VOYAGE FOR REDEMPTION: Amputee To Sail Alone, To Hawaii
John Silverwood, his wife and four young children, survived a most horrendous shipwreck in 2005. In the middle of the night, their cruising catamaran ran upon an obscure atoll in the South Pacific changing their lives forever and nearly taking John’s life.
Somehow they survived, but John lost his left leg when the mast came crashing onto the deck, trapping him for hours, and taking him repeatedly to death’s doorstep.
On Thursday, August 17, John Silverwood, 65, will return to the sea that nearly stole his life. He will sail his 38-foot cutter from San Diego to Hawaii, alone, to make a personal statement.
“I know it must sound crazy,” said Silverwood, “but there is a part of me I want to rebuild, need to rebuild. And the only way I can do this is by going back to sea … alone.”
Life has been anything but dull for Silverwood and his family. Random House published their shipwreck saga in 2008. The book, called “Black Wave,” has done well. A screenplay is nearly complete and the story is being shopped around Hollywood with no shortage of interest. Emmy winning screenwriter Adam Mazer (the Jack Kevorkian story) is writing the screenplay.
Veteran sailor, family man, author, Christian; Silverwood was a successful property developer in Rancho Santa Fe before he and his wife took their four children (ages 3-14) on what they hoped would be a life-changing adventure aboard their 55-foot cruising catamaran, Emerald Jane. It was indeed life-changing, but for all the wrong reasons. That was in 2003.
In June 2005, in the middle of the night, Emerald Jane ran aground on a submerged atoll at the outward edge of French Polynesia. As the family scrambled to try and back their floating home off the reef, they quickly realized the futility of their situation.
Wave after wave dragged the boat further over the reef, and with each wave more of the vessel was washed away – the bows broke off and took the lifeboat with them, thousands of gallons of seawater came flooding through the hull and over the rails.
That was just the beginning of their nightmare. As John and his oldest son Ben (who had just turned 16), tried to inflate an emergency raft on deck, the mast came crashing down. It grazed Ben’s head leaving him stunned and bleeding, but it had rested on his father’s legs, slicing through every vessel, bone and artery and nearly severing his left leg above the knee. John was helplessly pinned under 2,500 pounds of mast.
Trying to keep John’s head above water, Ben, and John’s wife Jean, tried unsuccessfully to lift the heavy mast, while the younger children held each other, crying and praying. Several times they thought they had lost their father.
John had lost 70% of his blood. Vietnam corpsmen say losing 30% proved fatal in the war. Twelve hours after John’s leg was severed, and with their last flare, they captured the attention of a jet plane flying overhead. A 14-hour rescue began, which could be a book unto itself.
Flash forward 12 years: At 2 pm, Thursday, August 17, John Silverwood will depart San Diego Bay aboard his cutter, Espiritu Santo (Holy Spirit). Just as his Voyage of Redemption is about one man, alone against the sea, he wants no fanfare at his departure.
He has turned down numerous requests from friends who want to follow him out of the harbor in a flotilla of boats. Instead, a few close friends and family will celebrate his departure over lunch at Point Loma Seafoods before seeing him off, from the dock.
His vessel, nearly 20 feet smaller than the Emerald Jane, will be packed with food, tools, backup supplies and mechanical parts, as well as several GoPro cameras, which were donated by a close friend. The George & Betty Harbaugh Charitable Foundation is also donating to help offset cruising expenses.
Onboard footage from the sail will be used in a future documentary designed to bring attention to amputees in both the civilian and military world.
With the help of modern science and medical treatment, Silverwood has recovered from the loss of his leg. Now, fitted with a high-tech prosthetic, he has devoted his life to taking other amputees (and the critically ill) to sea on day sails, while lecturing around the world.
Donations are being requested. Money from this will go towards a larger vessel that is planned to allow Silverwood and his foundation, Godswell Sailing – a Christian-based group – to help others with similar handicaps and hardships to be able to lead normal and exciting lives.
The story of the Silverwoods (and the shipwrecked Emerald Jane) has been featured on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, CBS 48 Hours, on primetime Japanese TV, and elsewhere. In Hawaii, numerous mediums are awaiting his arrival.
Silverwood will report by phone to San Diego radio station, the Mighty 1090-AM, with daily progress updates on his Voyage for Redemption as he is able. These will emanate live, from aboard his boat, as weather and conditions allow.
The George & Betty Harbaugh Charitable Foundation is a charitable, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2014 as a purpose-driven philanthropy committed to impactful giving and the thoughtful advancement of human achievement.
A recent interview with John Silverwood about the shipwreck and his search for redemption aired August 1, on 1090-AM. In this interview, Silverwood tells the dramatic and frightening tale of his family shipwreck, while sharing plans for the Voyage for Redemption. It may be heard at:
http://www.mighty1090.com/episode/john-silverwood-we-had-no-radio-no-boat-we-were-doomed/
John was also featured on TV 10, in an interview with Joe Little. That link is:
For more information on the Voyage For Redemption visit www.godswellsailing.com.
