With romantic notions of exploring the open seas in an old-fashioned vessel ("the kind of wooden boat that once was sailed by iron men"), beloved Canadian author Farley Mowat acquired an old rickety ship and set sail along the Newfoundland coast. This uproarious true tale recounts Mowat's madcap misadventures with a rotating cast of crew members—including one who would become his wife!—aboard a ship that took in water with the frequency her crew took in rum. With trademark charm, humor, and self-deprecating wit, Mowat's highly entertaining seafaring memoir from the 1960s is, of course, hilarious, but it's also surprisingly tender and poignant.