John silverwood biography

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Black Wave details John and Jean Silverwood's tumultuous, yet ultimately rewarding, experience on the Emerald Jane, their 55-foot catamaran.
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.

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A family’s troubled waters

Life on a boat sounds like a dream: sailing in and out of tropical locales, embracing the staggering vastness of the sea, seeing the world up-close and in living color. Then there's the reality: homesick kids, pirates, costly and time-consuming repairs, squabbling. Black Wave details John and Jean Silverwood's tumultuous, yet ultimately rewarding, experience on the Emerald Jane, their 55-foot catamaran. In a span of two years, the California couple and their four kids (ages three to 14 at the start), traveled from the Atlantic coast, into the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean.

Then, near the end of the adventure, the boat hit a reef in French Polynesia, and was ravaged, pinning John under its mast in the process. With help hours away and John slipping toward death, the family sprung into action, pulling him from the wreckage and keeping him alive. "There is no time to rehearse; whoever you are in those moments is exactly who you are," John writes. "It is who your family is, too." Jean Si

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Black Wave

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 floa

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Life on the Emerald Jane was a unique blend of excitement, routine, and unpredictability for the Silverwood family. From dawn to dusk, each day presented its own set of challenges and rewards, painting a vivid picture of what it means to live at sea. The family quickly learned that the ocean is both a wonderful and demanding companion, capable of shifting moods in an instant. Daily life aboard the Emerald Jane began with early wake-up calls brought on by the gentle rocking of the boat and the distant cries of seabirds. Each family member had specific roles and tasks to ensure the smooth operation of their floating home. John Silverwood, the patriarch and experienced sailor, often took the helm, making crucial navigational decisions and ensuring the family's safety. His wife, Jean, managed the day-to-day logistics, from food preparation to homeschooling their children, Ben and Amelia. This self-sufficient life required a steep learning curve but fostered a strong sense of teamwork and shared responsibility. One of the first major challenges the family faced was coping with the erra