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Outdoors & Nature |
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Black Wave: A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them
written by John Silverwood, Jean Silverwood
Studio : Random House
by Random House
Release Date : 2008-07-01
Publisher : Random House
Released : 2008-07-01
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781400066551
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 26 reviews)
List Price : $25.00
Our Price : $14.91
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Product Description |
“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.
John and Jean, whose marriage had weathered its share of storms, would wonder again if they had taken on too much as the physical, emotional, and financial strains of caring for the expensive catamaran and their children brought old resentments to the surface.
John’s dream trip that began on Long Island Sound ended almost two years later as a nightmare in treacherous waters off a remote atoll in French Polynesia, where, in an explosion of awesome violence, the terrifying brunt of the ocean’s anger fell upon the Emerald Jane.
Gradually, in the crucible of the sea, a stronger, more closely knit unit was forged. The Silverwoods became a crew. Then they became a family again. But just as it seemed to them that they had mastered every challenge, their world was shattered in a split-second of unimaginable horror. Now their real challenge began, forcing them to fight for their very lives. |
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Lessons learned at sea |
John and Jean Silverwood decide to put their busy daily lives aside and take their four children on a round the world adventure at sea. The Silverwoods feel as though the fast pace of life in San Diego has pulled the family in too many directions. They purchase the Emerald Jane and set of on an once-in-a-lifetime adventure with Ben (14), Amelia (12), Jack (7), and Camille (3). Using the sea and new ports as a school and hoping to satiate John's seemingly endless need for adrenalin, the Silverwoods also have to manage worries about pirates, unfriendly ports, balky generators and whatever the sea throws at them. The close quarters of the catamaran make clashes inevitable as Ben, missing his friends and diversions in California becomes sullen, Jean worries and John slips into old habits and the dream voyage threatens to become a battle of wills. However, the beauty of the sea, the sea life, new ports, discovering new friends and discovering new strengths within themselves, the Silverwoods keep on their journey until the unthinkable happens. The Emerald Jane hits a reef and the family`s survival depends on the lessons learned at sea.
This is an engrossing book that kept me hooked right till the end of the first portion. The portion about the Julia Ann and her crew and fate, not as interesting. I also had bit of a hard time with Jean's excusing John's behaviors (selfishness?) and putting herself down in comparison. That said, this is as much a tale of a family's growth as a tale of a journey |
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Breathless Journey with Soul |
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Even though it is apparent from the picture of the handsome, healthy Silverwoods on the back cover, that the family lives and through their harrowing shipwreak, the book is so riviting a read, that I couldn't put it down until everyone was home safe in California. Jean's interesting method of flashbacks and forwards, helped me to understand the state of mind of each of the family members which made for an uncomfortably but thrillingly close identification during the worst of the crisis. Her willingness to make her own and the family's foibles visible to the reader made it easy to know and accept them as the vulnerable people they are in spite of their decision to undertake this adventure in the first place, which for most of us, is way out of our sphere of comfort. John's impressionistic style and his research on their counterpart ship, many years earlier, punctuated their experience with a universality and timelessness that might otherwise not be noticed. It is always great to have a book that keeps you awake! |
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I couldn't put it down! |
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I have followed the adventure of the Silverwood Family through personally knowing them and reading in the San Diego Union & Readers Digest. When I heard their book had been published, I bought it immediately. Jean did a superb job in describing the details of the family and the whole voyage. I read it cover to cover without stopping. |
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An Incredible Story of Survival |
The first part of the book weaves the background of the family with the beginning of the nightmare, when the Silverwoods hit the reef off Scilly Island. Moving back between each storyline was smooth as Jean described the hours she helplessly stood by watching her husband die a slow and agonizing death, first pinned under the mast, then waiting for help, not knowing if it would ever come. I kept thinking why don't they just use their cell phone, something we all have, then remembered they were all alone in a remote part of this beautiful world we live in. It made me think how fortunate we all are for the technological advances we take for granted every day. The Silverwoods describe taking the best possible precautions, yet one tiny error ended catastrophically. It just proves that taking those precautions for something that probably won't happen can end up saving your life. Brava, Jean!
The remarkable way Ben stepped quickly into his father's shoes as family caretaker is a trait I can only hope my own children would exhibit if needed.
The Silverwood's story has the makings of a great movie - from the family drama to being chased by pirates in the Carribbean. John's near death and survival is just the happy ending movie-goers hope for in an adventure like this.
John's story seemed a bit strange at first, since he talked mostly about the Julia Ann, a vessal that hit the reef around 1855. While I felt he bared his heart and his love for Jean, he quickly covered it up by talking about the Julia Ann. I did get it, though. His love for his wife and family kept him alive against all odds. |
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What an adventure! |
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I loved this book...read it in 2 days! I loved Jean's descriptions, they were so real that I felt I was there on the boat with them, exploring the islands as well as sharing their seasickness! What a great adventure and learning experience for their children. Yes, they got in trouble towards the end of their journey, but as John says in the book, you don't live until you really LIVE! This is a book not to miss! |
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