48.1 Km, at the average speed of 14Km/h (21 Km/h while moving). Special thanks to @Ashy for a cleanly executed Second Lead, @Mikhail Lukichev for anchoring the convoy, and @Kailas for a smooth Sweep. Well done to @Athula Dharmadada, @Hardik Mody, @Baskaran P.R, @Rizwan Waheed, @Syed Raza Hussain, @Andrei, @Yasas Dharmadasa, @SureshVNair and @Gok Krish for managing with great control and skill the toughest, central, part of the drive, and for diving in with gusto into the last minute ridge riding and crossing. Have a great week, and see you soon out there. Special thanks to

Really sorry @Ashok chaturvedi. I saw your message when I was already on the way to the meeting point. Hope to see you another time. Enjoy India.

Hello @Rizwanm2. Sorry for my mistake (I hope it didn't upset you). I hope to see you soon for another drive.

@jodha singh shekhawat you will be driving at #7. Thanks

@Ilya Golubinsky you are IN. Sorry for Jodha, but I need to confirm the convoy order. Ilya you will drive at #12, in front of the Sweep. See you tomorrow.

Sure @Ilya Golubinsky. Will update you shortly. Thanks a lot.