Before the Wind

The Memoir of an American Sea Captain, 1808-1833

By: Charles Tyng

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

In the current wave of seafaring literature, no fictional sailor's story can match this true real-life adventure. With Charles Tyng's Before the Wind we roam the world of the early 19th century: visit Lord Byron in Italy, King Tamehameha in Hawaii, and skirt Napoleon's prison isle of St. Helena. We learn to siphon rum from the captain's cask, relive the historic battle of The Bulwark and The Chesapeake, and witness an encounter with a mermaid.

©1999 Charles Tyng (P)2009 Phoenix

Enjoyable perspective, possible only in this memoir form

The world of 19th century shipping and commerce is presented in the way that only a memoirist can achieve— a little bit random with characters appearing and disappearing as seaman Tyng’s life takes its twists and turns. He is tireless, taking on one marine adventure after another, close to danger and death because of the tough element of dockside-denizens and crewmen he confronts. One memorable incident involves superstitious sailors unwilling to leave the deck, afraid of the eerie echoing and moaning of empty wooden barrels in the hold. Description of cholera deaths makes us grateful for modern medical progress.

A caution and frustration. I like to listen while holding the text in hand. This audible recording is an abridgment, snipping many, many interesting incidents. You should read the book, too.

Perhaps Excessively Edited

This abridged version cuts out the fat of the book, but may have taken with it some of the meat. Also, without the book's Introduction or Afterward, the context may be lost on the casual listener. The last 3 minutes of this audio book are ruined by overly loud sound effects barely passing as music.