Ants,
Thank you for guessing Marvin Creamer, who passed recently at 104. Creamer, a retired college geographer, did sail his steel 36 footer GLOBE STAR west to east around the World, 1982-1984, without instruments, including a compass. (Magnetic compasses don't work well on a steel boat..the more you heel, the crazier the compass reads. Ask Kim D and me how we know.)
Unfortunately, though inspirational, Marvin Creamer is not the correct answer to the quiz as GLOBE STAR carried two crew in addition to her skipper, so his was not a solo circumnavigation.
I will repeat the trivia question: what famous solo circumnavigator claimed to have used a singlehanded instrument for position finding that was neither analog nor digital and was not a sextant? Extra scoop if you can name the instrument.