Kolin

13 minutes ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

Dear Desertnauts

@Naim Aoun @MohamedSherif @Juan R @Theo09 @Mahmoud Taha @LKP @essam ibrahim @MikeSpillane @fayez @Ahmad Nerat@munkybizness @Beide Worku @Usman Basit and @Tareq Al Turq,

unfortunately, when it rains it pours. After @Hisham Masaad coming down with a virus, I woke up this morning with a fever and runny nose, courtesy of Emirates' Antarctic temperatures on board of my return flight. 

We have consulted with all other Carnity Leaders, but due to the day of the week and time of the drive, we have not been able to find an alternative Leader.

HENCE, UNFOTUNATELY, THE DRIVE IS CANCELLED. 

PLEASE ACKNOWLEDEGE HERE, TO AVOID REACHING THE MEETING POINT USELESSLY.

Sorry for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you soon at the earliest opportunity.

@Kolin please note that the drive HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Sorry to disappoint. 

No worries. 

Get well soon @Ale Vallecchi and @Hisham Masaad.

On 1/2/2022 at 3:08 PM, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

Dear Desert Wanderers, 

this drive was a nice conclusion of our 2021 off-roading year! With a clear sky and a wet, mostly virgin sand after the rainfalls the drive was bound to be special, and indeed it was... 

We started our day deflating in a chilling 16°C air, but welcomed by a wonderful sunrise by the nearby pond at the start of Bab Al Shams road:

The convoy was a bit slow in getting ready for the drive, and it was only 7:40 when we were really able to enter the sand, after our briefing. 

The first stint of the drive was across beautiful virgin dunes with literally no tracks. We soon had a couple of stucks with @haridas kt and @Mohammed Sirajuddin, our newest joiners both at their very 1st Newbie Drive. We've all gone through those first drives where everything seems overwhelming and complicated, instructions sound always unclear and handling the radio while acting on the steering wheel and the gear stick seems just too much to do at once... but don't worry, you'll get used to it and, for a first time, you both did incredibly well!!

As we moved further north-east, we entered an area of nice long-range dunes where we could practice sustained side-sloping over and over again, getting practical demonstration why "do not fight gravity" is such an important recommendation for both new inexperienced drivers and seasoned, sometimes, overconfident ones.

Meanwhile, the sun had shown up and we could enjoy a fantastic blue sky with a light refreshing breeze.

As we proceeded south, we entered an area of way more complex and large dunes that required one-by-one guiding in order to get the convoy through some of the most challenging passages which, I'm sure, at first sight seemed totally beyond most drivers' own capabilities. In the end, everyone got a bit beyond their comfort zone, discovering that they (and their cars) could do way more than expected! Kudos to all, as the most complex passage was undoubtedly not far from a Fewbie drive level!!

As time went by, the sky started to get covered again with heavy clouds, cumulating from the west side, in stark contrast with the bright sunlight we were still blessed with.. By the time we reached the area of the rocky formations on the south side of Moon Lake, the looks of it were quite a spectacle:

Moon lake itself is always a nice stop to take a breathe of fresh air after a couple of challenging driving hours across demanding dunes and to enjoy some family time, as @Gregory did with a nice smile behind the masks:

Before exiting, we had the chance for a quick detour back in the dunes to reach the last spring of the day, actually the one I always find most fascinating in Al Qudra:

As our time was over, we quickly headed out across the sabkha, where we could see a couple of oryxes, then reached the dirt track that eventually took us back to our starting point next to Bab Al Shams, where we reached at approx 11:10am.

Everyone did very well:

@Gregory was an excellent 2nd lead, as always when I've had him in my drives: cautious, responsive and diligently following my instructions to reroute here or there.

@haridas kt and @Mohammed Sirajuddin had quite an experience in their first Newbie drive, but I'm sure they learned a lot, especially about not being shy on the throttle when it comes to maintain momentum and speed along side-slopes and, most importantly, about not fighting gravity under any circumstance and steering down whenever momentum is lost!! They both improved as the drive proceeded and were eventually able to go successfully through some very tricky passages towards the end. Kudos to both!!

@Ammar Naji and @Kolin were admittedly back in the sand after a long absence: well, if it was the case, we couldn't notice, as they both drove very well, handling their beasts without hesitation, even across the most difficult spots. Well done!!

@Waqar Sarwar followed very effectively, showing great improvement since the last newbie we had toghether. Quite impressive!

@Pacific enjoyed drawing nice lines along side-slopes, collecting awe-filled radio comments by the convoy. It was a pleasure to watch you go through!

@Anoop Nair was a great Center Forward for the day, always ready to help, be it shoveling, handing over a rope or giving radio instructions or updates from the center of the convoy. Great support!

@Tom V and @Claudio C cruised very well at the back, despite the churned up sand they had to go through. @Claudio C, in particular, had a fully loaded car with lots of passengers, who hopefully enjoyed the ride too!

Last but not least was @Melenany, who was great support at the back, always present and responsive, ready to come over and help whenever needed. As the guys in the 2nd half of the convoy were all very good and had very little issues, he was more often in the front than at the back whenever a stuck or refusal happened!! Great job!

Overall we drove 50.6km over a total time of 3h 34', of which 2h 24' spent actually moving and 1h 09' stopped for recoveries or short breaks. our average moving speed was 21km/h (a bit doped by the final stint along the dirt track), a very good average for a Newbie Drive.

Thank you everyone for you company and see you soon in the sand. I wish you a wonderful new year 2022, full of dunes to ride on!!

Awesome photos!

Thank you for a fun beautiful scenic drive @Lorenzo Candelpergher!  I love drives like this. 

18 minutes ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

Dear @Pacific, if you haven't secured any drive, then you are only waitlisted for 2 drives, this and another one, probably. In this case you have priority, and I have amended the P.S. in the post above to reflect it.

At the moment, since @Br. San dropped out, @Kolin has been admitted to the drive. If he confirms his attendance, you will need to hope/wait for the next dropout. 

@Kolin, do you confirm your attendance since you have been moved from Waitlist to Attendee List? If not, @Pacific will take your place. 

 

Yes, happy to join. Thank you. 

Hello everyone, I have uploaded some photos from your drive today on Gallery. 

Here's a video on the route taken using the Relive app - https://www.relive.cc/view/vKv2y8XdG4q

Enjoy!

1 hour ago, Frederic said:

@kolin as @munkybizness has dropped out, i have added you to the drive.

Waitlisted members as per their request timing:

1) @Imteeaz Goolamhossen

2) @Gertjan

3) @Muhammad Qasim

4) @khurram.k

5) @Simon Claes

 

Waitlisted for second drive:

1) @Mohamed Shawky

2) @PaoloMaraziti

 

Thanks @Frederic.  This will be my first drive in 8 months 😬

15 minutes ago, Frederic said:

 

@kolin @Imteeaz Goolamhossen@Gertjan@Muhammad Qasim @Mohamed Shawky@khurram.k

Wow, a nice big list of waitlisted members. If you guys and gals fancy a Friday morning drive in Faya (Abu-Dhabi) which is very close to the Dubai border and really worth exploring, have a look at Islam his drive:

 

 

Will check it out. Thanks @Frederic!

Just now, kolin said:

Will check it out. Thanks @Frederic!

Oppss just realised I can't go on Friday 😁

Hi @Frederic, please put me on the waiting list. Thank you. 

Well done everyone!  Took a different perspective today as a passenger. I have posted some photos on Gallery and below is the link to our route video. Hope to see everyone on future drives! 

https://www.relive.cc/view/v26MGEDY4Ev

15 minutes ago, Wrangeld said:

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. 

Not gonna happen @Wrangeld 😉

Congratulations @Thomas Varghese!!  So very happy for you!

19 hours ago, Lakshmi Narasimhan said:

Thanks for being honest and briefing in detail. I was also on second drive for the same day, will have to be more careful with second drives and to have enough rest before drives. Good lesson for all.

Oh wow!  My jaw dropped watching your video.  Thank God for @Shehab Alawadhi's decisive response. 

Definitely a lesson to remember.  I signed up for the 2-convoy drive the next morning with @Ale Vallecchi and @Wrangeld, couldn't sleep due to the excitement, woke up at 4am, got ready and suddenly fatigue hit me so I had to pull out of the drive.  I felt bad pulling out last minute but it would have been worse had I gone on the drive.  Safety first, always! Nonetheless, I was kicking myself reading the report and looking at photos of the drive 😏

On 4/4/2021 at 2:48 PM, Wrangeld said:

Post Drive Report

 

@AlexPol @Yawa @Desert Dweller @Pacific @Shehab Alawadhi

  @Lakshmi Narasimhan @TT_Dubai  @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil @kolinrrj @Foxtrot Oscar @Niekku @Darren Brooke @Ale Vallecchi @Wrangeld @Jeepie

When we started driving in Carnity, it was not such a surprise to see more senior members in every drive, so it was with a sense of excitement that the drive Sunday had such an impressive contingent of senior club members. Personally, I think that it should always be like this. For just about every Newbie there was a senior club member in front of them showing them a great line to drive and helping them to self recover when the going got tough. 

I loved it, friends I have been driving with for some time and new friends to be made joining in the fun and showing such enthusiasm that it was contagious. In the end the drive was a high level Newbie (mainly because I pushed everyone to try a few criss crossing moves that would not normally be in the Newbie handbook) which took us from almost Solar Park roundabout the Qudra dunes and all the way back to Last Exit. 

For me, there's a sense of achievement in getting back into Last Exit as the end point to a drive because its that point where you can relax, inflate at ease, get a drink if you need, find a bathroom and take time to chat to a few people before you make your way home and off to your next activity. 

All the newbies should be immensely proud of themselves for this drive. I do not underestimate the added pressure of knowing that the seniors are all around you (how ever comforting that might be) and the possible feeling of "will I ever be able to do that?" watching them float above the sand effortlessly as they come to someone's rescue or seeing them hold a long ridge ride or side slope that looks terrifying or too difficult for you. But we've all been there. We were all beginners too and none of us ever forgets that. We all remember that fist excitement of 'wow, my car can really do this, and so can I' and it does not leave you. That's why we all love Newbie drives. OK - for the more experienced it can be a little more relaxing than some drives, but we know that each and every one of the less experienced drivers is an essential part of the lifeblood of the club. Without you the seniors are nothing more than a group of enthusiastic sand drivers!

I hope that everyone enjoyed the drive as much as me. 

See you soon in the sand. 

Thank you @Wrangeld and all for a great drive.  The most number of senior and lady drivers in a convoy that I have joined. Awesome! 

Congratulations @Adhir Saxena!

Sorry @Ale Vallecchi, won't be able to make it after all. Not feeling too well now. Have a safe and fun drive!

9 hours ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

Dear @Watteau, @Niki Patel, @Thomas Varghese, @kolinrrj, @Sreejith Sreenivasan, @stavros papachristos, if you are interested in confirming the Mystery drive this Saturday, I'll be happy to open it up again, and double the convoy, with the assistance of @Wrangeld, who will lead the second group.

Please confirm here if you are still willing to join, and I'll add you now.

Thanks a lot.

Yes, please count me in. Thanks @Ale Vallecchi. 

@Ale Vallecchi, please add me to the waitlist for 2nd drive. Thank you. 

This is awesome @Jeepie!!  But I won't be able to join in Ramadan. Hope there will other opportunities in the future. 

Enjoy the drive, guys! You will learn a lot from @Ale Vallecchi

@Chaitanya D, I will leave this drive for now as I am not sure if I will be able to make it on Friday.  Apology for any inconvenience caused. 

10 minutes ago, Mohamed Seidam said:

Side way crest ... shovel or rope?

Shovelsss 😁

Good capture @Hisham Masaad😁

Beautiful photos @Thomas Varghese.  Thank you for sharing!

9 hours ago, Thomas Varghese said:

Don't lose the chance to drive with @Ale Vallecchi. I have driven under his lead so many times and he is a good teacher. Moreover I have already 2 drives confirmed this week itself with another one waitlisted. So if @Ale Vallecchi cannot accommodate @kolinrrj I am ready to pass on my slot to her now as this is her 1st fewbie drive. 

@Thomas Varghese, thats an awesome offer Sir, but I can't let you do that. Truly appreciate it though.  I'll join you on another drive. No worries 😉 

I have driven with Ale and learnt a lot from him. 

So, @Ale Vallecchi please go ahead, add Craig and maintain Thomas.  Thanks!

18 minutes ago, Ale Vallecchi said:

Hello @Craig Finlayson. I will let you know, Thanks a lot.

@Ale Vallecchi, I just noticed that @Craig Finlaysonput in his interest before I asked to join on the WL. Please give my slot to him if he is still interested to join the drive. 

@Ale Vallecchi, late to rsvp please add me to the waiting list. Thanks!