Lorenzo Candelpergher

12 minutes ago, Alexander Alcala said:

3 hours ago, Gaurav said:

All Radio Channel Assigned.

All crew, support team and backup lead will be on Channel 1.

1. Team 1 - Arabian Sand Gazelle - Kailas - Radio Channel 7.
2. Team 2 - Arabian Wolf - Ale - Radio Channel 2.
3. Team 3 - Arabian Saluki - Chaitanya - Radio Channel 3.
4. Team 4 - Arabian Camel - Marjan - Radio Channel 10.
5. Team 5 - Arabian Leopard - Lorenzo - Radio Channel 4.
6. Team 6 - Arabian Red Fox - Richard - Radio Channel 6.

 

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I would have thought that each team would take the same channel as team number to facilitate the support team to communicate with each specific team (easy to remember).  hahahaha

But then there are superstition and habits.. 😂 If you'll notice, as far as I am concerned, whenever I can, I am  always on Channel 4 😉

@Gaurav, Team Arabian Leopard will opt for Channel 4, if not taken. 

Some RFIs to the @Carnity Organizers:

1. Can you confirm that ALL Team members are required to record the track or just the lead? If all, we need to make sure all drivers are conversant with GPS tools, including the Fewbie Member.

2. Can you qualify what is meant by "tampering with GPS"? What happens if one of the team members fails to record the track, accidentally stops recording or drains the phone battery or has a phone overheating issue? Are all individual team member tracks going to be handed to the Organizers at the end of the drive?

3.  Can you confirm that ALL Team members required to drive a circle around the waypoints or just the lead? This is to plan drive execution accordingly.

4. There is a starting point from where 5 waypoints are to be reached in whatever order, if I got it right. I'm not clear about the conclusion of the drive: are we done when we reach the last of the 5 waypoints (regardless which one it is as per our route and regardless of the exit point) or do we have to head back to the starting point or any other designated exit point?

@Gaurav, @Frederic, @Srikumar, your kind feedback is appreciated.

8 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Well 3 (undisclosed) cars made a recent trip to the neighboring area and all 3 cars are down with something or the other breakdown.

Interesting way to put it.. 😂😂

Great achievement and well deserved promotion, @varunmehndiratta! 

Dear All, 

@Sunil Mathew, @AlexM, @Bernard Kalaani, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Humayun Ghias, @Shereen Shaaban, @Fabien Monleau, @MMansoor, @Josh T., @Looper

I am very sorry to inform you that this morning I unfortunately found out that my car has a significant oil leakage and it would not be safe for me to drive 2x90km to AD + 60km off road in these conditions. 

With great disappointment, I'm forced to CANCEL THE DRIVE, as with such short notice no other @Carnity lead could make him/herself available to replace me. 

Please accept my apologies for the very short notice, but I found out about the problem only this morning when I did a final check on the car before leaving to Abu Dhabi for my IM drive, which was cancelled as well.. I hope you understand. 

I promise I will re-post the drive soon. 

Dear All, 

@Ilya, @PaoloMaraziti, @Mus_hus78, @imranaasghar81, @Archibald Jurdi, @Ranjan Das, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Rawad, @Arman, @JeromeFJ, @varunmehndiratta, @Mario Cornejo, @Luca Palanca Falsini

I am very sorry to inform you that I just found out that my car has a significant oil leakage and it would not be safe for me to drive 2x130km to AD + 90km off road in these conditions. 

With great disappointment, I'm forced to CANCEL THE DRIVE. 

Please accept my apologies for the very short notice, but I found out about the problem only this morning when I did a final check on the car before leaving to Abu Dhabi. I hope you understand. 

3 hours ago, Humayun Ghias said:

@Lorenzo Candelperghermy sincere apologies, I have a commitment that has come up which I can't get out of. Sorry I won't be able to join this drive.

Hope everyone has an amazing one! 

Dear @Humayun Ghias, no worries. It happens.

@Imran Kashif, are you still interested to join, given that we have an open spot and you are first in line in the waitlist? 

3 hours ago, varunmehndiratta said:

Looking forward and hoping that huge oil explorers haven't spoiled this part of the terrain .c u all tomo. 

Not until last Saturday.. 😉😉

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

this RSVP is now closed.

Please find below the convoy order for our drive:

@Sunil Mathew, @AlexM, @Bernard Kalaani, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Humayun Ghias, @Shereen Shaaban, @Fabien Monleau, @MMansoor, @Josh T., @Looper, this drive is going to be very interesting, in a terrain new to most, beautiful but challenging, and therefore quite demanding from a technical point of view, both mentally for the drivers and mechanically for the cars. It will require your full and undivided concentration at every step, especially when we will reach elevated positions on steep slopes, so make sure you come well rested and hydrated and that and you don’t have any reason for being distracted. Also, please consider carefully if you wish to bring passengers along with you.

We will be using Carnity Channel 4 (446.08125Mhz)

Our meeting is confirmed on E75 Al Fayah Road - https://goo.gl/maps/pH1UmMLcUUawgqQAA 

See you on Saturday afternoon, ready to go (i.e. already caffeinated, deflated, flagged and briefed) by no later 2:00pm (sharp), so make sure you make it to the meeting point at least by 1:45pm.

P.S.: apologies to all those who responded to the RSVP asking to be waitlisted. For the time being @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil and @MMansoor have been admitted, up to the limit of 10 participants. For @Imran Kashif, @Santoso Marjuki, @PaoloMaraziti, @James Thorn, it will be for another time!

22 minutes ago, Looper said:

Looks like ADNOC Service Station | Al Faya Shahinat - 3 (764) is the nearest petrol station.

@Lorenzo Candelpergher Once filled up here do we need to carry extra fuel back home after the drive? 

Hi @Looper, I believe there's no need to carry extra fuel. This is a Fewbie drive and we will be driving approx 50-60km, which will leave you with around half tank at the exit point. 

3 minutes ago, takeshi sobue said:

Thank you. I'm sorry 🙏 I wanted to participate normally, but when I tapped to put a message as to whether I could do it, it was managed by Mistake.

What is All Level? Can beginners participate?

Dear @takeshi sobue, this is a Fewbie Drive, i.e. a level for which you are not yet qualified. I will remove you from the RSVP. For your own safety and for that of the other drivers, it is important that you join drives whose level is consistent with your current off-roading experience, as I hope you understand. Keep up the good work in joining Newbie Drives and you will soon conquer your promotion to Fewbie and, possibly, Intermediate later on!

By the way you can add yourself in the "Going" tab of the drives, not in the "Manage" tab, which is only for Marshals, Experts, Advisors and Support Team. 

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

this RSVP is now closed.

Please find below the convoy order for our drive:

@Ilya, @PaoloMaraziti, @Mus_hus78, @imranaasghar81, @Archibald Jurdi, @Ranjan Das, @Jorge Stepniak Felippe, @Rawad, @Arman, @JeromeFJ, @varunmehndiratta, @Mario Cornejo, @Luca Palanca Falsini, this drive is going to be thrilling and exciting, but also very demanding from a technical point of view, both mentally for the drivers and mechanically for the cars, more so in the 2nd half. It will require your full and undivided concentration at every step, especially when we will reach elevated positions on steep slopes, so make sure you come well rested and hydrated and that and you don’t have any reason for being distracted. Also, please consider carefully if you wish to bring passengers along with you.

This drive is going to be a very long one, approx. 90km, all driven at a very high pace and on quite demanding terrain, especially in the 2nd half. It is essential that you reach the meeting point with a FULL TANK.

We will be using Carnity Channel 4 (446.08125Mhz)

Our meeting point is confirmed on Lane 2006: https://goo.gl/maps/5zRTU37KwvWLnuWY8  

See you tomorrow morning, ready to go (i.e. already caffeinated, deflated, flagged and briefed) by no later 6:30am (sharp), so make sure you make it to the meeting point at least by 6:15am if you don't want to miss the sun rising across the Fossil Dunes.

1 hour ago, Ranjan Das said:

Hi Lorenzo @Lorenzo Candelpergher, location link for meeting point given above and that in the calendar event are different. Kindly have a look and advise.

Hi @Ranjan Das, I have fixed the problem. Now both post and calendar show consistent locations. Thanks for noticing it. 

1 hour ago, Imran Kashif said:

Ok @Lorenzo Candelpergher I will join next weekend.i won't be join on Saturday good suggestion.

Thanks for your support. 

@Imran Kashif, maybe I was not clear. You cannot respond to two RSVPs at the same time on Sunday. You can respond to one RSVP and ask to be waitlisted for the 2nd RSVP. If, by Wednesday, the 2nd RSVP is not full you will be added to the drive. 

So if you want to join Saturday, you can be waitlisted and we see by Wednesday if there is room for you to be added. 

Dear @Imran Kashif and @Santoso Marjuki, 

Asyou know, as per @Carnityrules, in order to ensure to all members a fair chance to join drives, only one RSVP can be responded for each weekend. If you wish to join a 2nd drive you can ask the Lead of that drive to put you on a waitlist for your 2nd drive and, if places will be available, the Lead will add you to the RSVP.

@Imran Kashif, you have booked this drive AND the Morning Newbie drive in Al Fayah with @Islam Soliman. 

@Santoso Marjuki, you have booked this drive AND the Morning Fewbie in AL Qudra with @M.Seidam.

Please let us know which drive you choose.You may both be waitlisted for the other drive as your 2nd weekend drive. 

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. 

Congratulations @PaoloMaraziti!! Well deserved promotion. Looking forward to having you next Friday! 

Drive Brief
This drive will allow to discover a beautiful and largely untamed stretch of desert, i.e. the area of Al Fayah in Abu Dhabi, on the south east side of E75 Al Fayah road. This area is known for its bright sand, its big dunes with sharp crests and its large swooping bowls. In such an ideal territory for a Fewbie Drive, we will enter at 2:00pm from E75, heading east. After reaching an area of stunning rock formations unexpectedly emerging out of the sand, we will loop back to our entry point heading west facing the sunset, getting back on the tarmac of E75, hopefully carrying away a great deal of fun and memories from this inspiring discovery drive.

General Infos

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
• Mandatory Safety Requirements
• Ban from Carnity Off-road Club
• Two Way Radio Guidelines

Drive Details

Level:  Fewbie and above (All Levels)

When:  13 Nov 2021, Friday

Meeting time: 2:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: E75 Al Fayah Road - https://goo.gl/maps/pH1UmMLcUUawgqQAA

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, willingness to learn and your own compressor for tire inflation.

Approximate finish time: 6:00 PM

End Point: E75 Al Fayah Road

Limited Spots Available:

• Limited to 12 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 EVENT 

DRIVE REPORT

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

The first drive of the season where my windows were down from start to end! What a beautiful feeling.. 

We started a bit later than planned at 6:22pm, because of the late arrivals of @Thomas Varghese and @MMansoor due to heavy traffic. 

To my surprise, my main off-roading headlights were not working properly (a loose contact somewhere), which casted some doubts on how relaxed the drive was going to be, as limited visibility implied more focus.. My doubts were wrong, as it all went smoothly and beautifully. 

We roamed around on the West side of Pink Rock for a little while to warm up the convoy and get everyone accustomed to the night driving experience, which always takes a bit of time and was, for some, really the 1st time. 

As usual the initial stint is also a test drive to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the convoy, so after the 1st quiet 20 mins I pushed a bit here and there to see who may get in trouble. We had a few refusals and reattempts, but nothing major, all nicely self-recovered with the occasional guidance of @Danish Mohammad.

As we were approaching 7pm, we made our way back to Pink Rock, which we climbed to the top. The ascent to the pass is always an epic experience, no matter how often it is done. Yesterday, however, was definitely the most difficult night climb I happened to lead so far, as it was a pitch black evening with no moon light, so I had to climb relying entirely on my GPS track and then guide the convoy to the top by holding my torch light on so that drivers could have a target to aim at in the distance while climbing up in the dark. Quite an experience! 

As we were planning a proper stop pretty soon, we didn't indulge much at the top, so we made our way down on the east side of Pink Rock, and quickly climbed to its south edge, then stopped where the sharp rocky edge offers a 360° panoramic view of the surroundings.

As planned, we reached our camping point approx 1h after our departure, and set up our bonfire. There was a nice breeze blowing, a beautiful view of the rock and of the surrounding landscape, with the horizon outlined by the lights of the roads outside the desert, a reminder of the civilized world far away, in stark contrast with the untamed nature of the place we stood at. 

Having a break around the bonfire, with some quiet music in the background (it was a piano concert by Ludovico Einaudi, for those who are curious), chatting about past off-roading adventures, was a really nice relaxing moment.. Exactly what I was hoping for the evening. 

After approx 1h, at 8:15pm, we put off the fire, wrapped up the remains, and made our move south, aiming at Big Red. 

What followed was a beautiful, uninterrupted, very fluid stint, during which we were blessed with a convoluted, but yet gentle ride, flowing around the fat ridges and the large bowls that the terrain south of Pink Rock offered. 

With minimal refusals and reattempts, we covered a significant distance and progressively approached our final destination. As we reached Big Red with a few minutes still left to spend, we tried an attempt to climb to the top: we didn't quite reach it, but didn't get far from it. On the way down, however, we had our only stuck of the day, with @MMansoor crested at a tricky criss-crossing: I had promised him, around the fire, that I'd get him stuck somewhere soon.. And I kept my word.. 😂😂

As I didn't want to delay our exit, the recovery was performed by winching the Y62 down from the crest, the fastest solution to the stuck. Five minutes later, by 9:58pm, we were out on the tarmac on E44 at Badayer. 

Everyone in the convoy did well yesterday night:

@Thomas Varghese was a reliable 2nd lead, careful and responsive at all times, ready to reroute when required. A great entertainer as well around the fire!

@Waqas Parvezat his 1st Fewbie drive with Carnity, followed without much hesitation. His past off-roading experience was very clearly visible.

@Vaibhav handled is Jeep Wrangler very well, overcoming very quickly and very fast the initial hesitation in driving at night time at Fewbie level. His 2nd part of the drive, after being energized around the bonfire, was excellent. 

@MMansoor was roaring around with his beast very well. A couple of refusals that required a bit of help rerouting, especially in the beginning, otherwise a great drive!

@Tareck at the back, with the 2nd Y62, did well everywhere. I couldn't see much, but I don't remember his name being mentioned on the radio for any problem.

@Danish Mohammad had a lot to do last night, giving precious instructions to those who were having refusals and having some trouble himself from time to time (including a flat tire due to a probable minor pop-out, where the tyre went back in place after deflating): the sand was already churned up for me at the front, it must have been sand soup for him at the back. Well done!

Overall we covered 38.7km in net 1h 55' moving time, which makes a brilliant 17.3km/h moving speed for a night drive. Except for our 1h bonfire break, we were on hold for only 19', which tells quite a good story about how the convoy performed last night. 

Congrats to all and thanks to @Thomas Varghese and @Danish Mohammad for their support.

See.you soon again in the sand. 

15 minutes ago, Thomas Varghese said:

See you tomorrow morning, ready to go (i.e. already caffeinated, deflated, flagged and briefed) by no later 6:00pm (sharp), so make sure you make it to the meeting point at least by 5:45pm.

@Lorenzo Candelpergher You gave the shock of my life when I read it was today morning and had to double check to see the timing which is at evening. 

You are easy to shock @Thomas Varghese! Anyway, I fixed the post. 

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

this RSVP is now closed.

Please find below the convoy order for our drive:

@Thomas Varghese, @Waqas Parvez, @Vaibhav, @MMansoor, @Tareck, this drive is meant to be an easy going, mid-week night diversion from our routine working days. We will take it easy and aim for a relaxing evening in good company. Nevertheless, driving at night comes with its own challenges, especially if this is one of your first times, therefore please prepare to devote your full and undivided concentration at every step and make sure you come well rested and hydrated and that and you don’t have any reason for being distracted. Passengers are welcome, however be mindful about their ability to sustain long off-roading sessions without developing motion sickness.

Also, remember that desert at night is populated by many animal species that you would rarely see during daytime, especially scorpions and snakes. For this reasons, please wear closed shoes and long trousers. As we are going to take a break and relax around the pit fire at the top of Pink Rock, bring along with you a mat or a foldable chair. Be mindful about having your meal during our bonfire break: do so only if you are certain you won't get car-sick in the following 2h drive: this especially applies to your passengers, which should be discouraged from eating at all. There's no need for you to bring anything for the bonfire: I'll take care of the required stuff. 

We will be using Carnity Channel 4 (446.08125Mhz).

Our meeting point is confirmed at 2nd December Cafeteria: https://goo.gl/maps/4MLgfqjsrbyt4XNA6

See you tonight, ready to go (i.e. already caffeinated, deflated, flagged and briefed) by no later 6:00pm (sharp), so make sure you make it to the meeting point at least by 5:45pm.

Drive Brief
The only time when Pink Rock isn't pink at all is... at night, but that doesn't make it any less attractive for those off-roaders who are curious to see how the rock looks like under the feeble light of the waning crescent moon.

We will enter the desert at 6:00pm sharp, i.e. at dusk, from 2nd December Cafeteria gently move south-west, getting progressively accustomed to driving in the dark along the nice, smooth and round ridges that make the west side of Pink Rock so fascinating. 

As soon as the convoy will be fully accustomed to driving in the dark, we will turn around and head east, to climb the rock itself and descend on its opposite side, a whole new experience when compared with the usual daytime approach. We will drive along the east hillside of the rocky complex to reach its southern extremity, where we will take a break around 7:00pm, setting up a camp fire and enjoying the magic mixture of flames, rock, sand, breeze, moon and landscape for approx. 1 hour, the time needed to burn a few logs and tell a few off-roading stories around the fire pit.

From there, we will continue wandering south, riding one ridge after the other one along an exciting series of convoluted, diversified and fun dunes that will take us in the majestic area Al Badayer area and, should the time allow us, close enough to Big Red to be able to distinguish its silhouette when turning off our lights for a few seconds, after which we will make our exit on E44 Dubai - Hatta Road by around 10:00pm.

Note: in compliance with Sharjah regulations and in a spirit of respect for the beautiful landscape that will host us, the bonfire will be arranged in a portable fire pit and all remains will be collected and disposed of outside the desert. 

General Infos

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
• Mandatory Safety Requirements
• Ban from Carnity Off-road Club
• Two Way Radio Guidelines

Drive Details

Level:  Fewbie and above (All Levels)

When:  03 Nov 2021, Wednesday

Meeting time: 6:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

Meeting Point: 2nd December Cafeteria - https://goo.gl/maps/4MLgfqjsrbyt4XNA6

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, willingness to learn, torch and your own compressor for tire inflation. 

Approximate finish time: 10:00 PM

End Point: E44 Dubai - Hatta Road

Limited Spots Available:

• Limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Wednesday - 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 EVENT 

2 minutes ago, Ali Shah said:

Hi @Lorenzo Candelpergher, is this drive open to absolute newbies like me?  Thanks. 

Hi @Ali Shah, yes this Newbie Drive will be open to Absolute Newbies. I'll be glad to see you in Al Fayah!