I am certain that some of you wonder why on earth my Screen name is "Target".

Here is the story behind it:



I started working on boats when I was 17 years old (a mere 32 years ago).

When I was 20, I was working as a deckhand, on a charter sport fishing boat. This was in the early "wild" '80's, where nearly anything was acceptable. We were out on a two day charter, with a group that chartered us for two days, once a month, all year long. It was October, and the water was warm.

We were trolling on our way back from 2 days at one of the islands. I just got done fish cleaning....Several of the passengers were shooting a .22 cal revolver at an empty bleach bottle tied to a long string astern of the boat. It was all in good fun.

One of the trolled feathers hooked a fish. Excitement and hopes of a Yellowfin Tuna ensued! But it was a lowly Skipjack tuna, and disappointment took over. Some shouted, "Shoot the Skipjack!" I was getting ready to rinse off and store my fillet knife in the galley. I approached the galley, but the Mate of the vessel was blocking the entrance, with his back to me, head down...

He was loading the revolver that I couldn't see. He spun around, pulled the hammer back (prematurely) and discovered the definition of a hair trigger. He shot me, point blank! The bullet traveled through my liver, kidney, and colon, exited my back, and went into a passengers' lung! D’oh.

I got a "free" USCG helo ride, with the unfortunate passenger, to a glorious 16 day hospital stay at San Pedro Peninsula Hospital. An exploratory surgery was performed, and I was on the mend.

The Target name came from the charter master of the group, who came to visit me, and the other guy in the hospital... Some of the crew were in my room when he said, "You know, Chris, Dave still has that bullet in his lung, you didn't seem to slow it down too much, even though you tried. That bullet went through you like you were just a paper target!"

And the crowd roared in the room, and I've been called worse names.

When I went back to work, on the same boat (sans Mate!), I was affectionately known as "Target".

The rest is history. Could account for some of my sarcasm/defensiveness.... Fishing's not supposed to be a full contact sport, is it??

There you go.

Target

. . .

Amazing experience.... I'm speechless... it's great to see you survived it!

Yep, I really "earned" that nick-name the hard way.

The really amazing part is that my kidney didn't shatter, and in fact healed up, and works at 100% efficiency. I guess that is really rare.

T

Amazing story. Glad you're alive to tell it!

Rick

Me too!
Thanks.

Target

PS. Happy New Year!

Great story T...gotta be a sick feeling when you realize you've been shot and you're out in the middle of the ocean!

. . .

Originally Posted by cynjon

Great story T...gotta be a sick feeling when you realize you've been shot and you're out in the middle of the ocean!

Yup. Right after realizing what girls were for, too! I really thought it was over, but when they knocked me out in the ER about 1 hour after it happened, I figured, "Hey, what the hell? At least this excruciating pain will stop! Go ahead, Doc, and cut me open."
The bullet traveled 1" from my Aorta, one more inch towards center woulda been the end of me.

T

Good thing the bullet "missed" little buddy!!! HEY--I wanna go flying with ya again!!! How about finishing that plane of mine--if the weather is good this weekend--let's break out my/your winch!!!
Tim

I actually worked on the beast the other day....And it's getting closer.
But it has no hook, so I assume you are talking about flying something else??

I might stay at home and build all weekend, it's supposed to rain.

I'm planning on hitting Poway on the 23rd and 24th, if you want to do that. I can either stay at my cousin's house in Poway, or if you go, I could mooch at your pad??

Lemme know!

T

Hi Target, whats your skipper ticket class, USL ? i spent some years through the 1990's and early 2000's travelling the world and parts of Australia as crew, dive instructer and skipper, sail and powered. gave up the yacht racing some years back, it got a bit to strenuous! These days, i get the odd domestic delivery job and fishing or sailing charter thrown my way, and the usual odds and ends on the hardstands. Don't dive for money anymore. I've not been shot by anything notable, luckily, but I've had many moments at sea in places, the red sea can be fun.

hope you are paying attention now.. we can't have you being an innocent victim of sarcasm... no reply necessary.

steve.

Yes, the ocean deserves our respect, for sure.

I'm holding a 1600Ton Coastal license with Master of Towing endorsement right now. Next upgrade would be to unlimited and oceans endorsement I believe, but I have no need or intention of getting that at this time; I don't want to sail "deep sea" and be gone for months at a time.

Did two separate stints on yachts. First was working for "Flying J" truck stop owner, Jay Call on his 106' MARDIOSA. A couple seasons later I worked for the owner of "Terrible Herbst Oil", Jerry Herbst, on a 65' Hatteras, both just down in Cabo San Lucas, unfortunately. I did get asked to help with the delivery of MARDIOSA to Lake Washington, to the new owners house.

Ran lots of sportfishing boats out of LA/Long Beach and San Diego harbors; but then I wised up and got onto workboats, where success isn't dictated by the appetite of something with brain the size of a BB.

Regards,
Target

Originally Posted by target

...where success isn't dictated by the appetite of something with brain the size of a BB.

Regards,
Target

Lol, love that ! Only saw this now, what a story ! So glad you came out the other side (seemingly ) none the worse for wear...

Chris

Thanks, Chris.
The mate on the boat here with me is also an "X" sportfishing capt, and he and I laugh about the whole thing (being outsmarted by fish) all the time...
So much easier to succeed doing a work-boat gig.

Today, we put out a fire on a remotely controlled boat that was hit by a weapon system somewhere in the Pacific.... Wee! that was kind a fun.

R,
Target