A sailor brought his boat up to a restaurant dock one sunny afternoon, tied it off and started walking toward the entrance.

He had been on the water all morning and was starving.

Before he could get far, the dock hand stepped in front of him.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t let you dine here today.

This establishment has a necktie policy, and you are not wearing one.”

The sailor looked down at his shorts, deck shoes and faded shirt.

“Of course I don’t have a tie on,” replied the sailor, “I’m on a boat!”

The dock hand shrugged.

“Well, go down below and put one on,” said the dock hand.

“I don’t HAVE one!” shouted the sailor.

The dock hand sighed. He didn’t really want to lose a paying customer, especially one who looked hungry enough to eat the menu.

So he thought for a moment.

“Well, why don’t you just find something that approximates a tie

That should be OK.”

The sailor disappeared below deck.

Several minutes passed.

Then ten.

The dock hand began wondering whether the man had sailed away.

Finally, the sailor climbed back onto the dock wearing a pair of jumper cables loosely around his neck.

“This is all I could find to put around my neck,” he said.

The dock hand stared at him.

He looked at the jumper cables.

Then at the restaurant.

Then back at the sailor.

Sighing, the dock hand said: “OK, I’ll let you in with those, but just don’t start anything.”