SEATTLE -- When you pick up the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue you probably wouldn't expect to find a bunch of grizzled, sword-wielding Seattle pirates.

But that's exactly what you'll see this year on page 186 of the popular magazine, where Seattle's own Seafair Pirates appear alongside swimwear model Melissa Haro.

Mark Jensen, spokesman for the Seafair Pirates, said the group participated in the magazine's photo shoot during their annual appearance at Pirates Week in the Cayman Islands.

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 hours working with the photographers.

"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 they didn't know until early Tuesday morning that one of the photos including the pirates had been selected to be published in the magazine. He said they also sang a few songs during the production that he hopes will be included in the "making of" DVD put out by Sports Illustrated.

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."

You can see some of the photos featuring the Seafair Pirates at the Sports Illustrated web site:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2008_swimsuit/models/melissa-haro/