Before the Wind: The Memoir of an American Sea Captain, 1808-1833

by Charles Tyng, Thomas Philbrick (Afterword), William La Moy (Preface)

In a fascinating look at early nineteenth-century America, this memoir by American sea captain Charles Tyng chronicles his life, from his childhood, through his love affair with the sea, to his rise through the ranks to captain and ship owner in the tea and sugar trade. 17,500 first printing.

Genres: History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Nautical, Audiobook, Travel

270 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who watches the YouTube channel, Sailing La Vagabond, this book came in handy in fathoming the seafarer world. I could picture myself owning a vessel and going on voyages across channels. Any who, Charles began his career as seaman and merchant after schooling became not his forte.

He later spread his wings to a lucrative position by owning sereval vessels and being a captain thanks to been under the Perkins wing where he did learn his nautical skills.

This memoir navigates Charles experiences and mishaps at sea. From pirates, to gales, mutiny, war, loss of his wife and cholera outbreaks; all these never stopped the man from living his maritime career. And the beauty of it all is that he documented this memoir before his death with the last chapter been what he wrote last.

It is also an eye opener to the reopening of the China trade after the War of 1812. It also provides details from Tyng's perspective about the American trade with Germany and the Low countries in the period. Through him we also see other aspects of the maritime past to life.

[Carlos Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did like the book and it made me want to buy a sailboat but my wife said no. Can you believe that? First Trump and now this.

[JwW White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. A long-lost diary of an early nineteenth century sailor and eventually ship's captain. Descendants of Tyng found his hand written diaries more than a hundred years after the author's death and had them produced as a book. The story is authentic, honest, and reflects the harsh realities of life as a sailor. This is a great book for any adventure fan and especially for the avid sailor. The only negative is that the author stopped writing long before his career as a ship's captain ended.

[Anson Cassel Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Tyng (1801-1879) was born to a prosperous upper-middle class family, but his mother died when he was seven, and Tyng thereafter seemed unable to apply himself to his studies, at least not enough to prepare himself for Harvard, as was typical for males in his family. Sent to sea at age thirteen, Tyng matured quickly and, by his early twenties, he was captaining his own ships. At the conclusion of this memoir, when Tyng was in his early 30s and had clearly joined the merchant class, he had already had experienced enough sailing adventures for several lifetimes, including encounters with sharks, pirates, typhoons, mutinies, shipwrecks, ice bergs, and cholera. Twice he effectively took charge of a ship while technically a passenger. That Tyng survived to write this incomplete memoir near the end of his life can be credited both to his pluck and (sometimes incredible) luck.

Despite limited formal education, Tyng remained curious about his surroundings, had a storyteller’s gift, and wrote with remarkable verve and sometimes even humor. For instance, after some fellow sailors told him their ship was haunted, Tyne listened carefully to noises from the hold and discovered it to be the cook, sleeping on empty molasses casks, “snoring tremendously” and “producing a most unearthly sound.”

[LizBiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for a very niche reader. Sailors or those interested in memoirs from the 1800s.
Therefore it was really hard for me to rate. The book was gifted to me during a time when I was reading a lot of piracy and sea novels and I only now just got around to reading.
What is incredible to me is the memory and the meticulous notes that must’ve been taken to mark and honor each voyage. I also enjoyed the quick summaries around what happened to some of the acquaintances later in their lives.
I was intrigued to learn about the way things worked on a ship, the way the world functioned and how each port was run during that time as well.
The book is a log of those voyages, people met along way and while it is obvious Charles Tyng was a good story teller it was still a very slow read for me.


* I write this review, more like notes to self. As a reminder to my forgetful mind, rather then for the next reader.

[Mallory Ekman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy’s life was crazy😆 and kept me page turning! His story definitely gave me a deeper understanding of shipboard life and the sailing industry in the 1800s. There were a lot of politically incorrect things mentioned that weren’t a big deal back then, but have changed today. It was interesting to compare how different our lives are today.

[Kim Zinkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+.

[Eunice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about life at sea in the 1800s. Captain Tyng was much more than a captain. He appreciated art, business, and good company. Loved this adventure!

[Andrew Otis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent memoir from the 19th century. Reading this in the time of COVID-19, the last few pages on cholera are fascinating.

[Kathleen Phelps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting memoir pulled from his journals, fascinating time.

[PeaceRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published by the author’s descendant who found it. The memoirs describe the author’s career working on merchant ships, from ship boy to captain, during which he made 18 various trips. I enjoyed this book. He took a lively interest in everything he saw and had a knack for descriptions. Needless to say, his profession also led to various adventures. He happened to be in Chile and Brazil during their wars for independence, from Spain and Portugal respectively. He learned about the battle of Waterloo, when his ship stopped at St Helena where Napoleon was then guarded. Tyng also witnessed the arrival of the fruits of the industrial revolution. When he saw a steamship for the first time, he thought that it was on fire. His ship was the first one to arrive into Amsterdam via a newly constructed canal, surprising the people who lived alongside the canal and damaging several bridges. When in England, he traveled on the first railroad in the world, from Manchester to Liverpool (the boiler blew up, killing the engineer and burning several workers). This book really allowed me to see life in the early 19th century, and the fact that the author had been everywhere was an added bonus.

[Kelley Jansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir from the early 19th century, this text offers a "wicked" view of a Boston mariner's life on the high seas. Tyng traveled between the Continents with such ease, it was hard to believe his tales were 200-years old. It seems that the world has been "flat," in terms of trade, for a long time; at least Tyng never thought otherwise.

We are all lucky that both Tyng and his text survived as he narrowly escaped death a number of times. A big thank you to the Peabody Essex Museum and Tyng family members for preserving this marvelous slice of maritime history.

[Avis Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's pretty good until about 2/3rds of the way in, where it starts to describe the author's maritime business ventures. At this point, the narrative bogs down and turns very dreary indeed. The author gets into a lot of trouble once he becomes a shipowner due to his lack of oversight. He keeps trying to buy/charter unseaworthy vessels because he doesn't check them out, and he keeps picking lousy crews/captains because he doesn't check them out either.

If the book had been edited down, it would have been better.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a vivid personal account of someone who'd been sent to sea at age 12 during the era of the China Trade ships, early 19th century. He wrote with such an objective eye about the most frightening and intriguing experiences. He was managing his own ship as a young man; many of his travels give poignant insight into the past. Every one growing up should read it instead of a traditional history course. Loved it.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My partner and I both really enjoyed this book. Charles Tyng's life had all the features of an excellent seafaring novel- villains, storms, shipwrecks, pirates, fortunes made and lost. The story begins immediately after the Revolutionary War so it is a window into a fascinating period of American history as well as a good yarn.

[Elise White · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most amazing books I have read. So thoroughly enjoyable and gripping, but yet so understated. The memoir of Charles Tyng from age 7 to 32. He lived to be almost 80. From losing his mother to becoming a sea captain and sailing all over the world many, many times. Escaping death from storms, diseases, pirates and mutiny as many times! Amazing and fascinating!

[Ken Bickley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating journal of a merchant captain during the formative years of American sea power. The writing style is remarkably readable for a book of that period. I recommend it to anyone interested in American history or in ships and the sea.

[Xdw · Rating 3 out of 5]

very good first person account

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely 100% LOVED this book. . . except for the ending. I wanted it to go on and on and on. If you like 19th century history, AND a great story, this book delivers.