Homemade Pencil Sextant

sextant

INSTRUMENTS - SEXTANTS
Callahan, Steven P.
1982
wood; rubber
overall: 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 1/4 in.

Homeade sextant made by Steve Callahan, after his sailboat Napoleon Solo sank. Made made from three pencils and string. Eagle Ensign 200 Number 2 Pencils. Metal by the erasers rusted through. Twine knotted around in criss-crossing pattern connecting two pencils at each intersection. From Adrift: "I lash three pencils into a triangle to make a low-budget sextant...My instrument is even more primitive, since I cannot view the stars and the horizon at the same time. Instead, I must move my head up and down, first viewing a star along one pencil amd then the rim of the world along the other, while attempting to hold the instrument still. I will try it this evening (Adrift, page 174). See drawing 2018.41.11. Overall: 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 1/4 in.

2018.41.1