Milkshake

[Dave]

[URL="http://[IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpsvytvo4yi.jpeg[/IMG]"]http://[/URL][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpsvytvo4yi.jpeg[/IMG]

[Dave]

[URL="http://[IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zps6ln5u2xs.jpeg[/IMG]"]http://[/URL][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zps6ln5u2xs.jpeg[/IMG]

[Dave]

[URL="http://[IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpso7n3hvmz.jpeg[/IMG]"]http://[/URL][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpso7n3hvmz.jpeg[/IMG]

[Dave]

[URL="http://[IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpsefchzold.jpeg[/IMG]"]http://[/URL][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpsefchzold.jpeg[/IMG]

[Dave]

[URL="http://[IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zps4r2jne4r.jpeg[/IMG]"]http://[/URL][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zps4r2jne4r.jpeg[/IMG]

[Dave]

[URL="http://[IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpsspcyflgp.jpeg[/IMG]"]http://[/URL][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpsspcyflgp.jpeg[/IMG]

[Dave]

[URL="http://[IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpsxen3gzku.jpeg[/IMG]"]http://[/URL][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah301/Davidmhoran/image_zpsxen3gzku.jpeg[/IMG]

[Dave]

"Milkshake" was an early start for all who attended, and even too early for a few! After reading the PM from [MENTION=1633]Yoghybear[/MENTION] I realised meeting in the desert at 6am sharp about 9km out from the town of Nahel would require an early alarm call. In fact two alarms were set for 4.10am. I preset the meet coordinates into my GPS and set off in the dark to arrive just before 6am. [MENTION=9783]Daggerfall[/MENTION] was already waiting! Shortly afterwards most were there, we all deflated and had a brief from Yoghybear. Unfortunately the plans for two convoys couldn't proceed as [MENTION=27]alshamsi_m[/MENTION] was unable to attend.

So we set off as 12 cars, Yoghybear leading and [MENTION=3678]Hockey[/MENTION] sweeping. The pace and level was at best Newbie +10 to start but to my surprise we had drivers struggling. Maybe lack of sleep or poor tire pressure caused a lower than usual standard. After many second attempts and about an hour into the drive we started to improve as a convoy. A mid drive brief was given by Yoghbear and this seemed to increase the level for the next sector.

Unfortunately we had a "hot" Jeep that needed escorting back to an escape route to make it onto the Sweihan highway. Once this was done we headed back into the dunes. We were now near Nagra Dunes and the sand was hot and soft. But to my pleasant surprise everyone drove real good. It was like a new group of drivers took over after we dropped [MENTION=9649]matts[/MENTION] back to solid ground.

Approching 9.30am the temperature was about 40 degrees Celcius and we now all started to struggle. We had a pop out which when repaired had drained most of their energy. Time to head back out!

In summary a mixed drive. A lower than normal standard to start with. Then a higher than expected to finish! But from what I observed for almost all the drive was how well the newly promoted intermediates performed! A real good effort ! Well done!

Thanks everyone for driving safe, keeping distance and not being late this morning. Hope your Jeep is ok [MENTION=9649]matts[/MENTION]. I'll hold off on my usual Jeep jokes for today!!

[orlantsev]

To begin with the name for the drive was a bit intriguing. It was not the usual variation of 'sand' in the name and I could not imagine whether it will be fast, slow, technical drive etc. I was not even sure if it was not the night drive given very early start time :)

I kept watching hockey world cup semis until 23:30 which only left me with 4 hours of sleep. I praised myself for on time departure. As I entered Nakheel I joined the mini convoy led by Yoghybear which meant I did not have to search for the meeting point myself and arrived sharply at 6. As we were approaching the start time few drivers were still absent. In the horizon we saw two cars rushing in our direction which supposedly were Eric and Defragmantor. Strangely they passed us and went ahead in the wrong direction. Yoghybear proceeded with the briefing and these two cars passed again and now went in the opposite and wrong direction only changing the leader car. We never saw them again, and I hope you still continued to enjoy your duo drive.

The newly promoted intermediates were assigned to the front of the convoy, the old intermediates were at the back and advanced evenly spread throughout. Indeed there were many second tries in the smaller dunes technical area. In particular everybody from the 1st half of the convoy made a second try in one area before the rest of us took an easier route to save precious morning time.

At one point I was so overconfident in my ability to manage one crest and pushed unnecessarily hard that when it failed I had to reverse backwards to do the second run. This did not go un-noticed and Hockey and Yoghybear had to remind me the basics.

It was a good run in the bigger dunes with plenty of cresting and fun. Luckily except the pop-out we did not have any stucks or issues which required to leave the car's AC space which could have been very unpleasant.

We finished at appr. 9.30. I surely did not learn the lesson from the earlier morning 'not to follow others'. I was very familiar with the Sweihan road that I did not start the GPS. Going in the direction which I though was right I saw the blue FJ making a U-turn and heading back. Assumed it was Booy I did the same. Then I started to have a doubt and while I was still at the U-turn location I confirmed that now I was going to go to Al Ain. I was not excited to drive back 10 km again to make another U-turn, so had to commit a small offence to return on the correct trajectory. Not surprisingly Booy was already at Nakheel petrol station.

[matts]

Hey [MENTION=8472]Dave[/MENTION] don't hold off on my account, unreliable jeep jokes are all fair in love and sand.

I'd tend to mirror Dave comments, the initial drive level was low and the slow pace seemed to catch a few drivers out where not enough space was left between the cars. Its all too tempting when the pace is slow to run up right to the car in front but it only gets you in trouble. Tyre pressure should't really be catching people out too much at this level, its hot so the sand is softer as the moisture evaporates out of it so the pressures need to be correspondingly lower.

As Dave observers the level picked up significantly as we entered the medium dunes with classic [MENTION=1633]Yoghybear[/MENTION] sweeping lines and side cresting. I was really enjoying it and then i felt a waft of humid air from the ac. A quick glance at the temperature gauge told me i had a problem. Engine fan clutch had given in so i was overheating. Thanks to [MENTION=3678]Hockey[/MENTION] and [MENTION=10405]Adam[/MENTION] for the help and a really big thank you to [MENTION=10075]Mark[/MENTION]B for following me at a very sedate pace back to Dubai. If anybody is thinking of taking a two hour drive with the windows open and the heating on full blast i wouldn't recommend it.

Betty (the jeep) will be back in action soon. See you in the sand guys!