Sailor in south east has a steady gaze (5)
I believe the answer is:
stare
'a steady gaze' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'sailor in south east' is the wordplay.
'sailor' becomes 'tar' (term for a sailor).
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'south east' becomes 'SE' (abbreviation).
'tar' put within 'se' is 'STARE'.
'has' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for stare that I've seen before include "'Look fixedly, without blinking (5)'" , "Gaze fixedly" , "Gawp" , "Rates (anag.)" , "Look with fixed gaze" .)