Walkway guard
Walkway guard
The system for keeping track of who is on board the Statsraad Lehmkuhl and who is ashore is as ancient as it is ingenious.
One of the worst things that can happen to a crewmember is to be left behind. Stand there on the dock and watch the stern of your ship disappear into the distance, without your ship's bag and without your next payment.
It is also a big problem if a guest on board does not get ashore before the moorings are thrown.
The system used to keep track is as old as it is simple and ingenious. The lid of a wooden box is full of numbered holes. Everyone sailing with the ship gets their own number, the same as the number on your locker and hammock.
In the holes there is room for small brass pins. If the pin is in place, it means that the person is on board, no pin means that the person is ashore.
Visitors are checked specially, and their names and time of visiting are recorded in a separate log book.
In Manila, Kristian Haugen is the walkway guard, and responsible for the brass pins. It is also Kristian's responsibility to see that all fenders are in place, and that the moorings are in order.
You occasionally see large metal washers attached to the mooring ropes. They are there to prevent rats from sneaking on board the ship. It also happens that two-legged stowaways use the moorings to get on board, so Kristian has a responsible job in the tropical heat.
