JULY 21, 2020: VICARIOUS IN LAS VEGAS

JULY 21, 2020

VICARIOUS IN LAS VEGAS

 I got married on July 21 twenty-nine years ago in Las Vegas.  Our custom is to take a vacation back to Las Vegas every year at this time to celebrate.  With Covid, I was very apprehensive about travel of any kind, but with my wife’s insistence we flew to the city of lost wages.  I obviously was not able to participate in the race, but enjoyed it vicariously over the net via the harbor’s web cams.

It looked like about a 10 knot breeze from the normal (240 degree) direction and the course Whiskey 3 was employed once more.  It looked like a clean start (from the web-cam and raceQS track).  As usual, the fleet split up with Sagittarius, Perfect 36 and Patricia J sailing outside and the rest of the fleet sailing the inside course.  At Schuyler mark Sagittarius was first around followed by Patricia J, Perfect 36, Pair A Dice, Odonata, Nidaros, Sophie, Toad and Natori.  There were 13 boats out, but only these nine had tracks on Race QS.

All boats rounded Blacks and made their way back to the finish line.  At the finish, it was Sagittarius 48:08, Patricia J 51:49, Pair A Dice 52:32, Perfect 36 54:27, Odonata 56:18, Nidaros 58:56, Sophie 59:18 and Toad 1:05:23.  All times are elapsed and the course distance is 3.55NM.

Race QS:

We are getting more boats to use this app.  It is a free app that runs on any smart phone and is the only way to be recorded for these races.  It also provides a wealth of information on how well you are handling your boat. Race QS track for this night is at:  https://raceqs.com/tv-beta/tv.htm#userId=1011074&divisionId=65631&updatedAt=2020-07-22T02:38:01Z&dt=2020-07-21T16:32:18-07:00..2020-07-21T19:36:54-07:00&boat=Odonata&model=J22&time=1595384797110&focus=Odonata&rival=Para%20Cat%2030&tab=match&view=follow&lat=36.953331&lon=-121.996857&tilt=1&range=1720&heading=214

COVID SAFETY:

I was very apprehensive traveling to Las Vegas during this pandemic.  I went with one caveat: If people were not wearing masks, I was going to stay in my hotel room the whole time!  I am happy to report that EVERYONE in the whole airport and planes was required to wear masks the whole time.  Walking into the hotel, getting in line to check in, they used a forehead thermometer and only allowed one person to perform the check in procedure.  Everywhere I looked, every person had a mask on. 

Getting to our room at the Bellagio, there was a packet on the table complete with 2 masks, hand sanitizer and 2 metal pocket styluses with a rubber pointer to touch any public thinks like elevator buttons.  There were employees everywhere wiping disinfectant on public surfaces.

How to safely allow people to gamble with social distancing?  At the Bellagio, for the 21 tables, they only allowed 3 people per table and had plastic partitions between players.  Craps tables were the same, with only 6 players allowed per table and plastic partitions between players. As usual, they allowed each shooter to select a Pair-A-Dice. Slot machines were only open every other machine.  On top of this, there were washing stations (sinks with running water and soap) available for use on the casino floor.  There were multiple stations with hand sanitizer, masks and latex gloves for people to use.  The only time you could lower your mask was to drink or smoke and if you did not replace your mask immediately, the dealers would insist that you put it back on.  No-one was allowed to walk around with masks not covering their mouth and nose. There were absolutely no shows that were open.

How could they employ social distancing at the tables in crowded Las Vegas?  The crowds were only about 10% of normal for this time of year.  It was a good trip and I felt safe in the environment.  The only bad thing about it was the necessity to enjoy our Tuesday night racing vicariously.

If you have never seen the fountains at Bellagio, you may enjoy this short clip taken from the 32nd floor.

I will be out this coming Tuesday and will see you then.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice