Alan D. Hyde
08-20-2002, 05:32 PM
Here's an excellent book. Most Forumites would likely enjoy it. I have a dim recollection that someone may have recommended it in a post a while back...
http://searider.net/images/tyngClipper.jpg
Before the wind
( The memoirs of an American sea captain 1808 - 1833. Written by Charles Tyng )
This is a remarkable book in many ways. It was unpublished in its day, and survived for more than a hundred years as a family heirloom - before finally getting published in 1999. It's a biography that has more adventure in it than any novel I know of. (In fact a series of novels could be written using this book as background material.)
Tyng was born in 1801 and died in 1879. He went to sea when he was only thirteen. His very first voyage took him not only to China but completely around the world. It lasted 18 months. Young Charles had such a miserable time on the ship that he vowed never to go to sea again. He was regularly harassed and beaten by the first mate. Thrown in among a group of largely unfriendly adults, he must have known a great deal of loneliness.
At the insistence of his father he ended up going back to sea, and eventually becoming a captain and owner. When not at sea he studied navigation and other subjects befitting an aspiring mariner. (He briefly attended the same school as Emerson.) He proved to be a bright student of sailing, and a hard and able worker. He quickly rose through the ranks to become second mate and then first mate; all before he was twenty. (Although if the book is accurate, the competition may have been fairly anemic.)
Much of the interest in the book for me came from his accounts of the cargo trade. Tyng himself displayed an acute ability to trade profitably, on even his first voyage. He made 1000% on his money trading some monkeys and parrots he bought in Brazil, and then sold in Italy. (Where the poet Byron, came onboard the ship for a visit.) I was amazed at the amount of money a ship could make on even a single trip.
He quickly became a part owner in a ship, and then (before he was thirty) a full owner. In 1831 he bought the Bashaw (376 tons) for $25,000.00 On his first trip (from Boston to England) he made almost half that amount. This amount of money was a surprise to me. As this was before the advent of railways, it was definitely a profitable business to be in.
Tyng wrote the memoir late in life; a year before he died. He ends the account when he was only 32. This was about the time he contracted cholera, and nearly died. He subsequently recovered, married for a second time, and moved to Cuba. As I understand it, he retired from being an active captain at that time, and spent the next 30 years running his ships from land.
It is an amazing story; full of adventure, shipwrecks, pirates, mutinies and much more.
Note: I listened to an abridged version of the book on tape before I got the book. The narrator (Recorded Books) was Stefan Rudnicki, and he did a great job. He has a deep, gruff voice that is well suited to the material. This is the kind of book that is even more enjoyable to listen to than read. (It seems to me that a biography is especially suited to the audio format.) It was almost like sitting around a fire, a glass in hand, listening to the old captain himself.
Reviewed by M.D. Johnson Aug/03/01
Searider.net
***
Well worth the time to read it, in my opinion.
Alan
[ 08-20-2002, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Alan D. Hyde ]
http://searider.net/images/tyngClipper.jpg
Before the wind
( The memoirs of an American sea captain 1808 - 1833. Written by Charles Tyng )
This is a remarkable book in many ways. It was unpublished in its day, and survived for more than a hundred years as a family heirloom - before finally getting published in 1999. It's a biography that has more adventure in it than any novel I know of. (In fact a series of novels could be written using this book as background material.)
Tyng was born in 1801 and died in 1879. He went to sea when he was only thirteen. His very first voyage took him not only to China but completely around the world. It lasted 18 months. Young Charles had such a miserable time on the ship that he vowed never to go to sea again. He was regularly harassed and beaten by the first mate. Thrown in among a group of largely unfriendly adults, he must have known a great deal of loneliness.
At the insistence of his father he ended up going back to sea, and eventually becoming a captain and owner. When not at sea he studied navigation and other subjects befitting an aspiring mariner. (He briefly attended the same school as Emerson.) He proved to be a bright student of sailing, and a hard and able worker. He quickly rose through the ranks to become second mate and then first mate; all before he was twenty. (Although if the book is accurate, the competition may have been fairly anemic.)
Much of the interest in the book for me came from his accounts of the cargo trade. Tyng himself displayed an acute ability to trade profitably, on even his first voyage. He made 1000% on his money trading some monkeys and parrots he bought in Brazil, and then sold in Italy. (Where the poet Byron, came onboard the ship for a visit.) I was amazed at the amount of money a ship could make on even a single trip.
He quickly became a part owner in a ship, and then (before he was thirty) a full owner. In 1831 he bought the Bashaw (376 tons) for $25,000.00 On his first trip (from Boston to England) he made almost half that amount. This amount of money was a surprise to me. As this was before the advent of railways, it was definitely a profitable business to be in.
Tyng wrote the memoir late in life; a year before he died. He ends the account when he was only 32. This was about the time he contracted cholera, and nearly died. He subsequently recovered, married for a second time, and moved to Cuba. As I understand it, he retired from being an active captain at that time, and spent the next 30 years running his ships from land.
It is an amazing story; full of adventure, shipwrecks, pirates, mutinies and much more.
Note: I listened to an abridged version of the book on tape before I got the book. The narrator (Recorded Books) was Stefan Rudnicki, and he did a great job. He has a deep, gruff voice that is well suited to the material. This is the kind of book that is even more enjoyable to listen to than read. (It seems to me that a biography is especially suited to the audio format.) It was almost like sitting around a fire, a glass in hand, listening to the old captain himself.
Reviewed by M.D. Johnson Aug/03/01
Searider.net
***
Well worth the time to read it, in my opinion.
Alan
[ 08-20-2002, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Alan D. Hyde ]