Almost4x4

Hi all. Due to heavy rains in UAE the ‘Let’s Play’ programme was changed. We met 5 km after Badayer shops at 8.30. It was smaller convoy as some members were called to work to rectify the consequences of the rain, so all in all we were 8 cars. Yoghybear warned not to be deceived by hard sand as it could lead to dangerous situations. The plan was to play in bigger dunes (Iftar and Super bowl), return to Badayer, cross the highway and drive towards Fossil Rock. Yoghybear also said he would resist the temptation to do side-cresting as unsafe in these conditions.

Well…that promise was short-lived as all of us soon realized. It was a fast paced drive, but it was smooth with only second attempts which did not cause convoy to stop. The track after Badayer was indeed a safari-style drive which in our conditions caused all the items inside the car to jump up and down.

We almost reached the Fossil Rock where the sabkha was still muddy following the rains. This is where we heard Armin (who was on his private mission) calling for help to recover another ‘Jeep’ car which got stuck to the doors in the mud. We have seen and done plenty of recovery in the sand, but this type of mud recovery you won’t see too often in UAE. First attempt was most straightforward – winch of Bu Salem. His car moved, but the stuck car did not. Next was to use Daggerfall as an anchor to Bu Salem. Same result. Next option was Yoghybear with his monster truck. The gentle pull yielded no result, so it was followed by a bigger run up. Well … Jeep owners – be proud. The Jeep’s towing point survived, but Ram’s hook did not. So do you think all options have been exhausted? The next one was a ‘train’ combination. Bu Salem was pulling Yoghy and Yoghy was pulling the Jeep. Still did not work. By this time it was impossible to see the skin colour of some members as they were covered in mud. The deeply covered in mud stuck Jeep would be the dream car of [MENTION=5597]Defragmantor[/MENTION] if he was with us. So we were back to the winch solution. I guess by that time the Jeep owner thought it was the repeat of unsuccessful first series of attempts. However, this time it was a combination of two winches connected to the single rear recovery point (the only one available) in a V shape. Me and Daggerfall were again anchoring Bu Salem and Yoghy. Finally this solution worked. Truly spectacular recovery.

I am sure the photos and videos of it would be a great addition to the Almost library.

I was out in badayer aswell ! Heard your chatter and greeted Bu Salem before I switched frequencies
Oh yes the photos do make the jeep look great !

I have to agree with @Defragmanter. Any Jeep that is stuck always looks great to me!! :045: Having been out of the country for a week and missed all the rain I must have the cleanest 4x4 in Dubai!

[quote=Dave;46144]I have to agree with @Defragmanter. Any Jeep that is stuck always looks great to me!! :045: Having been out of the country for a week and missed all the rain I must have the cleanest 4x4 in Dubai![/quote]
Hey i didnt mean it that way !

That guy was lucky to bump into Almost specially Bu Salim. I don't think anyone else would have had the proper equipment and experience he has. adding the heavy duty of [MENTION=1633]Yoghybear[/MENTION] and two other cars supporting from back.

And just when you think you know enough, here comes new ways of doing things.

For all to know what not to do:
Drive in unknown environment alone or with another not advance+.
Off-road at 25psi. unless its sabkha,
Attempt to go in deep water in middle of desert where the sand becomes really soft and sinking.
Off-road at all if you do not have proper tools and towing points.
Panic or stress out in moment of challenge, that's the worst of them all. Challenge is part of the game and fun. and we managed it perfectly and probably made new friends :D

Unfortunately I had commitments in the morning that I couldn't join the drive, but after doing Solo to meet some friends, I sow this guy stuck badly, and with effort of everyone he was lucky to be out. otherwise I think they would have made a museum of jeep for him there.

Except the hard sand, the conditions were great for a drive. I was in 3rd position in the convoy and more confident with my upgraded suspensions since I took some beating the last time I followed @Yoghybear due to my low clearance and soft suspensions. Actually they really saved me in one point when my FJ fly over a sharp dune which I didn't notice because I was looking further instead of in front of me and behind of the dune looked like a soft hill while approaching. Luckily the landing was soft and didn't break anything. I cant imagine if I was with stocks :). So keep your eyes on the car in front of you to see its reactions to have a better understanding of the upcoming dunes as much as possible. The desert is full of surprises.

The pace was fine. It was a classic @Yoghybear drive where sometimes you can not understand how did this big truck made that turn :) . I got caught by MDG in one of those turns and was on social media before I got out of the car thanks to @fida :)))

As told before we did a great recovery as a team at the end of the drive and start inflating since it was late. Then Bu Salim asked me if I want to join him and Mark to go Al Badayer from the track road with fully inflated tires. Yeah why not. Well that was the bonus of the drive. All I can tell is it was a nice "high speed" test for the suspensions :)))) I am sure my Valkyrie took off several times during the ride.

So Thanks to Marshalls and all participated for another great day in the desert.

Best Regards

[quote=orlantsev;46138]

I am sure the photos and videos of it would be a great addition to the Almost library.[/quote]

Looking forward to see the recovery video...

Unfortunately I only took some pictures which are not very descriptive of the full recovery process...hope that somebody has a video.

[quote=Red Baron;46153]Looking forward to see the recovery video...[/quote]