NavList:

Bill,

You asked:

As I have not yet used my metal sextant afloat what do people recommend...I have heard a camera strap suggested.

I purchased a small "hank" of paracord from Amazon. (I highly recommend the seller Paracord 550 Mil-Spec.) You can get 55 feet for only $9.45 and it comes in a variety of colors. I cut about a three foot length and used a lighter to seal the ends. Then, I tied a double fisherman's knot in it to form a loop and attached it to the lower handle post of my Astra with a common cow hitch. (You know this one. It's the way you attach any lanyard. Just run one end of the loop around the post and back through itself.) I use another cow hitch to make a loop to go over my wrist.

The paracord sold by the seller I mentioned above has a break strength of either 600 or 800 lbs. (depending on which kind you get), so there's no danger of it ever breaking. It has a smooth mantle (the outside part which covers the kern, or inner strands), so it won't irritate your skin. As a bonus, the kern can be extracted in an emergency and used for a variety of tasks - from fishing line to sewing thread, and the mantle can still be used as a lanyard afterward. Paracord is really handy stuff to have around, anyway.

...Or you could just use a boot lace. That's what I use to make lanyards for my knives. I use a lanyard knot (appropriately) for those.

Cheers,

Sean C.