Before the Wind

From mermaids to mutinies, shipwrecks to cholera, the life of Charles Tyng was a nonstop voyage of adventure. His quarter century under sail took him around the world half a dozen times. Fortunately, he proved to be as natural a storyteller as he was a sailor. He battles the forces of nature (and other men), surviving shipwrecks, squalls, and pirates. He makes and loses fortunes in tea, sugar, and cotton. He meets Lord Byron as well as King Kamehameha of Hawaii and the British princess (later queen) Victoria.