Bob Hoskins plays cantankerous Captain Jack in this British family comedy. The salty old seadog is determined to educate the people of Whitby about Captain Scoresby, an unsung hero robbed of his rightful acclaim by Captain Cook. So he sets sail, in an unseaworthy boat, with an Aussie backpacker, a couple of old dears and Sadie Frost, on a voyage into the unknown, pursued by a posse of news-hungry hacks, the Royal Navy, and NATO!