2 weeks ago today exactly, i was eviscerating a dogfish (shark) over the side of my boat wth my newly 'wicked edge' sharpened filet knife.....i was alone as with most day trips during the last 40 years of fishing in the san juan islands. Looooooong day, 9:30pm and needed to get motoring home (13 miles away), so this was about 'doggie' #20 that i'd caught in the last 4-5 hours and i was innattentive and somewhat hurried. leaning over the side with the filet knife in my strong hand (rt handed), i grabbed the 'doggies' snout with my left hand and proceeded to eviscerate it upwards like so many thousands before him. only this time, with my blade much sharper than i'd ever been accustomed to, well you know where this is going. Slit the entire underside of my left wrist, from one end to the other.........wrist bone completly exposed. helicopter found me 1 1/2 hrs later and then the coasties got to me shortly thereafter.
long story short, after a 25 min. helicopter ride to harborview in seattle, 3 surgeons working 6 hrs. to reattach 12 tendons (3 more than the main surgeon had done in 10 years at this trauma center/hospital) and arteries and other such goodies, i'm not sure that i'll ever have use of my left hand again. the first 'coastie' to reach me didn't see me 'cuz i was down a bit in my cuddy cabin and when he saw the deck of my boat, he said, "well boys, this isn't gonna be a rescue, it's gonna be a recovery".
i spoke up with what voice i had left and said, "sorry to dissapoint, but i'm still with ya". 3 heads popped around the corner and their eyes were as big as saucers. i bled from 9:30pm until about 11pm, which was no more than 5 minutes before they located me. and yes..........i hit an artery that was squirtin' blood some 2 feet from where i was kneeling between my deck seats. my deck was totally covered in blood, my cuddy cushions were almost as bad. they stripped off my pants and shoes as they were super saturated and i've never seen them since (good riddance). the head coastie/medic said later to my wife that he had never in 25 years seen that much blood lost where the guy was alive, much less coherent. trust me......i had just reached the point like in so many movies where the "i need to call my family" line became very real and "i could give a chit about anything" attitude also kicked in right when they found me. after 'nam ('69-'71), being retired after 28 years as a LEO, i kind of knew and felt what was coming and there was no way of changing my destiny at that point. truth be told, when the chopper light hit my deck from likely some 40 yards above me, i wasn't 100% sure what bright light i was looking at......LOL. i wasn't sure that i wanted to really acknowledge that billion power candleight...LOL.
fellas...............always be careful, no matter how experienced you might be. i know no one that has spent either more time afield or on the water than myself and have always prided myself on being safe and prudent.........not so much now as i type this story one handed (btw - sorry for both the mispelling and punctuation as i'm usually a fairly easy read, but for now........not so much).
lots of physical therapy ahead and i'm gonna recover.......likely not 100%, but i'll make my left hand useful enough to get me through what years i've got left. what other choice does one have..........that makes any sense, anyway.
the next doggie i catch won't make it to within 15 feet of my boat 'cuz, given safe conditions......i'm gonna shoot his azz.......LOL
stupid..........you bet. i can own that designation as in this instance it certainly fits. i notice that most of the stories in this thread so far are a bit more humorous than mine. i offer my experience as a heads-up for those thinking that experience and/or 'time-in' somehow affords us less opportunities to screw up. Well.......yes and no. only if we stay vigilant at all times.
take care fellow members.
