A sea captain with a vessel not deemed sea worthy by the ship inspectors assembles a motley crew to sail along the path of Captain Scoresby, a sea captain who sailed from Whitby in northern England to the Arctic in 1791. His crew includes bickering sisters, an Australian hitchhiker who is hiding from his girl friends, and the seaman's confidante who runs a local trailer park. Putting the ship to sea, the group is pursued by the authorities.