Born to command - Seafair Pirates chief has been practicing for the part all his life

Ron Paul has been fascinated with pirates since he was a kid.

The back yard of his home in the Bryn Mawr area near Renton harbors a pirate ship playhouse he built years ago for his now-grown children. There's a Swiss Family Robinson-style treehouse. Banana and palm trees add an island flair.

And then there's his personal showpiece -- a ``fully operational captain's quarters,'' complete with a view of ocean waves and the sounds of a wooden ship at sea.

``It looks like you're at the back of a pirate ship,'' he says. ``You look out the stern window and you can see the ocean going up and down. I found a CD that was recorded of a wooden ship going out to sea. So you hear sound effects -- the creaking of the masts, the sound of the wind.''

In July, when the Seafair Pirates mark their 56th season with their traditional landing at Alki Beach in Seattle to launch Seafair, Paul will be there -- decked out in the red uniform and plume-decorated pirate's hat that will mark him as Captain Kidd, the group's leader.

Paul, a 54-year-old Boeing draftsman getting ready to retire after 32 years with the company, joined the Seafair Pirates seven years ago.

``I've loved pirate history ever since I read `Treasure Island' as a kid,'' says Paul, who grew up in Baltimore.

``What a lot of people don't know is that we're not just active at Seafair. We do 30 parades a year. We do a lot of charity functions. We hardly ever have a weekend off.''

And, for the most part, those appearances are all done for free, although the Seafair Pirates will charge if the appearance is related to a corporate function.

Visits to Ronald McDonald House, a residence for children being treated for cancer and their families, or to Children's Hospital bring lots of smiles.

What the kids won't ever see, he says, is the occasional tear a pirate wipes away as he leaves.

``Seeing these children is incredible,'' he says. ``Being able to entertain them and put smiles on their faces after all the pain they've gone through goes a long way. Do we ever shed a tear? Oh, definitely.''

It's not just kids who touch pirate hearts.

There are visits to nursing homes and other facilities, too, he says.

Each October, a contingent of Seafair Pirates heads off to the Cayman Islands for the pirate week festival.

``For 20-plus years they've invited Seafair Pirates to go down,'' he says. ``They pay for 10 of us to go. We leave Seattle in our costumes. We're in our costumes 12 days straight, entertaining at hospitals, schools, everywhere.''

There currently are about 50 Seafair Pirates -- some more active than others.

``But just about everybody shows up for the Torchlight Parade (during Seafair),'' Paul says.

Paul says his appearance has changed since he became a pirate.

His curly black hair, earrings and mustache curled at the tips lend a definite air, he says.

``I kind of look like the guy on the Captain Morgan rum labels,'' he says, laughing. ``I look like a pirate all the time.''

And while there's no question the Seafair Pirates are a fun-loving, rambunctious bunch, Paul says stories about earlier bands of Seafair Pirates given to hard partying no longer really apply to his crew.

That doesn't mean they don't have fun.

They're sure attention-getters when they parade into any gathering. Ditto when they board the Moby Duck, a converted U.S. Army landing craft, for a parade appearance.

Moby Duck, equipped with both a ferry horn and a siren, is said to be the biggest, and noisiest, convertible in town.

``When we ride through town,'' Paul says, chuckling, ``you not only hear us, you see us.

``We basically consider ourselves the Lost Boys of Peter Pan,'' Paul says. ``We're boys who have never grown up all the way. All the Seafair Pirates could belong to no other club. We're just big hams.''

Mary Swift can be reached at 253-872-6672 or mary.swift@kingcountyjournal.com

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PHOTO by Patrick Hagerty/Journal: Ron Paul poses in the captain's quarters at his home in Renton. The room comes complete with such sound effects as a creaking mast, fog horns and bells, and a motion effect of waves outside the window.