What franz doesn't realize is that the dock master, who sees everything, spotted him stashing the thread into the glovebox. He rescued it while franz was scuffling with the sailors, and replaced it with a forgery of his own.
The dock master calls the coast guard to go fetch Artman, knowing he has no navigational skills and will need rescuing, and then sets off to Dock 21 where the sailors have gone with Moonbear. The dock master, being an old salty dog has seen pretty much everything, and knows better than to toussle with a group of sailors. He stands on the dock alongside the ship and tosses the thread to the sailor on deck. "Give this to the little lady, maybe she can use it to cover up a bit," he instructs gruffly. The sailor chuckles and gladly sets off with his excuse to return the thread to Moonbear, now resting comfortably in the bunks, wrapped in a blanket while waiting for her clothes to dry.