Black Wave: A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them
Jean and John Silverwood, 2008
Random House
224 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781588367341 (Kindle ed.)
Summary
I told God that if he would let us survive this night, I would make it mean something worthwhile. And then, somehow, I felt calmer than I have ever felt. Unreasonably so. Irrationally so. I looked over the scene of our wrecked life and I smiled—a crazy smile for sure—and I looked through the dark at the mad beauty of it. —Jean Silverwood
An exhilarating true-life adventure of one family’s extraordinary sea voyage of self-discovery and survival, tragedy and triumph
Successful businessman John Silverwood and his wife, Jean, both experienced sailors, decided the time was right to give their four children a taste of thrilling life on the high seas. And indeed their journey aboard the fifty-five-foot catamaran Emerald Jane would have many extraordinary and profound moments, whether it was the peaceful late-night watches John enjoyed under the stunning celestial sky or the elation shared by the whole family at the sight of blissful pods of dolphin and migrating tortoises.
John and Jean had hoped to use the trip as a teaching opportunity, with the Emerald Jane as a floating classroom in which to instruct their children in important lessons–not only about the natural world but about the beauty of human life when stripped down to its essence, far from the trappings of civilization.
Yet rather than flourishing amid the new freedoms and responsibilities thrust upon them, the children were sometimes confused, frightened, resentful. The two oldest, fourteen-year-old Ben and twelve-year-old Amelia, missed their friends and the comfortable life left behind in San Diego, while the two youngest, Jack, seven, and Camille, three, picked up on the stressful currents running above and below the surface—for throughout the journey, the Silverwood family found its bonds tested as never before (From the publisher.)
Author Bios
John Silverwood
• Birth—1952
• Where—Detroit, Michigan, USA
• Education—B.A., Colgate University
• Currently—San Diego, California
Jean Silverwood
• Rasied—New York City, New York, USA
• Rasied—Pleasantville, New York
• Education—
• Currently—San Diego, California
was born in New York City, the oldest of six children and grew up in Pleasantville, NY. I commuted by train into Manhattan for college and subsequently worked in Advertising sales for a magazine there. Standing on the frigid train platform in the middle of February inspired me to move to warmer weather and I was offered a chance to move to St. Croix in the USVI where sailing became a part of my life. After two years in the Virgin Islands, paradise became too much to handle and I moved back to New York, met John, got married and settled in San Diego. I became an account executive in commercial insurance and later joined forces with John to open a real estate development firm. During this time, we had three beautiful children, Ben, Amelia and Jack. When our fourth child Camille came along it was time to retire from the office. This was the time I started planning our getaway on a sailboat.
Book Reviews
The jaw-dropping true tale of the Silverwood family and their awe-inspiring survival when faced with the most harrowing of events on the high seas is a truly remarkable account. Carrington Macduffie and Joe Barrett bring this story to life, capturing the tense journey down to the slightest detail in these realistic readings. While Macduffie certainly offers more in the line of theatrics, both performances are earnest and raw, allowing the listeners to ebb and flow with the story as if they were tucked away on the Silverwood's 50-foot catamaran. The journey is the destination in this tersely written tale, and with skilled, experienced narrators guiding the way, this trip proves seaworthy.
Publishers Weekly
It could be said that the Silverwoods' account of hitting a coral reef off the Scilly Islands is a repeat of history, because their 50-foot catamaran, the Emerald Jane, did exactly what the tall sailing ship Julia Ann had done in 1855. Luckily for John, Jean, and their four children, they had the benefit of 21st-century survival gear, particularly the GPS survival beacon that provided the crucial link to the French emergency crews who saved them. Black Wave is an exciting tale; readers know from the start that the family survives, but what makes for deep engagement is learning the parallel story of Captain Pond and his crew and passengers. It is during John Silverwood's recovery and rehabilitation-his leg is crushed during the wreck and later amputated-that he learns about the Julia Ann. As he delves into its history and learns how the 19th-century crew dealt with their devastating misadventure, it helps him put his family's experience into perspective. This book shows that we all deal with catastrophic events differently, but if our actions are explored and investigated, we learn that human beings, no matter the era, have the same basic instincts and needs to make sense of their experiences (Adult/High School). —Joanne Ligamari, Twin Rivers United School District, Sacramento, CA
School Library Journal
A San Diego family's adventure-filled, two-year journey from New York to the South Pacific in a 55-foot catamaran sailboat. Along the way, the Silverwoods endured close encounters with modern-day pirates of the Caribbean, a Force-10 gale off Colombia, a broken generator in Tahiti and every kind of sea creature imaginable. In many ways, the children-Ben, 16, Amelia, 14, Jack, nine, and Camille, five-proved more resilient than their parents. John, an alcoholic, suffered several tumbles from the wagon early on, causing his admittedly high-strung wife Jean to nearly pack up the kids and leave. He soon righted himself, aided by some hastily arranged tropical AA meetings, and Jean was eventually calmed by daily runs on the beach and the companionship of a chance-met South African family making a similar round-the-world voyage. The Silverwoods' courage and survival skills got their ultimate test when the Emerald Jane crashed into a hidden reef in the remote South Pacific, destroying the boat and severely damaging John's leg. In this life-and-death trial, all of them were changed, brought together as few families ever are. The first-time authors prove able narrators and engaging hosts throughout this well-crafted memoir. Wisely, they focus not only on the natural wonders experienced on their marathon journey, but on the small everyday matters: meal preparations, the kids' home schooling at sea, mechanical problems with the boat. These up-close, authentic details enrich a story that works on many levels-as intimate family portrait, colorful travelogue and high-seas drama. Moreover, the Silverwoods wrecked on the same reef where a three-masted sailing ship, the Julia Ann, was struck back in1855,thus providing them with a riveting historical coda to their own adventure. Highly readable, educational and entertaining. Agent: Mel Berger/William Morris Agency
Kirkus Reviews
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