Sven Yrvindvideo
13 July 2025 Yrvind Island – Antarctica's Tribute to a Lone Sailor.
12 July 2025 · 15 min · 2K views
What this video covers
Sven Yrvind builds a gimballed eating table for his small boat, then explains the Brise sextant — a fixed-angle, mirror-based navigation instrument he conceived in the 1970s.▶ 13:39 The gimbal table pivots at a balance point roughly 7–8 cm below the pivot, which Yrvind calculates will always react faster than the boat's roll period; the design lets him close the hatch instantly without losing a meal.▶ 1:58 The Brise sextant uses three mirrors producing up to eight fixed angles, yielding as many as 48 potential sun sights per day — morning and evening combined — without moving parts or adjustable scales.▶ 11:09 The operating method fixes two known variables (observer position and time as the sun touches the horizon) to calculate the sun's angle, which Yrvind argues reduces rather than accumulates instrument error.▶ 11:43 He notes GPS made the device commercially irrelevant by the 1990s.▶ 14:53 The title's claim about Yrvind Island in Antarctica is briefly addressed: the island is named after the Brise sextant's history, its position is shown, and Yrvind offers one week's free stay there to anyone who buys his book on Amazon.▶ 4:57
More from Sven Yrvind
From Sven Yrvind — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.