Wrangeld

Thanks @Gaurav. As you suggested, I kept a space in the drive for @Badar Tariq cousin/friend, but will be checking identity of the driver in the morning and will only allow the named driver on the convoy. Please follow instructions from Gaurav or you will arrive tomorrow morning at 6am and not be allowed to join the convoy. This is a 'no exceptions' policy.

Yes. We need them front and back (and in good condition).

Dear Absolute Newbie drivers, I hope you are looking forward to the drive tomorrow morning and the excitement that awaits you. We publish the night before a drive our convoy numbering and order (please see tutorial to understand this if it's not clear) so that everyone knows where they will be driving in the convoy on Friday morning. For this first drive only, we will supply radios to any driver that does not have their own radio. For those that have a radio, we will be using Carnity channel 1 at frequency 446 006 25. Morning Absolute Newbie Qudra 9th April 2021 Attendees Level Car Radio Pos # Wrangeld Marshal Mitsubishi Pajero SWB Y 1 Lucas Neo @Lucas Neo Absolute Newbie Jeep Wrangler SWB Y 2 Peter Hogg @Peter Hogg Absolute Newbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 3 Ahmed Mostafa @Ahmed Mostafa Absolute Newbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 4 Mohammad Imran Khan Absolute Newbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 5 Aragon @ARAGON Absolute Newbie Jeep Wrangler LWB Y 6 Morshedi @Morshedi Absolute Newbie Jeep Wrangler LWB Y 7 Imtiyaz Ali @Imtiyaz Ali Absolute Newbie Jeep Wrangler LWB Y 8 Redza Jamil @Redza Jamil Absolute Newbie Toyota Land Cruiser Y 9 wadepat2 @Wadepat2 Absolute Newbie Toyota Land Cruiser Y 10 Rahul Kumar @Rahul kumar Absolute Newbie Ford Explorer Y 11 Christopher Assal @Christopher Assal Absolute Newbie Nissan Patrol Super Safari LWB Y 12 Shamil @Shamil Expert Nissan Xterra Y 13 SW

Hi Rahul, It's not a tow hook like for a caravan, it's a D hook through which we can pass a rope if you need to be recovered. On the Explorer these are often hidden under some body work or plastic shroud. What you are looking for is something that looks like this.

Hi Guys, Convoy list for tomorrow is below. Afternoon Newbie Qudra 2nd April 2021 Attendees Level Car Radio Pos # Wrangeld Marshal Mitsubishi Pajero SWB Y 1 Watteau @Watteau Fewbie Ford Raptor F150 Y 2 SL Gaurav Soni @Gaurav Soni Intermediate Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 3 Ehab @Ehab Fewbie Jeep Wrangler SWB Y 4 Thomas Varghese @Thomas Varghese Intermediate NIssan Xterra Y 5 Pacific @Pacific Fewbie Jeep Wrangler SWB Y 6 Shehab al Awadhi @Shehab Alawadhi Intermediate Ford F150 Y 7 CF Sinol @Sinol Fewbie Mitsubishi Pajero LWB Y 8 Hardik Mody @Hardik Mody Fewbie Nissan Xterra Y 9 Ahab Shamaa @Ahab Shamaa Intermediate Toyota FJ Cruiser Y 10 Arman @Arman Fewbie Jeep Wrangler SWB TJ Y 11 Alexander Alcala @Alexander Alcala Advance Jeep Wrangler Y 12 SW Radio will be Channel 1. Meeting point is https://goo.gl/maps/AxUX7KacsHqwKyAUA Looking forward to starting the summer season with everyone tomorrow.

Yes. The learning never ends @Mario CornejoCornejo but in the end, it's a hobby and not a job. The marshal's hobby is, probably, learning.

Here's my perspective, as a marshal and someone that started desert driving quite recently. You may not believe it, but I am a salsa dancer. I was a terrible dancer when I started, but I practiced, and even once I got better and better, I continued to go to help in beginner lessons because I knew that practicing the basics is never a bad thing, and going back to the basics there is ALWAYS something to learn. What's my point? We are always learning. If your mind is open to it, you learn something every time you drive. On an 'easy' drive, I have the option to focus on an area of my skills that I want to improve and give it the time and energy that I cannot when the drive is fast paced or complex. Go back to the basics again and again and again. That way, the more challenging things will come easier (and safer). Beginners really appreciate you sharing your experience. We do not normally do drives focusing on one skill because it's not a class. We are not leading a tutorial. We are leading fun drives for the convoy. If you want more practice, sign up for drives at a lower level and do the same challenges again and again and again. What most of our members do not really see is that the most senior members of the club spend more time driving with the most junior members than driving extreme drives (which we all could). We know that we learn a lot more from this experience than hanging off the side of a cliff or riding a 3km ridge.

Hi Rahul, Ford Explorer - two things. First remove the air dams at the front. They make the car too low if fitted. Secondly, please make sure that the D hooks for towing are installed. Whereas everyone will tell you they are fitted as standard, I have had one or two occasions where an Explorer did not follow the 'standard' rule. As @Lakshmi Narasimhan, for an absolute newbie drive, your car is fine.

That's great news. We have enjoyed @kolin joining our drives and hope that she will not be pushed out of the driving seat for ever once you get the off road bug as well.

No. That's fine @ARAGON

Hi All already signed up for the absolute newbie drive, Wadepat2 @Wadepat2 Morshedi @Morshedi Badar Tariq @Badar Tariq ARAGON @ARAGON Ahmed Mostafa @Ahmed Mostafa Peter Hogg @Peter Hogg Lucas Neo @Lucas Neo Redza Jamil @Redza Jamil Imtiyaz Ali @Imtiyaz Ali Just a gentle reminder to carefully review the tutorial videos for Absolute newbies before you arrive on Friday. Also, please check your front and rear tow points are in good order - there's simply nothing worse than arriving at the meeting point early on a Friday morning and finding that for what ever reason your car is not suitable to be driven. As I see it we have a combination of Mitsubishi Pajeros, Jeeps and Land Cruisers - but if you fitted bull bars or anything of that type the tow hooks might be obscured. Please do yourself the additional favor of removing all wind dams and spoilers that may fowl your ground clearance. We don't want to be leaving body parts in the desert come Friday. Myself and @Shamil look forward to welcoming you on Friday.

Congratulations @Ali Abas hope you enjoy your new rank to the full.

@VipinShetty there is also the small chance that there is a build up of sand on your wheel from the desert. My tires (like Ahab) feel unbalanced from time to time. A bit of a shakedown later and some speed bumps to shake out the desert from under the car and we as a good as gold.

Congrats @Adhir Saxena

Dear Badar, Only the driver listed with Carnity is allowed to drive, so if your cousin is the actual driver, they need to become a member of Carnity. The car is perfect - but you must sort out the driver situation as explained above. Hi Lucas, Fantastic - hipefully we can help you get closer to the mountains for when you finish climbing! Please make sure to take a look at the tutorial videos. These are essential viewin before the drive. .

Unless of course I have other ideas about who is behind and in front of whom.

Watteau @Watteau Ehab @Ehab Hardik Mody @Hardik Mody Sinol @Sinol Pacific @Pacific Thomas Varghese @Thomas Varghese Shehab Alawadhi @Shehab Alawadhi Arman @Arman Ahab Shamaa @Ahab Shamaa Gaurav Soni @Gaurav Soni You're all in and confirmed for the inaugural Carnity night drive of the season. Myself and @Alexander Alcala are lookign forward to the enjoyment and excitement of a night drive around the challenges of Al Qudra. As this is the last drive opportunity before Ramadan, we are starting earlier and planning to finish earlier than the night drives that will follow during the year. A few things to keep in mind: Arrive well rested - if you come to the drive after a long day of busy activity and think that you can concentrate at the levels at which you will have to in the dark, think again. In the dark all your senses have to react differently and more acutely. Stay alert during the drive - we cannot have big gaps in the convoy at night and in the same way, you cannot tailgate. You go off track here ... that's it. Back tracking is much more challenging. Be prepared for the unexpected - we will come across sleeping gazelle, camels and potentially humans during the drive. It will be cooler - if you suffer in the cold of Dubai, then make sure you bring extra protecion with you. There's not a lot worse than being freezing cold digging someone out. Check your vehicle and your equipment - basics, like having a torch are obvious. Because it's dark we need to be sure you can deflate, and that your car is in good working order before we leave. We really cannot do desert side maintenance in the middle of the night. I'll be sharing more around the plan, radio frequencies and the responsibilities in the convoy later in the week, but it looks to me like we have enough intermediates to run a pretty tight buddy system for the fewbies ... See you soon in the sand.

@Gaurav Soni please sign in the for the drive. As per the new rules, you can sign up for 2nd drive on Tuesday.

Hi Imtiyaz, Looking forward to welcoming you on the drive on Friday. Thanks for the info on the vehicle. I am sure that you'll have fun. Please watch the tutorials on radios if you have any questions around the tuning. Also, please make ssure you wanted the tutorial about driving in the desert on the feed before arriving. @Lucas Neo and @Redza Jamil can you please tell us a little about yourselves in the same way that the other drivers introduced themselves. Regards, Wrangeld

Dear @Thomas Varghese, You've made it to the promised land - intermediate status in the club. My heartfelt congratulations, becuase without a shadow of a doubt, you have earned this rank. Through all the disappointment, frustration, commentary and feedback, you have shown your true potential. As many of the comments here reflect, with this rank comes responsibility and accountability. It's your responsibility to continue to follow the instuctions of the drive lead (and not unless invited engage or investigate), it's your responsibility to self recover whenever you can without the assistance of other drivers or just as importantly accept when you ended up in a situation you should not and need assistance [no more excuses that because of this, this happened and otherwise it would not ....]. Intermediate implies you can control the vehicle and your emotions in check, no matter what. You've shown that's possible. Accountability comes with the rank as well. You will be seen as more senior by drivers of ranks with less experience. Seniors may have higher expectations of you. I am sure you will not let yourself down and hope that you can now start to enjoy rides again without this monkey of promotion on your back. And a reminder to you and ALL drivers with ranks higher than Newbie - our drives are open to multiple ranks and not just the rank of the drive. Those who really want to learn about off roading automatically know where their learning is going to be the best. See you soon in the sand.

@Rob Harper congratualtions on the promotion to this rank. I am sure you'll enjoy the new challenges of the drives and the opportunity to contribute even more to the drives than you already do.

@Mario Cornejo congratualtions on the new rank. Looking forward to seeing how high you will fly in Carnity. I think you'll be there in the stratosphere with your desire to continue learning.

Hi guys, @Thomas Varghese and @Shehab Alawadhi are now both signed in to the drive so it's @Ahab Shamaa and @Gaurav Soni currently on WL. 1st let's congratulate Thomas on his promotion to Intermediate. It's been long waited and worked for. What it means at the moment is that the convoy is quite experienced and that should permit pushing the envelope a little further on this first night drive of the season. This will be special because of the timing. Most night drives during the season will sit between the window of 10pm to 2am to facilitate prayers and eating times for our club members ... so make the most of being up late, instead of being up through the night. Qudra has great white sand that can be a blessing or a curse depending on the light thrown on to it. Let's see what our night brings out ... and how many unsisprecting campers we find along the way!

Absolute Newbie uses Carnity channel 1. I think thats 446 006.25. If you followed the instrictions on your radio then you should be OK. We will do a complete radio check , to make sure they are working, before we leave.

You signed in already. 👍😃