Four Guys in a Boat

This breezy escapist tale chronicles the misadventures of a motley crew of college professors who abandon their landlocked lives (and wives) for one week every year and go sailing. Author Tom Watkins vividly recounts a decade's worth of these annual escapes, as the adventurous academics fish, dive, drink, and dream together, all the while coming to a better understanding of themselves and each other. Their travels take them to such exotic locales as the Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, and the Grenadines, and along the way they encounter a colorful array of salty characters, including famed sailor and author John Caldwell and Undine, the jolly German manager of a tropical restaurant hidden by lush vegetation. Overflowing with rum, cigars, and poker chips, this is a hilarious and insightful glimpse into the secret lives of men.