Nevada Caucusing - What's That?

What's a caucus? And why do we care? The word “caucus” derives from the Algonquin “cau-cau-as'u” which roughly translates to “adviser” in American English, a term used in American politics as early as the mid-18th century. In the USA, in order to determine who will be the candidate for President for each major political party, there are either primary elections or caucuses or a combination of both held in each state. Of the 50 states, only 12 states, plus 2 territories and the District of Columbia use caucusing We've voted in primaries before, but never participated in a caucus. Last Saturday, the Democratic caucus was held in Nevada and our precinct caucus was being held at the Whitney Elementary School, walking distance from home. We feel it's inappropriate to discuss political issues in our blog, but thought it might be interesting to share the caucusing process. It was definitely a new experience for us.

We sauntered over around 10:45. A constant stream of cars was heading into the school parking lot. As we approached, we noted that the queue for registration was very long and very slow. People were sweltering and squinting in the Nevada late morning sun. We had used an on-line caucus registration process which was supposed to streamline check-in.

Truly, this was one of the most disorganized events we'd ever seen. There were a myriad of volunteers, but none seemed to know what was going on and we received conflicting directions from nearly everyone we talked to. We finally edged our way into the school building at one fellow's suggestion and advanced further forward in the line. We saw an unmanned, open laptop with a hand-lettered sign marked “Express Check-in”. Hmm … just a thought … “Is anyone using that computer at the moment?”, I asked. “No” was the resounding response from all the folks milling around waiting to register. With our trusty iPhone in hand, we retrieved the individual texts we'd received earlier with our own unique pre-registration code. We entered them into the express computer while wearing our magic decoder rings and performing the secret handshake and in a couple of seconds a wonderful thing happened … shazam … we were checked in.

Next, we needed to find the caucus room for our precinct. Several folks pointed us in the direction of the precinct rooms. We wandered purposefully, following big black arrow signs through a labyrinth of hallways to the various rooms, but none showed our precinct number and we ended up back where we started from … which was lucky because they'd changed the meeting place for our precinct caucus to the registration hall we'd originally registered in. We attempted to sit down. “Are you for Bernie?”, a fellow asked. “We're uncommitted at the moment”, David replied. “Can we still sit here?” No one seemed to know. We scrunched ourselves into low cafeteria tables with attached bench seats. This is an elementary school and everything seemed mini.

Around 12:35, the doors were closed, the registration lines ended and the precinct chief got to work … kind of. The fellow leading the group had misplaced some letters he was supposed to read and finally, after consulting the rules and regs one more time, called the caucus to order. We thought it might work according to parliamentary procedure/Robert's Rules of Order or something of the like, but no, chaos continued. He shouted over the boisterous group, but his little voice didn't carry. One strong-voiced woman (not me) finally got the group's attention and we strained to listen to the chief's instructions.

He took a count of the total number in the group … three times with three different results. He asked for some help. There were 46 folks in the precinct group. Next, he passed around an envelope for contributions. “The suggested contribution is $16”, he advised. What is this … church? $16 for what? I thought this caucusing thing was free. “It's for the Democratic party”, he said, “because everyone who works here is a volunteer.” We didn't get it. If everyone is a volunteer and we assume the use of the school building was free and the only things we received were Bernie buttons, Hillary stickers and two #2 yellow pencils, what exactly were we contributing to?

The chief instructed us to “align”. Bernie supporters on one side. Hillary supporters on the other. Those uncommitted (there were 6 of us) were instructed to stand up in the middle of the two groups. Well, that seemed a vulnerable place to be … and it was. We had read about the process, and we thought this would be an opportunity to rationally discuss each candidate's positions with informed supporters. Instead, within seconds, we were surrounded by Bernie and Hillary zealots, screeching at each other, making few valid or viable arguments for their candidates, but rather out-screaming their opponents. Sort of persuasion by intimidation and volume. There was no relief and certainly no order. The chief said “8 more minutes remain”. Oh, my … “What if we prefer to remain uncommitted?”, we asked the chief. “Then you just leave”, he responded.

Well, we committed to the least objectionable candidate just so we could observe the rest of the process. One old, grizzled fellow missing his front teeth congratulated us on our decision to join “his” team. We weren't sure that was a good thing.

What followed was more bedlam as we turned in our caucus cards and they were counted. The chief made a big show of writing the results and doing the “caucus math” calculations with a huge black magic marker on a large tally sheet hung on the wall. He made a mistake … putting results for Sanders in Clinton's column. A mighty ruckus ensued. Chagrined, he crossed out the wrong numbers and corrected the error. Sanders won … 26 to 24. The chief then set about determining how many of the 10 total delegates each candidate was allowed. Sanders-6 and Clinton-4. The selection of delegates was very methodical. “Who wants to be a delegate?” he asked the group. People raised their hands. He counted 4 on the Clinton side and 6 on the Sanders side (making only one mistake) and then gave the newly appointed delegates their paperwork. These folks will continue on to the county level sometime in April.

That's it. That was a caucus in Nevada … kind of like herding yowling cats and then asking them to vote. The overall state result was a win for Clinton … 53% to Sanders 47%. By all accounts, attending the Republican caucus was even more lively.

Our Top 10 Most Interesting Lighthouses

Whether you're on land or sea, lighthouses have a special allure. We all fantasize about the solace and peace of the ocean. Most folks tend to forget the power of Neptune when the seas get ugly and gales and hurricanes pound the shores. Instead, it's easier to romanticize and imagine the splendor of a 360º ocean view. Lighthouses are indispensable to sailors, although in recent years, the traditional lighthouses are being replaced worldwide by mechanical, more efficient structures that do their duty, but have nowhere the charm of their predecessors.

Here's our short list of 10 interesting lighthouses we've seen in our travels. The list is nowhere comprehensive, but each lighthouse was chosen because of its unique appeal, location or sheer beauty.

Faro del Eclaireurs – Beagle Channel, Ushuaia, Argentina

The most beautiful lighthouse of all … Faro del Eclaireurs (the French name "Les Éclaireurs" means "the Enlighteners" or "the Scouts") stands in the Beagle Channel about 5 miles from Ushuaia on the northeastern- most islet of the five Les Eclaireurs islets, from which it takes its name.

Nubble Light – York, Maine, USA

In 1874, Congress appropriated $15,000 to build a light station at the "Nubble" and in 1879 construction began. Cape Neddick Light Station was put into service in 1879 and is still in use today. It's one of the most photographed lighthouses on the US East Coast and definitely our favorite.

Bird Island Lighthouse – Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The Bird Island Lighthouse is stunning … at least from a distance. Close up, there's lots of bird poop. Historically, a wooden lighthouse was erected in 1852. Work on a stone lighthouse began in 1872. The lighthouse, now fully automated, is home to a myriad of sea birds.

Cape St Blaize Lighthouse, Mosselbaai, South Africa

Built in 1864, it’s one of only two manned lighthouses remaining on the South African coast. Unfortunately, the lighthouse keeper was not available and no one else was around. We climbed the steep stone steps to the lower observation balcony and got a good up-close view of the neatly kept lighthouse and stupendous views of the foreshore below.

Bunbury Lightouse, Bunbury, Western Australia

A storm lantern on a wooden keg sufficed as the port’s beacon for many years. The structure became more sophisticated over time, but it wasn't until 1971 that a formal lighthouse was erected on the hill and painted the distinctive black and white checker-board design.

Waipapa Point Light, The Catlins, Southland, New Zealand

The Waipapa Point Light is particularly photogenic. The sheep graze almost down to the seashore as the lighthouse pops into view. The lighthouse was originally constructed of kauri and totara, local hardwoods, with rock in its base as ballast against the terrific storms and winds which occur there.

Deal Island Light, Deal Island, Bass Strait, Tasmania, Australia

The most outstanding structure on Deal Island is, of course, the lighthouse. Built in 1848, it is the tallest lighthouse in Australia at nearly 1000′ (305M) above sea level. In fact, it’s the tallest lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, it is so high, it was many times occluded by clouds and fog and couldn’t be seen by ships … not good if you’re a lighthouse. It's most impressive because we had a chance to climb to the top and actually stand inside the fresnel light lens.

Ceru Bontana Lighthouse, Washington/Slagbaai NP, Bonaire

Very little is known about this lighthouse, but we found it oddly interesting when we toured Bonaire and the Washington/Slagbaai Park back in 2003. We're told it was restored and repainted in 2012.

Entrance Island Light, Hells Gate, Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, Australia

The narrow 120m (~400') entrance to the huge Macquarie Harbour was discovered in 1815. The entrance is narrow enough, but the navigable channel through it is only a few boat lengths wide in spots, making it somewhat daunting. Though there was a penal colony at Sarah Island within the harbor, it wasn't until timber cutters and silver miners had problems entering and leaving the harbor that the 6-sided wooden towers, Entrance Island Light and Bonnet Island Light, were erected in 1891.

The Wedding Cake – Sydney Harbour, NSW, Australia

Western Channel Pile Light, also known as the Wedding Cake due to its shape is an iconic and active lighthouse in Sydney Harbour marking the western end of the Sow and Pigs Reef. Sailing past it was just one of the many thrills of Sydney Harbour.

More lighthouses? We've got a whole collection to peruse if you're interested. Check out the Nine of Cups website for a lighthouse photo gallery.

The hardest thing we ever did

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to leave sight of the shore.”

Andre Gide

We've been asked many times what our biggest challenges have been as cruisers and we always respond that the hardest thing we ever did was leave the dock in Kemah, Texas. I cannot imagine the angst and fear and anticipation that sailors of old must have felt as they sailed from the comfort of their home ports to explore an unknown world. I remember the mix of anxiety and exhilaration as we left Kemah ... and we were only heading across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida.

We've written about slaying dragons often in the past. Perhaps that's why our “just a little further” philosophy has worked for us. Having to worry about all the new things we were going to encounter … all those little dragons to slay … like night watches, squalls and storms, navigation, sailing skills …. was hard enough. Add to that bigger challenges/dragons like long ocean passages, rounding southern capes, high latitude sailing and circumnavigating the globe. Just contemplating those possibilities was beyond the realm of our realistic imaginations. Had we worried about all that before leaving, I think we might have stayed in a nice, cozy marina and perhaps gone coastal sailing on weekends. But we didn't.

Getting up the courage to leave was easy when we were just talking about it. Doing it … well, that was quite another thing. Remember, we didn't have years of sailing experience under our belts, but rather we took sailing lessons in our 40s, read lots, chartered a bit and then we sold up and sailed off. The morning we tossed off that last dockline and slowly watched the coast disappear into the horizon was a “gulp and swallow” kind of experience. Yikes … what were we getting ourselves into?

So what does it take to make the big leap? Well, along with a bit of courage, it takes preparation. Certainly, confidence in yourself and each other is a main ingredient. You need to trust each other. You have to have confidence in your boat, that she'll handle whatever comes your way because you've maintained and equipped her properly. Confidence and a mindset that whatever happens, you'll figure out what to do. Once you're out there, there's no telling where the wind will blow you, what you'll see, what you'll discover … about the world and yourself.

Yup. We left Kemah, Texas and then we were sailing and we kept going around and here we are … some 86,000 miles later … all because we left the dock.