But fear not me hearties, Jacques Cowsteau will ensure she plunders the high seas in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Geographe Marine’s life-sized fibreglass cows were wheeled out of the workshop on Friday, signaling the shape of things to come with the launch of CowParade Margaret River at the end of the month.

When CowParade organisers contacted the Geographe Marine team and asked them to turn their engineering talents to creating bovine masterpieces, they jumped at the chance.

The ‘blank’ cows attracted more than a few strange looks on the journey from Cowaramup to the Geographe Bay workshop, strapped to the roof of the company’s 4WD.

Mooreen the Marauder and Jacques Cowsteau are the result of countless hours of work carried out over the past two months, involving the Georgraphe Marine team and MacDonald family from the nearby dive shop.

While everyone took part, company directors Aaron Martin and Luke Purdy each took charge of a cow to oversee the project.

Under Aaron’s brief Mooreen has undergone a complete body makeover, to transform her from the off-the-shelf standing pose she arrived in, into a swashbuckling pirate of a cow.

A stainless-steel parrot perches on Mooreen’s shoulder, as she smokes her pipe and uses a telescope to search for hapless victims. No self-respecting pirate-cow would be seen without a cutlass, or a barrel of rum, and Mooreen is no exception.

“When we drew it up it seemed such a good idea, but when we realised we had to cut the head and legs off and shorten the neck, then put it all back together again we weren’t so sure,” Aaron said.

However the effort has been worth it.

“Once we started it was hard to know when to stop, its been a lot of fun,” Aaron said.

In keeping with the marine theme, Jacques has been reborn as a scuba diver, complete with a customised wetsuit, mask, tanks, flippers and spear gun.

For the next six months Mooreen the Marauder will be at the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, while Jacques Cowsteau will remain closer to home, overseeing the Geographe marina.

CowParade Margaret River is part of an international art exhibition to be launched on February 25. The works of 77 artists will be on show at various locations around the Busselton and Augusta Margaret River shires for six months and each will eventually be auctioned, with proceeds going to charity. CowParade has been held in over 50 cities around the world.