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Gregory

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Posts posted by Gregory

  8. I am the Newbie one…

    in Introduce Yourself

    Posted

    On 8/29/2021 at 3:03 PM, Felix Obst said:

     

    Hi all, my name is Felix and I joined few hours back. I fell in love with off-roading about one year ago and collected a lot of drives and experiences since then. Unfortunately, one of them was not that great. I had a roll-over in January at the well-known iftar bowl. I was driving up the dune and decided too late to break up was too slow when I turned the wheel and rolled down the dunes with my boys at the backseat. Luckily it was a Jeep and we all survived without an injury but shocked.

    Needless to say, that the car was a write-off. I did some drives till then, but the experience is not the same, even if I know what went wrong, I see now dangerous situations everywhere in the desert. That’s how I found you – I love the drives that much, but I want to do it right and learn it from scratch again. My new ride is again a Jeep Wrangler but not with the same lift etc. I want to restart small and eat the elephant piece by piece. 

     

    Looking forward to a lot of rides and adventures! 

    9A07DDD9-FF15-4AB5-A2DB-EF0898AD3AF5.jpeg

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    Thanks for sharing @Felix Obst - great to hear you and boys are good and are/have moved forward emotionally. Sounds like you're in the right frame of mind to make a comeback - congrats, and see you in the sand! 

    • Like (+1) 3

  9. Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - Bab Al Shams - Dubai - 27 Aug 2021

    in Offroad Drives

    Posted

    Wow, what a drive! Or should I say an extended practical tutorial 

    After several weeks of smooth, and mostly stuck/refusal free drives, I was expecting something similar today on the Bab al Shams morning. I also had in my mind that with a small group, we would be able to increase the pace and cover more ground. It shows that in life, one should always expect the unexpected! 

    @Aisha S had a wish - to be able to dig, and to be part of / assist with recoveries as far as possible. Within 30 minutes of our very humid start, her wish was granted... I was the first to get stuck. As second lead, I wanted to ensure I kept up with @Islam Soliman, and fulfil my duty - I ended up too close.  I was generously assisted by all, and the situation was treated as a learning experience. 

    One after the next, others granted her her wish too, either in the form of refusals or stucks - at one time we had 3 of the cars stuck at the same time. This included @Islam Solimanon occasion. Lots of digging, tow ropes and creative thinking/strategies in the super soft sand. Beautiful dunes but such soft sand. I decided to keep my tow rope inside my car (as opposed to the trunk) from that point on as it seemed to be a very popular piece of equipment during the drive. In between these stucks, we did some ridge riding. 

    What was fantastic was how the group members assisted each other in finding solutions, and the participating (all Covid guidelines observed), and this was patiently and graciously facilitated by @Islam Soliman This is how people learn their strategies - from a practical perspective, which increases their confidence and skill. Patience was tested in the (by now) hot sun. @Aisha S 's wish allowed us to enjoy a very different drive to the one that most of us may be used to. 

    On the way to the exit, @Islam Soliman returned to the back of the convoy to assist with a stuck situation. When he called for fire extinguishers, I originally thought that he was inviting us back for some barbecued Kofta - it was actually some vegetation under his car that had caught alight/was smoking. Quick thinking (and use of his fire extinguisher) by @Zixuan Huang - Charlie ensured the danger was controlled, and Islam's Yukon prevailed. @Anoop Nair followed up by using his shovel to remove any further vegetation from under the vehicle, lessening the risk. Islam needed a pull-out, and @Daniel Yang obliged, as V8 power was needed in the crazy soft sand. 

    Close to the exit, we were blessed to come across a herd of Gazelles - I thought of the barbecue again 🤣 (and the connection between Gazelle and barbecue), but decided we had had enough excitement for the day, and left it at that.

    Jokes aside, a great learning experience for us all - the day had turned out differently. My son commented that this was his favourite drive (and he comes on almost all of the drives with me) - as he said he spent more time outside the car witnessing recoveries, than in it 🤣

    @Islam Soliman thanks for giving me the second lead position - I'll keep more distance next time. Great teamwork and company this morning @Anoop Nair @Zixuan Huang - Charlie @Daniel Yang @Aisha S

    Will post some pics tomorrow. 

    • Like (+1) 1
    • Totally Agree (+2) 1
    • Well Done (+2) 3

  12. COVID19 Compliant - Mid-week Evening Fewbie Desert Drive - Lighting up Big Red and Pink Rock in a pitch Black Night - Sharjah - 4 Aug 2021

    in Offroad Drives

    Posted

    Thanks @Lorenzo Candelpergher for a great drive, and @Lakshmi Narasimhan @Danish Mohammad and @Gaurav Soni for the support. Great weather, especially when starting off... It's always good to be in peace of the desert, leaving the city behind. I had around 3 refusals, but was happy managed to get myself out - due to work commitments I haven't been able to join any drive for around 6 weeks, and this drive was a bit of re-learning. 

    I also learned that there was a dine called "little red" 🤣

    @Lakshmi Narasimhan congrats again on your 50th drive! 

    Have a good day everyone. 

    • Like (+1) 3
    • Well Done (+2) 1

  23. COVID19 Compliant - Morning Fewbie Desert Drive - Murquab - Dubai - 24 Jul 2021

    in Offroad Drives

    Posted

    On 7/18/2021 at 12:07 AM, Anish S said:

    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.

    MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: 

     

    Drive Details

    Level:  Fewbie and Above

    When:  24 July 2021, Saturday.

    Meeting time: 05:00 AM (SHARP - Without any exceptions)

    Meeting Point: https://goo.gl/maps/LoWU3P3n1Ekv3QMi9

    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: 9:00 AM 

    THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL  ENDING THE DRIVE 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 cars only. RSVP will close on Thursday - 3:00pm
      • 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 Calendar below 

     

    @Anish S pls waitlist for second weekend drive. Thanks 

    • Like (+1) 1

  25. Afternoon drives

    in Discussions

    Posted

    Hi @AlexM

    Just like you, I also don't really like getting up at 03h30 (even though I do it for for work) for an early morning drive. The idea of driving in the afternoon (now in summer) is different to the reality. The early morning temperatures are bearable, and one can exit by 9/10am (as @Frederic has mentioned) - having the whole day ahead of you even if you take a 2 hour nap after getting home and showering. I've found the afternoon (summer) drives tough on the car, and me.. due to the heat. I've also noticed some members are, shall we say, less patient 🤣

    During Covid, we don't always actively participate in recoveries, meaning more stress and physical work for the marshals/leaders, which may not be fair, and take longer than if we were participating. This picture may look different in winter. 

    Something which may likely be good for you are the summer night drives - normally starting at 9 pm or 10pm in summer, for 3 or 4 hours. A different experience, and much cooler. While not as common as morning or afternoon drives, they are an option. Sometimes a marshal may post a drive (depending on their availability) for the next day - which may start at 5pm until 7 pm for example, meaning you're still ok for work the next day. 

    As others have said, personal preference. I had in my mind though that I would be doing afternoon drives most of the time when joining Carnity - after experience, my drives are either morning or night. Try different ones and decide for yourself! Welcome to the club. 

    • Like (+1) 1
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