White Sands Rovers (All newbies) 15-01-2021

[presa]

Amazing Almosters!
Is always amazing to have such a detailed reports. They give us the perspective of each driver, or even passenger, for it experience on this drive.

To add to my report, big KUDOS for @Abubakar and @Johanna that worked extra hard to keep all safe and happy on this weekend!

[Booy]

Hello everyone,

Like @presa , I also decided to enjoy my warm bed, and rather drive to the meeting point on drive day. I think it was a wise decision, listening to @dorudoru experience of their camp :)

I was with @alshamsi_m convoy with our 10+ newbie members, who did really well.

10+ newbies, get ready for some action packed drives... Details to follow soon.

Regards,

Booy

[brett]

Please don’t forget the 5’s

[AdamW]

Hello Everyone!

Another awesome drive with Almost Team!
Big thanks to @presa for organizing the drive and all team who kept us safe.
I was in 10+ convoy leaded by @alshamsi_m with @Tomvanhouten as a second lead, @Loca as a support and @Booy who was floating all around. Convoy was swept by @James

The 140 km+ journey started a bit tricky on the wet sand, with a load of soft one underneath. My car decided to teach me how to drift on the sand . "Upgraded" by @alshamsi_m GNFD track included all types of ride styles from Safari up to "newbie side cresting".
Wen the ride was about to finish, @alshamsi_m, @Loca and@Booy found the time for a small "show up" on a high dune ( which they describe as an "intermediate only" ) . We could hear the scream of Xterra passenger for ma faaaar distance :D

Great experience - can't wait for another drive.
I will add some small video from the ride shortly!

thanks All for a great day.

[Johanna]

Hello everyone,

thanks all for the detailed reports, a recap of the drives always brightens up my working day

I joined @presa and the 10- convoy with the ambitious plan to cover the GNFD track of 2020, 140 km through all terrains the desert has to offer.

While @Mabubaker was floating, I was sweeping at the back of the convoy. Just right after the start we had the first mechanical issue, followed by flat tyres, broken bumpers...

As we have already a lot of amazing trip reports, I will not repeat all the details about the drive itself. Bu this drive was a special drive for me, so I would like to share this personal experience.

As intermediate we usually stay inside the convoy and we only assist with recoveries, but managing the situation and giving instructions is done by advanced and above levels. So I have attended a lot of recoveries in the last years, but I never managed it myself.

This time I could apply the theory I learned in the last three years.


It was a busy day and I was going back and fourth a lot, assisting with all different kinds of stucks and second tries. At the end I was really tired, but proud of myself after realizing that I am able to handle situations myself
I gained a lot of self confidence as an offroader this drive and at the same time I had some throw backs to my Newbie drives with the Pajero, especially with broken bumpers

As I have been there myself, I would like to share the following advice with you:

- if you face an issue/stuck and you need help, please don't panic. Panic never helped anyone. Take a deep breath, relax and focus on the instructions. You can be sure we will always be there to help and together we solve the situation in no time.

- get familiar with your car and all the function it has. When I joined the club I knew nothing about cars. I did not even own one for the past 10 years and I felt super stupid...But there is no shame to ask, there are no such thing like silly questions and all of us are happy to help

- communication is key, please report any issue immediately and listen carefully to instructions. If you do not understand the instructions, always ask.

And never forget to have fun, because that is why we are here

Thanks everyone for this memorable drive and special thanks to @presa for the trust

See you all next time in the sand

[jayslens]

Hellooo Almosters!

I would like to thank @presa @Johanna @Mabubakr @Booy @alshamsi_m @Loca for their guidance, support and knowledge.

The trip started with me leaving quite late from work and I had already prepared for camping a day before but as usual I always forget something or the other. I had left around 10PM for Sweihan mentally I was still debating whether to go ahead for camping or not. After reading @dorudoru and @alshamsi_m messages on the club chat I thought well I will get to see them for sure. Till half way I didnt see the weather forecast and then I get a ping from the NCM app giving a fog alert didn't take it too seriously. As I was on my way to Sweihan I was led onto truck road which felt a little creepy plus the fog was getting denser every minute.

Upon reaching the meeting point I was trying to find my way thru the fog towards the camping spot and found there's a gate and the area seems fenced mentally I am thinking this is funny no one mentioned about this gate and fence. Got off my car took my torch light and I tried to see the area around but just couldnt see anything except for some trucks beyond the gates. I messaged @dorudoru and was informed that marshals apparently didn't know about this gate and fencing. Finally I gave up its was dark, visibility was bad and got worse later on. I drove back and set up my tent and bed next to a local family who were doing BBQ and had got their caravan. With that being said this was my first time camping solo and it didnt go so bad except for the fog. Thank god I bought those magnetic lights which @alshamsi_m had put on his car during the Liwa trip they're pretty useful!

Middle of the night I got up due some people driving around in their buggies how on earth were they driving seriously! :P Later I realized damn I forgot my flag messaged on the club chat and James who I had met for the first time was sweet enough to lend me one spare flag thank you for that! With all the duct taping it stayed on during the whole drive no hiccups whatsoever.

We initially face some issues at the start of drive but later it came up to fast pace. I really loved the track as it had a mix of overlanding, technical dunes and fast pace dunes. And this is the first time during my time with club that we had such kind of drive. Really loved it though!

Got stuck twice and the 10- team helped me no matter what. I was slow once we hit the tarmac cos I was confused as to how can you drive above 80 with tyres at 9-10PSI ! Wouldn't your tyres burst or something confused about that.

I feel I have improved a lot since I have joined the club and my confidence has gone up. I still need to work on a lot of things but slowly and steadily they'll come up.

For now I still need to clean my tent from all the wet mud if anyone has got ideas on how to clean it please do share!

See you all very soon!

[alshamsi_m]

Hellooo Almosters!

For now I still need to clean my tent from all the wet mud if anyone has got ideas on how to clean it please do share!

See you all very soon!

Hi Jay

Usually, if we have more than one day drive in the desert and it happened to be foggy the night before, I usually will open my tent during the lunch break. If it is a camp and day drive then the first thing I do after reaching home is to open the tent and make it breathe. It is always preferred to have it with the sun so you don't get fungus or a bad smell in the tent. Also, prior to any camping, it is recommended to open the tent for breathing the day before.

Good Luck

[alshamsi_m]

Please don’t forget the 5’s

I think you and God are in good relationship because your wishes are coming true

[jayslens]

Thank you @alshamsi_m for your tip!

[piotr]

Hello All,
Yet another fantastic drive with Almost4x4 – and one to remember!

The day started early and a quite a bit foggy, I decided to leave Dubai a little early to avoid rushing poor visibility areas which turned out to be a good decision (fortunately the traffic was very light). At some patches the visibility was some 10-20 meters, at points it was so bad I only managed to find the petrol station in Sweihan using the GPS
I arrived at the meeting point on time (8am), but expectedly the Marshals decided to wait a little to let the fog clear. In the end we departed a little after 9.

I was allocated to the 10+ convoy (again grateful for the trust in me and the stock Prado !), led @alshamsi_m followed by @Tomvanhouten ,with @Loca as a support, @James sweeping and and @Booy floating.

What a great drive it was! The 150km track took us through 6 sections, covering everything what the desert driving has to offer – technical areas with small dunes, bigger slopes, sabkhas, fast drives on packed sand roads (along many fences in the area!) and in the end safari-style drifting. Overall the pace was very good, there were a few second tries, stucks, and 2 popouts (including my first one! – it is not as bad as it sounds when you are surrounded by experts eager to help!), and even a small controlled(? ;) ) jump by @James – but that meant some welcome breaks in long day driving. Similarly to my earlier Liwa experience, driving towards the end of the day, into the setting sun was the most fun (is it the built-up confidence, or the convoy members knowing better what to expect of each other? Or is it @alshamsi_m leaving the best pieces for the end? ).

Learnings:
- be careful of the bushes, as hitting one at a wrong angle may lead to popout, similarly, learn how to best manage the tire pressure (seems re-setting the pressure mid-drive back to 10psi may not be the thing to do for my car).
- don’t be afraid to speed up, the car can handle the bumps pretty well at speed
- the stock cars (Prados and Pajeros) can still do very well even at the higher-level drives (or is it the drivers? :P).

Overall we spent 8 hours in the sand (of which 5:40 driving ), covering 153km – my new record!