Cool stars III

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Tomvanhouten
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Hello everyone,

After a week full of garage and shop visits for the new lady, it was finally time to get on the sand again with madam's bff.

Starting in the Nahil area in two convoys, i was assigned to the convoy led by @alshamsi_m and supported by @Rashidjass , @David , @Rathica and myself.
The convoy was small, so at first, we were struggling to find the right places in the convoy to support the best.
Once settled, all went smooth and although some second tries were performed, it really went rather smooth, so hats off everyone, well done!

After ending the drive, one little task of changing a tire was left, due to a broken valve stem.
All and all, a very enjoyable afternoon with great company again!

Thanks everyone for having me and hopefully see you soon again,

Tom
David
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Very special drive for me, first time I have managed to "convince" my sons to join me in an Almost drive, wife overseas, only option if I wanted to drive with almost on Friday was for them to join so hard negotiations during the week, at the end we settled for additional PS4 time, take out of their choice for lunch and dinner after the drive at the restaurant they fancied (happy they are getting good at negotiating even if at the wrong end of it ...)

Best part is that the kids loved it!!!, not a single complaint and loads of laughing and joking. Arrived to MP with plenty of time so they got 10min driving each which was a bonus, afterwards of course their favorite thing were the stucks and rescues (lets be honest, we all love them!!!), top position the famous Almost "train rescue" that they have re-branded as a "kangaroo train rescue", seeing the 2 powerful rescue cars with lets say "above average experienced drivers" make a landcruiser fly out of a bowl was awesome!!!, they were still laughing about it 30min later, it seems that if we can "promise" a kangaroo train rescue in every newbie drive they will join ... at the end they also loved the little free time we got to play in the final bowl, "is this what you do in intermediate?", "we want to go for those drives too!!" ... I might test them in a newbie +10 first

Yes, the drive, 2 convoys, Abubaker took care of the 5+ with Barish floating for assistance, Gabor, Petr and Jasper for support. I was allocated to the 5- with Bu Salem leading and Rashid as supporting Marshall, in the convoy Brett 2nd lead, Ehab doubling as sweeper and camera man with Rathica, Tom and myself inside the convoy.

Shamsi made it clear, this is practice if you want to go to Liwa, in the area he will take you to you can expect even longer climbs than what was done yesterday, no tracks other than those from your convoy and very very soft sand so you will have to get right the tire pressure and you will have to approach those climbs with loads of momentum, don't forget, those climbs are safe, you might not see the other side of the dune but if there was a problem the leading Marshall would have already told you. With climbs it is always better to reach closer to the top with additional speed and release once you know that you are going to make it rather than realize half way there you won't make, at that time no matter what you do it will be too late ...

Previous point brings me nicely to the next one, please keep your distance, the car in front of you is always your best friend, it is showing you what to expect and what you need to do, many times gaps in the convoy were too big, that means you drive "alone" without a reference which makes it much much harder for you, so make sure you keep the right distance depending on the type of dunes that you are negotiating. Many many 2nd tries in those climbs, surely an area for improvement.

Instructions when stucked, please pay attention to them, if not clear ask for confirmation but do NOT move unless you fully understand what needs to be done as you might be making the situation worst, a few "turn left", "no, no, not that left" ... that should be avoided, don't panic if stucked, take your time, make sure you know what needs to be done and move only once you understand what is happening, if needed and safe come out of the car, look around, with rescues it is always more time in the preparation than in the execution.

Convoy also got a pop-out in a descent for "fighting gravity" (sorry guys, you will never win this one), always good practice to see how pop-outs are sorted out. Little recommendation here, jack was not suitable and in working condition, please always review your tools and safety equipment and make sure they are what is needed to do the job.

Finally to thank Barish the organizing Marshall, Abubaker, Shamsi and Rashid, all the intermediates that attended for support and all the newbies that made it to Nahil to make this drive possible.

See you on the sand soon.
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brett
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Dear Almosters,

We arrived at the meeting point 2.5hrs early ! as it was at the same spot we had gathered at 7am for CMIYC drive that finished around 11am. I set about cleaning the bugs of my windscreen and checking my tire pressure which had increased from 9psi in the morning drive to 13/14psi. In the meantime @Rashidjass took the opportunity to have a power nap.

Everyone arrived and @Barish gave the briefing and split the group into 2 convoys based on their drive count. I was assigned to @alshamsi_m convoy with the -5 count. we had @Tomvanhouten @David and @Rathica as support. I was appointed as 2nd Lead .

We headed off with the intention of doing 50km to Sweihan. with the drivers being able to gain experience that will be very useful when we venture to Liwa. It was a real pleasure to drive behind @alshamsi_m to see his style and decision making leading the convoy, finding the fine balance between the level of experience needed to complete the obstacle while maintaining the safety of everyone. The downside of being 2nd lead meant in most cases I was only hearing the instructions on the radio being given to the drivers who found themselves in stuck or second try situations. thanks to @David @Rathica and @Tomvanhouten for the assistance you gave all afternoon.

As it is to be expected our progress was slow and we were not able to complete the full 50km before the darkness started to set in, so we left the dunes to inflate and say our good byes. as mentioned by @Tomvanhouten not before doing a quick wheel change for an FJ with a faulty valve stem. The lesson learnt here is to check your tools and ensure they are the correct size for your vehicle.

See you all for the Meat & Greet camp next Thursday night and don't for get to register for the drive on the following morning - registration for the camp is already open. Registration for the morning drive will open on Sunday night at 6pm - so be quick - snooze you loose
Until the next Adventure

Brett
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Gabor
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Wow guys, what a drive!!!
I already drove in this area rwo times, but long time ago. Quite technical area, sometimes soft sand, medium sizes dunes, nice chain of bowls.
I supported the 10- conwoy as sweeper, lead by Mabubaker, rescue by Jasper and Petr, under supervision by marshal Barish.
The plan was started from Nahel reach to Sweihan, approx 50 km, the prediction was: there is a low chance to do this, because the area used by big trucks for some reason.
I can say proudly, we successed it.
The conwoy had newbie who just replaced his car and lwb raptor also, but except a few 2nd attempt and recovery the conwoy did it very well.
Mabubaker used the truck ways also very well and it was very funny with higher speed.
We visited the Nagra also, so can say, all in all we drove technical dunes for cresting, safari style on flat, higher speed on truck track while the weather was perfect.
Thank you for the scouters this very memorable trip!

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xtreeme99
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I never stop getting amazed how on each new drive the Marshals are able to push your limit higher and higher, while keeping the pressure up.
This was my first time in Nahil area and ending in Sweihan, Well organized by @Barish who was sweeping with @Gabor . I was with the second convoy of 6+ drivers lead by Abubaker.
We were informed about construction trucks in the area, so many misleading tracks and ditches. We were also warned about sharper crests which surely made my driving more cautious in the begging as I had few second tries to "play it safe". The sand felt very soft, especially in the beginning area. We had a sharp dune with very soft sand in the top which gave plenty of challenge for many drivers, myself included. While I was determined to try to cross the dune, I was instructed by @Barish to stop as his keen eyes already saw me not having enough momentum to make the cross. I reacted a second late and wasn't able to reverse so needed assistance from @Jasper to rescue me (who had plenty of training on that crest).
Second attempt went with generous momentum to cover the crest, as well as my passenger covering her eyes on the drop after have a nice day

I had one more stuck after an unnecessary stop after a drop in a small bowl-like area - @Barish instructed me how to reverse and made me a new track to exit with in less than a minute brigade.baka-wolf.com

Rest of the drive was a mix of technical obstacles mixed with high-speed over-landing which went very smoothly, although I had some difficulty of catching up - going slow on a technical climb and once you're done, the next car is far ahead so you need to floor it to catch up you're kidding, right My passenger was the spotter to keep track of the convoy on the horizon so we knew our way (there was a brief moment where we lost visual and followed the most fresh tracks)

Few times car in front of me didn't report clearance so I probably waited more than necessary and asked permission on radio to start moving - communication is vital to have a smooth pace on the convoy.
Ehab
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A day in the desert, that was my Friday.
I had an agreement with my kids, we will spend full Thursday together and you leave me alone on Friday and i did it.
I joined a trip in Bab Al Shams desert with some friends in the morning and then the afternoon with Almost4x4 in Nahil, the interesting part was when I decided to go from Alqudra through Al Faqa crossing Saruq Al-Hadid site toward Al Faqa road E14 offroad alone, yes i did it and saved more than 30 km.
I did it safely avoiding high and sharp dunes, tried to stay next to fenced areas as much as possible and most importantly i shared my live location with a friend just incase. Lots of water, food, snacks and most importantly coffee, lots of coffee, almost one liter for the day. What an experience, thanks to almost4x4 family for the learning over the last 8 months, i do not think this would have been possible without the tremendous knowledge we got from the club.

Reached to the meeting point at 1 pm almost 2 hours prior trip time and i was surprised to see both Brett and Rashid already there, deflated, unpacked my chair and had an interesting jeep FJ discussion with Brett and a challenge on who will reach first, we both won 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Barish called the drivers for briefing, i was assigned to -5 convoy as media and sweeper. Another interesting view and feeling, you see more than 15 cars driving in-front of you, you learn from each one and you get a chance to record interesting moments, you also have this scary feeling, oh no one is watching me, if i am lost or something happen, how they will know? This require different skill, extra cautious and proper radio communication while in some cases go the easy route.

We had many second tries which is expected with -5 newbies specially in such an area, for my batch, the highest dune was almost half the size of smallest dune in Nahil and we were getting badly stuck.

We witnessed the train recovery which shown how experienced our marshals are and how in sync they are, the car was stuck in a pocket where wheels were barely touching the sand, it was a heavy LC and the only way to get it out was by using 2 cars and 3 ropes.

The number of tiny bowls and pockets we went through was huge, this is where we learn how to handle technical areas, many climbs and drops, it was a perfect experience for newbies with less than 5 drives.

More than 75 clips recorded all with amazing shots and full of action, new editing techniques has been used, enjoy watching



Thanks @Barish @alshamsi_m @brett @David @Tomvanhouten @Rathica @Rashidjass, for amazing efforts which is highly appreciated.
theDanutz
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Dear Almosters,

Very nice drive, as usual by now with Cool Stars series! Is indeed making us become.. “cool-er”
  • Great organization from @Barish, who provided help and guidance to everyone, first time I see you as floating marshal have a nice day It’s very comforting to see you around and sharing directions and tips
I was with my new car in the 5+ convoy led by @Abubakar, who made a very nice track for us with some sharp dunes in the beginning and plenty of fun! I was lucky to be the 3rd car and although sometimes I was slowing the convoy down, I had a chance to learn from you and 2nd lead.
  • By the way, a very nice idea to radio when full throttle is needed before reaching the spot. Thank you @Abubakar.
Can’t wait for next trip!

Convoy was supported marvelous by @Jasper who pulled me from a stuck thumbsup and @Gabor sweeping us and making sure we are all together and nobody is lost yaeh am not durnk

It was an exciting day & I am thankful for discovering a new area, together with famous Nagrah dune.. Although we just watched this time.. I can’t wait to go playing around it. Few more drives needed cool

Thank you very much for this experience and looking forward for next trip!

Best regards,
Danutz
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alshamsi_m
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Hello Everyone

When life gives you lemon make lemonade, The beautiful area of Nahil was ruined by the bulldozer making it very difficult for the high-level drive but it was a good opportunity for us to find a nice playground blank.

As mentioned above it was planned to give a chance to our 5- newbies a chance to complete their 5 drives and to practice more on the steep drops or climbs.

We hand another great day in the sand with @Rashidjass watching us from every angle and the beautiful sunset before we finish our drive.

Thanks to all who joined us and looking forward to see you in the upcoming event & drive

Cheers
Shamsi
Adventurous League of Mountains, Oceans and Sand Thrills
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