Joshua Godfredson saunters — not in a straight line — toward the pirate ship, pausing briefly to stick a finger into the running water of a Leaf Guard roofing display and lick it.

“It’s very hard to drop the character,” says Godfredson, better-known as “Minnesota’s Captain Jack Sparrow” to children, Johnny Depp aficionados and tipsy women in Northfield, Minn. bars.

From the Austin Home & Vacation Show at Riverside Arena Friday afternoon, he described his ability to control the rocking motion of his “ship” with a windshield wiper motor and how a last-minute Halloween costume evolved into a second career.

The pirate act started 4 1/2 years ago for Godfredson, 32, an Austin High School graduate and son of the Hardy Geranium’s Vicki Trimble.

“Halloween comes, and I need a costume,” said the Northfield resident. Godfredson is a big fan of the late Hunter S. Thompson, a Colorado author and journalist most famous for his novel “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and the creation of “Gonzo journalism,” a style of reporting in which the author becomes the central figure of stories.

Initially planning to don a Thompson costume that year, he instead opted to go as quirky pirate “Jack Sparrow” from the then-recent blockbuster hit “Pirates of the Caribbean” when noting the similarities in both characters Depp played.

Godfredson’s fork lift at his warehouse job became a pirate ship as he immersed himself in the Jack Sparrow character.

“By the end of the day, I had people coming up for pictures,” he said. After winning his first-ever costume contest that night at a bar, the pirate routine became a gig as an impersonator.

Godfredson’s Jack Sparrow character has appeared on Albert Lea’s Pelican Breeze tour boat and Big Island Rendezvous and at numerous birthday and Halloween parties.

But this pirate was without a mode of transportation; thus, the pirate ship concept was born.

“I love special effects,” said Godfredson, who enjoys car audio and custom car fabrication. He gradually assembled his mobile set using rope, logs and fabric as the “sails.” A windshield wiper motor powers the rocking motion of the ship.

“I would have killed to have this at their age,” he said as children and parents entered the ship Friday for photos and a visit with a “real-life” pirate.

Godfredson’s girlfriend and “pirate wench,” Nicky Weitzel, assists him with moving the ship from event to event and taking pictures.

“Depending on the time of year, it can end up being every other weekend,” she said. “October is crazy.”

“I’m not an actress by any means,” she added. “I’m more of a manager. I’ve tried doing the pirate-talking, but I end up sounding Irish or something.”

Weitzel, who wears a corset and long skirt, said the impersonation job is a lot of work, but it’s worth it when they hear, “My son or daughter slept with the coin Jack Sparrow gave them.”

For more information about Minnesota’s Captain Jack Sparrow, visit www.mnjacksparrow.com or e-mail mnjacksparrow@hotmail.com. Godfredson is also on Facebook and MySpace as “Minnesota’s Captain Jack Sparrow.”