The ship-shaped playground of Swifts Beach inspires the seafaring spirit in children of all ages — and on Sunday, July 21, that spirit was led by the visiting Captain Jack Sparrow. 

The good captain posed for pictures, led children around on a hunt for bounty and defended the ship against their assault, blade against blade. 

Makayla Patalano, 5, said the pirate’s visit was “Good,” though she hasn’t watched any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies from which the character of Jack Sparrow hails. 

“I like when he gave me an entire bag” of treasure, she said. 

The Captain himself said the character of the pirate was “Born on a pirate ship.” When you don’t shower or bathe, your career options are limited, he added. 

As for the man behind the mask?

The actor portraying Jack Sparrow said he and his wife hail from Salem, and do gigs throughout the state. His pirate crew six years ago inaugurated August as an official pirate month, and throughout that month they donate part of their earnings to charity. 

For Claire Smith, a member of the Wareham Minutemen and Militia, this wasn’t her first encounter with Captain Jack’s crew: She said the Minutemen participated in a staged battle against them in New Bedford, around a decade back. 

This year, he was visiting Swifts Beach as part of a fundraiser event for Phase II of the Swifts Beach playground construction. 

Kathleen Norris, president of the Swifts Beach Improvement Association, said the group is working on refurbishing the basketball court and building a pickleball court at the playground. 

The plan was to have the construction finished for the event, but “it’s not quite ready,” so it became a fundraiser instead, with the money to help with any of the playground’s needs.