John, I have heard that left-handed sextants are exceedingly rare. I have also heard that left-handers use sextants upside down but I can 't vouch for that. There is a very good blog about sextants here. http://sextantbook.com/category/unusual-left-handed-sextant/

Conincidentally, I noticed that the editor of our newsletter, Colin Jarman, has his Frieberger for sale on p16 of the current issue just mailed.

Vice Commodore, OCC 

Daria, thanks for the reply. I lived and worked in India so am aware of its potential.

Not sure if you can answer this. Do all sextants have a Collimation Certificate? If buying second hand how do you check it out in terms of accuracy? I am left handed, can you buy a left handed version?

John, beware of buying sextants on eBay and amazon. Many are replicas made in India intended for decoration in personal libraries that have now entered the market as the real deal. The most reliable dealer for sextants is Celestaire.

The Astra IIIB and the Tamaya are top notch. We have one of each. Bought one from Celestaire the other via eBay. We 've used them to take noon sites but now they are pretty much gathering dust. Nevertheless, we still take them with us when crossing oceans just in case (having been struck by lightning on a previous boat we know what can happen to electronics). We also have Mary Blewitt 's book, a pocket computer that has a perpetual almanac in it, and Star Finder 2102-D, which are very useful accessories. Good luck.

Why not post a note in the eBulletin and in the for sale section of the forum to see if any member would want to part with theirs? Where are you located?

Vice Commodore, OCC 

I am considering buying a sextant but not sure at this stage whether it would be second hand or new. Having looked at a few brochures and on ebay the variation in specification seems bewildering.

Advice on the specification for a new sextant and what to look out for when buying second hand one in terms of condition would be welcome.

John B