Shipwreck and salvage were part of life along the South Wales coast, and in this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, we meet a wrecker who finds the tables suddenly turned. The dangers of the sea — and the greed it could inspire — come sharply into focus as fate delivers an unexpected reckoning.

Blackmore blends drama, morality, and the ever-present power of the ocean, reminding readers that the sea gives, but it also takes away.

For listeners in Porthcawl, Kenfig, and the surrounding area, this episode offers another glimpse of the harsh but compelling world that shaped both local history and the pages of this long out-of-print novel.