Black Wave

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

By: John Silverwood, Jean Silverwood

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie, Joe Barrett

Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

When John and Jean Silverwood, both experienced sailors, decided to give their four children a taste of life on the high seas, they hoped the trip would offer important learning experiences - not only about the natural world but about the beauty of human life stripped down to its essence, far from civilization. But the adventure that awaited them would surpass anything they could have imagined.

Aboard their 55-foot catamaran, the Silverwood family found its bonds tested as never before as they struggled with family and marriage dynamics in compressed quarters alongside the terrifying forces of nature. In the crucible of the sea, a stronger, tighter unit was forged.

Then, just when it seemed that they had mastered every challenge, their world was shattered in a split second of sheer horror. Now the real test began, forcing them to fight for their very lives.

©2008 Manihi, Inc. (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Fantastic story

As a father I really enjoyed this family story and as someone who grew up on the beach and now live in the mountains it stirred my sea fever.

A Beautiful Story, Beautifully Written.

This book has no down side. It was perfect in every way and gave you a real sense of what it must feel like to be a family sailing the ocean. It also gave you a real feeling of the love of family. I liked these people a lot and you will too.

Stop after part 1

In over 30 years I've put a book down, literally or voice-wise, only a handful of times, but this turned out to be one of those times. The first part, Jean's narrative, is interesting, riveting, captivating. Their experience is amazing and scary. But the second part... boring, detail-oriented, unrelevant. I would have appreciated the historical accident reference for a bit, but it seemed to go on and on and on... I just could not listen to anymore, I'm sorry.

Black Wave (Unabridged)

Compelling and well told. I enjoyed this listen immensely.

Enjoyed listening....

Interesting and honest story of a family's journey and their challenges along the way. The narration was well done, easy to listen to.

best reading,

a great sailing story' loved all of it. all nautical terminology correct except forecastle, pronounced" folkcastle."

Sail the World or Stay Home? Stay Home

This book has cemented in my mind that sailing is for crazy people. The story was interesting and entertaining, but I found them to be a bit preachy when it came to explaining the whole "the world is a schoolroom". They tried to sound noble saying the trip was for their kids education, but this was totally about them, not the family.

I love the ending when John explains how he watched a young family at the zoo enjoying the "extraordinary beauty of the planet" then mentions how lucky his family was to have the resources to make the trip they did. He finishes with the thought that that beauty of the planet is all around and we can find it anywhere. It sounded to me like he was wishing they had just gone to the zoo!

What Wave

A drunk and his overbearing wife drag 4 unwilling children across the ocean to the obvious disaster. If you like sea stories, check out the boating magazines.

irritating

I struggled with this one. Probably a good book to read to learn how not to have a cruising trip go badly. I didn't particularly gel with the authors so that made it hard to really feel any empathy.