Live To Tell: Black Wave

(CBS)  When John and Jean Silverwood set out to sail the world with their four beautiful children, they had no idea that the emotional baggage they brought on board would nearly sink them. Anger, tension and family secrets pulled them apart.

But when they suddenly strike a reef, John is pinned under a fallen mast and his wife must choose between saving him and saving their children. This is an unbelievable, but true tale of physical and emotional rescue told from the inside out.

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Jean Silverwood: I just kinda stared at the ocean and I stood there and I talked to God because I didn't know what to do. We were about a day and a half out of French Polynesia. We had just left an island called Raiatea, which was about 300 miles west of Tahiti.

Amelia Silverwood: This trip was all my dad - all his dream. Ever since I could remember, my dad would talk about taking us out on the boat and taking us sailing around the world.

Jean: It was a very, very dark night and the moon hadn't come up. And I went down to my stateroom to relax, because it was the end of the evening and all of a sudden, we looked at my son, Ben, who just screamed "Reef."

Ben Silverwood: Just like a grinding noise. I couldn't see any land. We could sink at any moment.

Jean: The sounds were like microphone feedback in an auditorium where you have to cover your ears.

Amelia: That was when the whole boat started shaking.

Jean: We looked at each other with surprise and then we hit even harder. We're out in the middle of the Pacific [Ocean] and you just can't hit a reef.

Amelia: And then I hear stuff breaking and alarms start going off.

Jean: We came running up on deck - it was like mass hysteria. John and Ben ran up to cut the sails and put the engines into reverse. I instinctively ran down below to see how the kids were doing.

At that point in time, I turned to the sofa to see my two little kids hugging each other... Jack and Camille, screaming, "I don't want to die. I don't want to die!"

Camille Silverwood We just held each other. I was scared and sad.

Jean:: I turned to look to my right and I saw this massive, huge wave come gushing through the right side of the boat through Amelia's room.
Plates and sneakers and toys are floating around in the galley. And I stood there and I just felt I was in a scene from the "Titanic." It was surreal.

I had no clue what to do. And that's where it really hit me; that we were in a situation where we were all gonna possibly die.

I just looked and I started thinking about drowning. And that's always been my worst fear, drowning. I used to have dreams when the kids were little about them drowning in a bathtub or even in a pool.

Amelia Silverwood: My parents were like, look, you need to buckle down. You need to get our position and get on the radios.

Jean: And in desperation we yelled, "Mayday, mayday, mayday."

Amelia: My mom was screaming you know, "Oh God… Jesus…" you know like, "How could this happen to us?"

Jean: The satellite phone was showing no signal. It was picking up no signal from the satellite and my hands were shaking so badly that I dropped the phone on the floor. By this time, the floor in the main salon is wet and I just picked up the phone and it was dead.

All that we had left was the emergency beacon the size of a small thermos. We switched it on and pointed it to the sky, but we didn't know if it was working.

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[matt12345matt]

re:Live To Tell: Black Wave
Just another story of Americans getting themselves in a jackpot and the world has to bail them out. It ironic real-estate agents the bane of America right after Bankers, typical Americans now I am a novelist I sell my story some sucker will buy it.

[mlt253]

I cant beleive the negative comments here,I think this is a very positve story of a nice family that just got much closer surviving together through this life threatening event, many people including families dream of sailing around the world together.There alot of Dads putting there families in much worse situations everyday,Try to see the positve here,I apreciate the honesty all the family members showed here they never try to hide there negative side or faults...

[sailorseaman]

These people have displayed unfathomable irresponsibility. A child under the age of 10, or so, has no business out on the high seas, esPECially sailing at night in unfamiliar waters. These people should be ashamed of themselves! And now, to attempt to capitalize on their MISadventure? Leave it to the lousy networks to FURTHER capitalize on this story of remarkably irresponsible behavior. I hope his loss of limb will remind him everyday that he almost sacrificed his unwitting children while acting out his mid-life crisis. The last thing I need is for some jerk like this to be telling me about faith and courage. What laugh. Listen here, Silverwood--it doesn't take courage and faith to wash up on a reef, it takes stupidity. If you want to credit god with saving you, that's your business. The truth is, it was blind luck. Thank god your kids are alright. As for you and the wife, who cares?

[dixxson]

These kind of adventures are good for adults, but Kid?
The Ohio river froze once and officials could not keep people off the ice!
They took their Kids! And often fell through. Had to be rescued!
A Lady reported on the internet yesterday, that her 9 yr old boy had asked to ride
the subway alone. She Let Him! And Rationalized Her decision to the Media!
To me All these kind of people are as "LOONY as the "QUINTUPLET MOM".

[mavrik36able]

look, when i was 15 we went white water rafting on class 5+ rapids in west virgina. was i scared? yes did i want to do it? YES! there are people out there that are actually intrested in living life to the fullest thats what these people were doing and having talked to the family i know the children were glad to have gone sailing, if not glad to have had the accident

[maria391-2009]

Good grief--what a pathetic family!! They brought this on themselves--and as to the wife's dredging up the husband's decades old drinking problem? It made me dislike his family more (just when I though *that* wasn't possible).

I don't get the comments supporting this irresponsible family. They got everything they deserved.

[b41hxs]

Like many other posters I found the title hysterical. Like a 70s flashback. ?Coming soon to a theater near you, Irwin Allens BLACK WAVE starring Charlton Heston as Dad??.

As for the few fools who actually are supporting this arrogant narcissist and his shrieking blond trophy wife and damming everyone for being cowards and lumps for not having the guts to ?follow their dreams? (values that differ from our own??? Try sheer stupidity) let me set you straight about a few things:

The only reason that rich jerks like this do things like that is so they can send out Christmas cards to everyone they know that read along the lines of ?Toodles everyone. Hope you are all having a great holiday with your boring, mundane lives. We on the other hand are sailing up the Rivera in our BRAND NEW YACHT. Muffin and the kids are dissecting a giant squid we just caught and they should all have their PhDs in Marine Biology by the end of the month. Bye!?

This idiot man-child uprooted his children, tore them away from their lives and endangered them because he can never possibly be wrong about anything on any subject. Most people who are successful in one area suddenly think they are an expert on everything including seamanship like old pops pegleg. Once he realized what he had gotten himself into he decided to admit his mistake only to his buddy Jack Daniels who was the sixth passenger on the S.S. Minnow. I also cringed at his wife on that little island with the people who rescued her. ?What, you mean you don?t have any blood, plasma, CAT scan machines on this dirty little island! I have a facial and massage at 3 and no plasma TV to watch my soap operas! No hot Water! No wonder you people are so smelly!?

Episode ends with the usual piano heartstring music about how it brought the family all closer together. Mark my words. When the kids are grown up in another ten years they will all realize the needless danger this smirking ****** bag put them all in and he will have to get down on his one remaining knee to beg their forgiveness.

Instead of being happy to have their affluence and great lifestyles they have to constantly keep up with the Joneses and show everyone else up. It is this mentality that has destroyed our economy. Hopefully Long John Silver has a lot less money than he did to further endanger his clan and stop playing Ned Flanders to everyone else?s Homer Simpson: ?Hidley Ho neighbor! Just parking my BRAND NEW YACHT. Be with you in a minute.? Also laughed at the final tag. ?His family won?t be joining him this time.?

[mavrik36able]

im not entirley sure you understand, i have been offshore sailing and i can tell you right now that your more likley to be killed driving to walmart than you are to die sailing. this was a freak accident that, granted, never should have happened. and dont try to tell me that if you had the money to buy what you wanted most and do what you wanted most you wouldnt. and the kids are actually glad to have gone sailing anyway, or atleast thats the impression i got when i met the dad and wife. also as for the family not going with him hes going alone because his kids are in colledge and cant just leave

[herpesfinder]

hope the family members are safe in the end

[Gratitude7]

I pray that this family has done the most important thing which is to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. I have no doubt that it was He who saved their lives.
What an awesome story!!

[msmithy]

saw the 1st two live to tell and they were pretty interesting but this last one, i switched channels after 10 minutes because I have no interest in watching a rich family who are sailing around the world get into trouble and eventually, everything will turn out o.k., boooring. rich people who have happy endings just don't make great ratings.

i don't think i'll be watching more live to tells

[MilanLA222]

Mrs. Zirinsky, the producer of the Black Wave segment should get award for being able take 3 still photos and 4 video portraits - and stretch them like a bungee for full hour while telling boring story that could be said in 5 minutes.