Day & Night

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David
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Interesting drive ... it was planned as driving in the day from Nahil park towards the farms, waiting for sunset and driving on the way back once dark.

Only Shamsi and no Marshalls, 14 cars in total with good attendance of intermediates as usual.

Important note, since the UAE changed the weekend to Saturday & Sunday it seems that Saturday 13th is the new Friday 13th, good to keep it in mind for the future!!!

A drive with many parts:

- Start, Safari style, "hopefully no cresting" and let's go fast, Shamsi put me 2nd lead and there we went, I know him well by now so I stuck to Linda's rear (yes, I know this does not sound right) as I was expecting that V8 to give us a proper test of speed as it did, within a minute massive gaps between cars already in the convoy, only message that Shamsi said a couple of times was "faster guys, faster!!". This was a lot of fun, enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately Linda suffered some mechanical problem so the 1st part of the drive finished.

- Several drivers offered their cars to Shamsi so he could continue leading and he accepted mine so I became passenger. This part of the drive I summarize with one of his sentences (off radio), "MashAllah it jumps well!!!", well done Rashid, seems set up has passed the test. This section of the drive finished in a crest to the left at high speed with ditch straight afterwards, 2nd lead took off slightly with one sided landing, steering gone, Shamsi drove the damaged 2nd lead car to the gates. Since night was approaching he took my car back and drove to the farms on the tracks where we waited for the night while having a snack and chitchating.

- Last part, the night drive. Very very interesting, following an easy track on the SatNav exactly at night, almost not looking at the dunes if not the SatNav and "feeling the car", it gave me an insight into something new for me that I thought was a lot of fun, I will be trying it as soon as I can, very very curious about it now.

Overall again a lot of fun with the Sand Family and can not wait as usual for the next one!!!.

Thank you Shamsi for arranging the drive and the insights as passenger.

See you on the sand soon!!!
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brett
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Dear Almosters
I arrived early to deflate and relax while waiting for the others to arrive.
First to arrive - @alshamsi_m driving Linda. So instantly realised this would be a fast paced drive. We sat in the shade waiting for the others. Temp was reading 42C so summer is officially here !

Once everyone arrived - there were a few stragglers and a couple of no shows :ka_boom:
All lined up and off we headed. I have driven in this area many times so I am familiar with the terrain. The sand way soft and the pace was faster than some of newbies were expecting. When Linda decided to misbehave it gave everyone time to catch their breath. But the respite was short live. The Master of the dunes was now behind the wheel of a borrowed FJ - credit to @David for allowing him to take the wheel - drive it like you stole it !
The pace was dialed up a notch or two.
Then the unfortunate loss of the 2nd leads (@PedroLeal,) with power steering failure. Once again @alshamsi_m shared his experience by driving the limping car through the dunes back to the meeting point.
So now we were 12 cars (16% loss) it was becoming a Saturday (friday) 13th drive we could not afford to lose any more.
A dash down the gatch Road to catch the sunset, sit eat and chit chat over coffee dates and karak. As dark fell we headed back in the opposite direction for the "Night" portion of the drive. Still at a reasonable pace Safari style with some midsized arches - keeping the right distance was the key here to ensure no surprise drops and ditches.
We all arrived back again at the meeting point. Inflated and chatted while waiting for the recovery truck to carry the wounded FJ back to the workshop. Poor Linda would spend the night alone in the desert with replacement of the belt in the light of the following day.
To all who joined the drive a big thank you for making it a fun and safe event

See you all again soon
Until the next Adventure

Brett
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Tomvanhouten
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Hello everyone,

After the morning session, there was another waiting around the corner, or should I say....lurking killzonesmiley

Lined up and given the sweeper position, we went to the sands and I have to say: I missed driving with @alshamsi_m , his shouting over the radio and the style are unmistakenly his. Especially when you hear those magical words @David already mentioned: Faster, Faster!!!! Love it!

Ok, a small hick up didn't stop us and even the second couldn't stop us in any way. We went on with 12 cars, having a great time in, what I think, is one of the most fascinating area's of the UAE.

Thanks a lot @alshamsi_m and all the other drivers making it possible!

See you on the next one

Tom
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CARLOSS
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Hi everyone!

Lovely drive we had last weekend led by Master of Masters @alshamsi_m with the “dressing” described above. I have never been in a Friday 13th drive but now I understand what is all about when joining a Sat 13th one. patapon

Shamsi took me as his second lead during the second part of the drive (thanks so much for that) so considering the number of casualties already at that time, I took all possible precautions for not being another victim and drove with all my senses :ninja: in the steering wheel as I did not want to jeopardize the convoy’s pace and fun.

Everything went well keeping myself away from ditches and bushes. thumbsup

Convoy did very well too with a few second tries. This batch of +10 is becoming mature with some strong drivers serious business and I could see it while driving at the back in the first half…If I were you, I would get ready for upcoming challenges. playingsmiley

Summer has finally come so let’s get ready for Hot blah & Sand.

See you soon
Carlos
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alshamsi_m
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Hello everyone

I wasn't sure what to call this drive ( Saturday 13th or the new idea of driving two types). Since this year we couldn't make 4 night drives in Ramadan, I decided to give our newbies one more night drive.

Please be aware that night drives are for intermedates not newbies but this kind of drives is tailored with lots of homework to make it safe.

The drive got almost delivered as planned but because of the unfortunate event by Saturday 13th we had to alter the plan.

The sitting with sun set was my favourite part of the drive along with the happiness you see on the members face after the drive was over.

The next day I waked up, I felt that I did a full body work out . Still not sure why ?? 😀

Thanks for @David for trusting me with your car, @Tomvanhouten for the sweep and for the brave sols who join my second lead 😀. Thank you all for the team spirit and for making another successful drive.

Till next, Stay Safe and keep the sand flying

Cheers
Shamsi
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alshamsi_m
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David wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 11:10 am

"MashAllah it jumps well!!!",

The Best Offroad car is a stolen car :yarr:
Adventurous League of Mountains, Oceans and Sand Thrills
Laarni
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hello everyone..

back to making videos about our drives.
everything that i have to say about the drive was carefully been stitch in my videos..

pls enjoy..thank you all

Ehab
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Hi Almosters, a very interesting drive experiencing the same track at day and later at night.
Enjoy watching:

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galindakis
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Greetings fellow off-road enthusiasts!

I wanted to share my exhilarating experience from the ALMOST 4x4 drive in Nahel, UAE that took place last Saturday. With the sun gradually setting, we embarked on a thrilling adventure that stretched into the night, creating a unique and memorable off-roading experience. Here's a recap of our exciting journey!

@A alshamsi , well-versed in the intricacies of the region, meticulously crafted a route that offered a perfect blend of excitement and natural beauty. As we set off on our expedition, the anticipation in the air was palpable, knowing that we were about to conquer some challenging terrains. Specially speed during the first half of the drive.

As the night grew deeper, our senses heightened, and the camaraderie among the participants strengthened. The headlights of our convoy created an enchanting spectacle as they pierced through the darkness, illuminating the path ahead and guiding us deeper into the heart of Nahel's desert.

We encountered some unexpected surprises along the way, keeping us on our toes and adding an extra layer of excitement to the adventure. 2 problems in 2 different cars.

I would like to express my gratitude to the entire ALMOST 4x4 crew for organizing this incredible journey. The drive would not have been possible without the support, expertise, and camaraderie of everyone involved.

Until we meet again in the sands.

Best regards,
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piotr
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Hello my fellow Almosters, Day & Night was yet another great drive with the club. First of its kind, crossing the boundaries between day and night (as the title suggests), all in the beautiful area of Nahil - all under expert lead of @alshamsi_m. The idea was to drive west during the day and come back the same track in reverse at night. Desert wrote a slightly different scenario though, but with no less fun.

I had 2 passengers onboard with me – they were very keen on trying the night driving, and unfortunately they missed the Ramadan drives – so a perfect opportunity! At the start of the drive @alshamsi_m offered to pick up on of my passengers “You may feel dizzy on that back seat” 😊 It did not take long to realize what he meant - he took us through a very nice and curvy track at a very high pace. Motion sickness guaranteed - it did feel like a true roller-coaster 😊 But both the passenger and driver “liked it” very much! 😊

After some 20 minutes of fantastic flow Linda unfortunately had a minor breakdown which eliminated her from further fun – but did not stop @alshamsi_m from cranking up the pace a little bit more (borrowed cars are indeed the fastest!). We enjoyed the fast drive for a while more, but sadly due to another mechanical issue we had to go escort the victim car to the starting point for later pickup. From there we teleported ourselves via a gatch road to the intended start of the night section, where we enjoyed a little break watching the sun set.

The night drive was – as always – magical. @Laarni offered to take my other passenger (Ladies power!) for better experience - thank you!! Nothing beats the sight of the lit-up convoy sneaking through the dunes!!

Overall the flow was excellent with minimal number of issues and a few second tries (those 2 extra passengers must have eaten a very heavy lunch 😊). At the end of the drive it was clear we were all getting a bit tired (and of course the darkness was not helping) but we all ended up the trip with big smiles on our faces.

Overall we dove 85km, in 4.5h (3h moving).

Thank you @alshamsi_m and support team (I think we were 1:1 with the Newbies!!) for making the time to plan and take care of us Newbies!!!

See you in the sand (soon)!
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