The Crew of the Water Wagtail

Set in the early sixteenth century, a rag‑tag crew of forty—half thieves, half dreamers—leaves Bristol aboard the modest brig Water Wagtail. At the heart of the expedition are Paul Burns, a towering naturalist with a heroic streak, and his devoted friend Oliver Trench, the skipper’s son whose loyalty borders on reverence. Their motives are simple yet daring: to chart unknown seas, gather fresh knowledge, and test the limits of courage.

From the moment the sails are furled, the Atlantic proves unforgiving, battering the vessel with relentless squalls that tear canvas and shatter masts. The battered ship limps toward a mysterious Norwegian destination, its compass lost and its deck strewn with the wreckage of the storm. As the crew battles the elements and their own frailties, listeners are drawn into a vivid portrait of early‑modern seafaring, where bravery and folly sail side by side.