Customer Reviews

Black Wave: A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you've ever extended yourself, spent time outdoors or been exposed to the many elements of nature, you know this story could easily be about you. It grips you right at the start as you sense the tearing of the hulls and rushing and pounding of the ocean destroying everything and probably everyone they care about in a matter of minutes. The interweaving of the travels and exploration with the horror of the destruction of boat and flesh keeps you hanging on and waiting for the next piece of news. This is a great story of human bonds, nature and endurance.

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

If you're looking for the perfect summer read, you won't do much better than this tale of a successful San Diego real estate developer who lives out a lifelong dream by taking his perfect SoCal family of six on a sailing trip around the world, which turns into a nightmare when they run aground on a Pacific reef 350 miles due west of Tahiti, costing him his leg in the process. This first-person diary account reveals the Silverwood family dynamic on board their beloved Emerald Jane, warts and all, from John's own battles with alcoholism to Jean's control issues to the various adjustments of the kids--16-year-old Ben's longing for his friends back home and eventual emergence as a hero, 13-year-old Amelia's blossoming into a self-confident artist, 9-year-old Jack's fascination with ocean life and 5-year-old Camille's angelic innocence. There is something here that anyone with a family can relate to about escaping the rat race of modern life and taking to the high seas, anchoring in exotic ports from Bora Bora and Raiatea to Grenada and the Galapagos, crossing the Equator, sailing through the Panama Canal, being chased by pirates and surviving hurricanes with waves several stories high. The first 150 pages, narrated by Jean, describe the family's day-to-day duties, home-schooling the kids and how each one adapted to the journey, as she keeps coming back to the narrative's singular event--the wreck of the Emerald Jane on a reef in the middle of the night and the boat's giant mast pinning John's leg underneath. It's an amazing tale, with the last quarter including John's ruminations, which have him questioning his judgment and dealing with his own guilt by channeling an accident that took place 150 years ago on the very same reef that ripped apart his own sailboat. The Julia Ann, a vessel on its way from Australia to San Francisco in 1855, carrying coals from Newcastle in New South Wales, along with a group of Mormon missionaries bound for Utah, suffered a similar fate as the Emerald Jane. The story is a tribute to the family's gung-ho spirit of living to the fullest, and dealing with the consequences...as a family. "If real life catches you by the heel sometimes, it is worth it," John concludes. "Life is short anyway, so it may as well be beautiful." Not just a travelogue or a primer on sailing around the world, Black Wave is the story of a family that circled the ocean, only to find what they were looking for was right in front of them all along.

I see John Silverwood, forever rooted to a magical moment in time; forever sailing beneath the canopy of a billion stars, forever the ancient mariner under the glorious banner of Heaven. This story takes the reader on a thrilling trip away from the 21st century, and eventually to the very outer limits of courage and nerve. The Silverwoods craft an emotional tale of real life adventure and transformation, almost beyond the limit of physical endurance. At once, equal parts historical drama, a real world study of the modern American family, and breath-taking, high seas adventure. This seemless narrative, easily transports the reader out into a warm Polynesian wind under the endless blanket of the Milky Way; a classic story alternating between the peaceful tranquility of island life, and heart-in-the-throat suspense.

This book was great from page one to the last final word.

I read it all in less than two days because I could not put it down. The perspective from the wife was absolutely a must read for any woman that is considering living on a boat or cruising the world with their mate and children. Hard to believe she is not an accomplished author of many books. The way she weaved the tragic end of the voyage in clear detail with the total two year journey throughout her part of the book was masterful. She was open and genuine in sharing her most personal thoughts.

As for the husband's part, I really enjoyed the history of a previous wreck that parralleled their's on the same reef 150 years ago. It gives the historical context that transfers a feeling of timelessness to the sea and sailing. The man has a heart as big as the Pacific. These six people are everyday heros to all who dream of adventure and being brave enough to save those they truly love.

In the end, the experience for them as a family was something that cannot be duplicated or would anyone want to go through that ordeal. Still, the joy of seeing the kids both live real life outside of our comfortble California life style and then raise to the occation when called upon was very inspiring. My two sons have it on their summer reading list next. Definitly 5 STARS!!!!!

As a San Diego native I knew the story and the fantastic ending and still could not stop reading. I too am the mother of four children and cannot imagine attempting such a trip. Jean's account of their extraordinary family and adventure was perfect. Not only do you become part of the Emerald Jean family through her great writing but you relate to their strengths, emotions and troubles as a family to your own life. I found myself living the story with my husband and children and wondering if we all could have been so strong and loving. John's storytelling is not only educational it's laced with some fun humor and emotion. Truly a must read not only for adults but for young adults who could learn a lot from these amazing children. Would love to hug Camille and have cookies and milk with her! The movie will be great!!!!!

Jean Silverwood narrates a heartbreaking account of the family catamaran
running aground and being torn to pieces on an invisible coral reef in the South Pacific, shattering not only their beloved boat, but many of the dreams that went with it.

She also details the battles her husband had with alcohol and her own doubts about the trip itself.

But, in the end, their courage and humanity shine through: they survive to return home, her husband undergoes more surgery on his leg and they survive the Great Firestorm of 2007 in San Diego.

I can't think of a more moving account of how an average American family coped with catastrophe and disaster at sea.

The ocean can be harsh and unforgiving of mistakes, but she also helps you find yourself and reservoirs of courage you never knew you had, in moments of peril.

I would not take four children to sea in a catamaran. I would not climb Mt. Everest or marry a man with 17 wives. That's why I read adventure stories. I liked this book for the extreme drama of a wreck at sea, the gut-wrenching spectacle of a mother coming to terms with the fact that she has jeopardized her children, and because it is an examination of a marriage and family bonds within a highly compressed arena. As we know from Tolkien, the group must leave home on a quest, be exposed to danger, and come out the other side all grown up. This book satisfies those requirements with beautiful descriptions of ocean nights and exotic ports to boot.

What an experience! I felt like I was the 7th passenger on board! Its in 2 parts..first part written by the mom describing the tragic shipwreck in graphic detail to the adventures they went through as a family on their fascinating travels from port to port, beach to beach and out at sea. It goes back and forth with you on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what comes next. The descriptive and wonderful adventures of all of the kids and how they lived onboard. The second part written by the dad compares their ordeal with an ancient shipwreck in the same place with similar experiences....eerie at times.

Overall a great read and I could not put it down! KR from San Diego, CA

Overall Black Wave is a quick, good read. I love all things ocean and enjoyed reading this book. For those who aren't in love with the sea itself, the story of the Silverwood family is even more fascinating than the deep and will hold your attention, keeping you reading, to the last page.

Jean begins the narrative by sharing some simple details of what was happening aboard the Emerald Jane the night of their shipwreck but before the wreck had occurred. I expected the story to continue on this vein while getting to know the Silverwoods, but instead the coral reef interrupted the introductions as thoroughly as it had the Silverwoods' voyage. I liked the way Jean jumped right into the telling of the wreck, switched back to the story that brought them to that point, but would soon to return to the reef. The two stories are seamlessly joined through Jean's storytelling.

I was surprised by John's input in part II of the book, though I was pleased to hear from him. He added the history of the coral reef they had hit and explained some of the finer details of sailing that had brought the Emerald Jane to be on the reef instead of in deeper water. Part II sometimes had the feeling of having been added as an afterthought, but John's perspective on the trip was important to a more thorough understanding of the family's journey at sea as well as their personal one.