Every so often, Mark Jensen and other Seattle Seafair Pirates show up to an event incognito.

"When we appear at a business meeting in nice black suits and ties, people can't figure out who we are until they see our patch with the skull and crossbones," said Jensen.

That's a dead giveaway. Usually, the Seafair Pirates are more obvious-in full regalia, yelling "Arrgh!" loudly or swinging their swords while generally swashbuckling their way into peoples' hearts.

The Seafair Pirates, according to the pirates themselves, have a unique charm. And every year, when Seafair rolls around they spread that charm across the Puget Sound area.

Under the slogan, "Bad Boys with Hearts of Gold," the pirates have become popular at a wide range of venues-including many that people might not expect, such as fundraisers for abused and battered women and various events at local schools.

The pirates recently made an appearance at The Claim Jumper restaurant in Lynnwood. The restaurant hosted a night of giving called "Tip a Pirate," during which the pirates helped generate greater tips by making the rounds with food servers. The restaurant donated the tips plus 10 percent of the dinner sales to Children's Hospital.

The event is just one of many that the pirates partake in each year. "We made 240 scheduled appearances in four countries last year," said Jensen. "There's not a time when we're not active anymore."

"The more different things we do, the more people see us at different events and see that we're applicable to their event," he said.

After each event, Jensen said he solicits e-mails with critiques of their performances and he said he has yet to see a negative response.

The public's fascination with pirates is longstanding. But there's no denying the profound effect that the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series has had on their popularity. Jensen likes to point out that the Seafair pirates have been in existence since 1949.

"The Seafair Pirates have been doing what they're doing for many years-they're just more visible now," he said. Instantly recognizable, the Seafair pirates can capture audiences wherever they go.

"In the case of the Seafair Pirates, what's in our treasure chest is not gold and jewels, but smiles," he said. "If you can put a smile on someone's face, you can affect a change."

Before they can change lives, Seafair Pirates go through a fairly rigorous candidacy program. "Our first job is to try to talk them out of becoming a Seafair Pirate," Jensen joked. "It's a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. I like to say it's the world's ultimate hazing."

The Seafair Pirates must be able perform before crowds of 300 or 300,000 (parade-goers), he said, including the annual Seafair Torchlight Parade, this year at 7:30 p.m. on July 28.

Before pirates can swing a sword or fire a cannon on their ship "Moby Duck," they're tested for their ability to speak (or shout) pirate lingo and be as sweetly menacing as possible.

During the candidacy program, any candidate can be called up for a vote and they are expected to put time in every Wednesday and every weekend for a year.

"It's not that we're cold-hearted," Jensen said. "I like to say it's the hardest club to get into and the easiest to get thrown out of."

The Pirates' giving ways are spread year-round. In 2006, they fed 340 families, giving away 8,000 pounds of food and 12 tons of toys.

"Pirates have to be kids themselves, at heart," he said.

Don't miss the Seafair Pirates annual landing at Alki Beach on July 7. For details, visit http://www.seafairpirates.com/.