NavList:

A memory bubbled up this morning as I was waking... 

When did I first encounter people talking about the possibility of using decorative pseudo-sextants for some "practical" purpose, despite the fact that they're useless for actual navigation? The memory that returned this morning was quite specific. It was in 2003! This year is the actual twentieth anniversary. These "fake sextants" were already very common, maybe 50% of ebay auctions twenty years ago, and I remember a few of us at the Planetarium at Mystic Seaport Museum discussing the possibility of using them in basic demonstrations for museum visitors. Since they're cheap, we could pass them around to visitors (I soon realized that I can do this with real sextants --there are plenty of "end of life" sextants available). A year or two later when I wasn't working there, the team at Mystic Seaport bought a few "shiny golden" sextants and tried out the idea. Their experience was similar to what navigation enthusiasts discover today: these toy sextants are fine for discussing the general design of the instrument and pointing out features like the mirrors, scope, shades, etc. (it's better than holding up a diagram!) but they're not merely useless for sight demos, like Noon Sun, they're also dangerous, since the shades are typically very poor. They look like they should work in some fashion, but they don't.

Pseudo-sextants are now more popular than ever, and they have become that cringe-worthy gift from a relative that never knows what to get you for your birthday. They gleefully announce, "I finally found something that I think you will love... I know you're dreaming about sailing around the world... so... ta-da!!" These poisonous "gifts" sell in large numbers both to those well-meaning, misguided friends and relatives, and also to rank beginners in celestial navigation. Unfortunately there is a long tradition in celestial navigation of buy first, learn later. I think this is founded on the assumption that celestial is all about "learning the sextant" (as beginners sometimes say). Assuming that the task of navigation is mostly about the skill of taking sights, beginning navigators rush right out to buy one. Plus it's "shopping therapy". and who doesn't enjoy getting a new toy when diving into a new interest??

Yesterday I was poking around for images of a specific pseudo-sextant, and I found what may be the "pirate's lair" of these useless devices. It's etsy! Originally, and still to some extent today, etsy.com is home to artists and makers, people who produce hand-crafted art. Unfortunately, the management team of etsy sold their souls years ago for corporate survival, and basically anyone can sell just about anything on etsy and label it "homemade". There is a vast swamp full of sextants available for sale on etsy. I couldn't find a single one that wasn't a decorative POS (piece of shit), and nearly all were listed by their sellers as "homemade" but far worse, most listings gave little hint that these were not actual sextants. They're frauds.

Those new navigators who buy first and ask later get badly burned by these sales. It's embarrassing and disheartening for them, and for many it's the end of their interest. They spend good money on a fake sextant, and they never come back.

I'm attaching an image of a typical page full of pseudo-sextant listings on etsy.com. It used to be an "ill-ness" -- a market with a bad cold. It's now an epidemic...

Frank Reed
Clockwork Mapping / ReedNavigation.com
Conanicut Island USA

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