Nearly 25 pirates walked the plank usually reserved for Elliott Bay Taxi passengers Saturday, July 5h. They leaped onto a World War II landing craft that transported them, and about a dozen soldiers and a few lucky kids to the taped-off landing area near the Alki Bath House, about two miles north. Also on board was Captain Sig Hansen of the Northwestern crew from the Deadliest Catch TV show. Sig was sharing fishing stories with "Bones," "Fingers," "Sparrow," "Barnacle," Ahab," and other passengers, including Jerry Leupold, the president of the Seafair Pirates. Mark Jensen, Seafair spokesman was organizing the landing from ashore.
The craft first headed across the bay toured downtown Seattle, cruised along side a huge luxury liner, and then headed to the beach, landing an hour later, at about noon. Like a magnet the boat attracted several stragglers, pleasure boaters whose crews waved to the colorfully dressed outlaws wearing nasty grimaces, scraggly beards, and pirate-aphernalia while screaming "AARRGG!"