The early bird gets the worm. Nice guys finish last. And, apparently, the pirates get the bikini babes.

We've seen them drive around town for weeks in their big pirate ship/truck thing. It always takes us by surprise, and we always look at it as the first indication that SeaFair's coming. Four years in this town, and we still don't know when that celebration happens, and we still don't know what for. But so what?

We're willing to give props to any silly person, thing, or organization that manages to get the attention of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition people. This year, the swimsuit issue will feature none other than the SeaFair Pirates, of course. Seems like a natural fit.

So sayeth KOMO-TV:

"The hardest part was keeping the pirates quiet the last few months," Jensen said of their desire to let everyone know that they'd been involved. But the pirates, along with everyone else involved in the production of the Swimsuit Edition, were sworn to secrecy.

Jensen said the magazine had been planning a pirate-themed shoot and contacted the pirates in advance asking if they would help out. The motley band of local pirates had to arrive at about 5 a.m. on the day of the shoot in early November and spent several several hours working with the photographers.

Asked if the Seafair Pirates were subjected to the hours of primping and makeup like the swimsuit models, Jensen replied, "We're not those kind of pirates. They took us as-is."

photo courtesy of Seattlest Flickr Pool user hobbes8calvin