(CNN) As he sits aboard superyacht Amore Mio in glamorous Monaco, Tripp Hock's mind wanders back to the moment his life flashed before him.

In 1992, then only a teenager, Hock was taking part in the annual "Running of the Bulls" festival in Pamplona, Spain.

Backed into a corner on one of the course's notoriously dangerous turns, Hock frantically tried to escape as a 600-kilogram beast hurtled towards him down the narrow street.

With both horns -- each a foot long and sharp enough to sink several inches deep into human flesh -- pointed in his direction, the college student and Wall Street intern closed his eyes and feared the worst.

"As the bull hits me, it sees the wall coming and slips. The thing that saved my life was the wall behind me," Hock tells CNN of his first -- and only -- attempt of running at the festival.

"The bull's snout hits the wall and he can't get the horn all the way into me, but then he stands up and the horn pinches my sweatshirt. He picks me up and drags me -- I literally go down the street riding his horn."

The dust had barely settled on the tiled street when Hock finally unhooked his university sweatshirt from the bull's horn, the tip of which was now decorated with his blood.

Photos: The 'Running of the Bulls' in 1954 Bulls enter a bullring in Pamplona, Spain, during the San Fermin festival in 1954. The annual festival and its world-famous "Running of the Bulls," which started Thursday, have been around for centuries. Late photographer Inge Morath was in Pamplona more than 60 years ago to take these pictures. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: The 'Running of the Bulls' in 1954 Soldiers walk past children during the eight-day festival, which is held every July and honors St. Fermin, a co-patron of Spain's Navarre region. This year's festival ends on July 14. Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: The 'Running of the Bulls' in 1954 Spectators watch the daily "Running of the Bulls" in the streets of Pamplona. Some people choose to run with the bulls as they make their way to a bullring about half a mile away. The tradition became world-renowned after author Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in his 1920s novel, "The Sun Also Rises," which was also published under the title "Fiesta." Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: The 'Running of the Bulls' in 1954 A portrait of bullfighter Antonio Ordonez. The bull run every morning precedes a traditional bullfight at night. Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: The 'Running of the Bulls' in 1954 The bulls are let out of their pen. During every festival, there are eight days of bull runs and bullfights. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: The 'Running of the Bulls' in 1954 Revelers enjoy the party. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: The 'Running of the Bulls' in 1954 A bullfighter in action. Hide Caption 7 of 7

More than two decades later, as he shelters from the Mediterranean sun on his luxury $28m boat, the 45-year-old is all too aware of how far he has come since that brush with death. He attributes almost all of his accomplishments to that hot summer day in northeastern Spain.

"I had kind of this awakening, my life was nearly gone so what am I doing commuting, getting on the 5 a.m. train and sitting with a bunch of gray suits," Hock says, recalling his daily commute to the now defunct Lehman Brothers

"So I quit and bought a one-way ticket to the Caribbean. I didn't know a soul."

Buying beers in the Caribbean

With his distinctive New York lilt and easygoing charm, it's easy to picture Hock as a cheeky globetrotting adolescent.

He says his initial desire to sail the world came from being the poorest kid in college, jealously listening to rich kids retelling stories about their summer excursions to exotic lands.

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"This industry is quite good because you can literally go find some place with yachts, like Fort Lauderdale, Antibes, or the Caribbean, and just show up there and start buying beers for guys in the pubs," he explains.

"I was looking for my very first deck-hand position -- this is 20 or so years ago -- and that was the dream, to live in an exotic place and work on these beautiful boats. The system way back then was pretty easy, actually."

The simple process of earning sea days while studying for exams was repeated until captains were happy with the size of ship their license allowed them to command.

After six years in the Caribbean, Hock tried for a job on board a boat in the Mediterranean, but his relative inexperience was met with cynicism.

Photos: Russian billionaire's mega project Photos: Russian billionaire's mega project Sailing Yacht A -- seen here at the start of its sea testing -- will be one of the world's largest superyachts when it is officially delivered to owner Andrey Melnichenko in 2017. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: Russian billionaire's mega project The 143-meter vessel is the eighth longest in the world, and its 90-meter-plus carbon masts are all taller than the Statue of Liberty. Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: Russian billionaire's mega project One of its main features is a glass hull which allows guests to view the ocean below. It has been tested at depths of up to 120 meters to ensure it can withstand the necessary water pressure. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: Russian billionaire's mega project The designer who oversaw the build, Philippe Starck, was also in charge of designing former Apple boss Steve Jobs' yacht Venus. Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Russian billionaire's mega project Melnichenko commissioned Starck for the project after the French designer delivered his Motor Yacht A boat. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Russian billionaire's mega project Testing for Sailing Yacht A took place off the coast of Strande, northern Germany, on October 16. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: Russian billionaire's mega project Motor Yacht A, which was completed in 2008, cost Melnichenko a reported $300 million. It is pictured moored on London's River Thames in September 2016. Hide Caption 7 of 7

"At 28, they laughed at me," he remembers with a wry grin. "Too young, everyone wants to work on a boat in the south of France. 'You've never worked, go away.'

A month later, however, Hock received a call from a crew agency which helps sailors find work and they offered him a position -- but there appeared to be a catch.

"It's got Russian owners, so nobody else would touch it," Hock said.

"I thought, 'Okay, try it, get my foot in the door and get at least a summer's experience under my belt.'

"Now 17 years later, I'm working for the same owner, turns out to be a fantastic guy!"

An overnight celebrity

If listening to his rich classmates talk about their summer holidays planted the seed, the real motivation to change his life was his encounter with the bull.

After the incident, he became an overnight celebrity, both in Spain and back home in New York.

"It ran on CNN, it was on one of the inside pages of the New York Times and on the front cover of every paper in Spain," Hock explains incredulously, recalling an age before social media and instant messaging.

"Meanwhile, back in the States, every single one of my friends is calling my mum and dad, asking: 'Is he alive? We've seen him on CNN. What happened?' And my parents said: 'We don't know, we've heard nothing!'"

Hock meekly made a call home three days later, leaving an answer phone message to say he'd had a "little incident."

'You're the guy'

As the bull gored Hock, its horn tore off the travel wallet which was tied around his torso. It contained his passport, plane tickets and all his money.

Bleeding, penniless and without a passport, Hock made his way to the US embassy in Madrid. Fortunately, a sympathetic train conductor in Pamplona let him board for free.

Photos: Running with the bulls Photos: Running with the bulls Pamplona alive with Running of the Bulls – A young man is caught between the bull's horns as he is tossed on July 8, 2007 in the old city streets of Pamplona. Thousands of "runners" test their skill, courage, and luck in the 900-meter course made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises," first published in 1926. The man was thrown against a fence but not injured. These images by photographer Jim Hollander appear in a new book " Fiesta: How To Survive The Bulls Of Pamplona ." Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Running with the bulls Pamplona alive with Running of the Bulls – One runner tries to protect himself from a fighting bull from the Fuente Ymbro ranch as another is upside-down with both feet in the air during the third "encierro," or Running of the Bulls in Pamplona's Fiesta de San Fermin on July 9, 2008. Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: Running with the bulls Pamplona alive with Running of the Bulls – Fighting bulls from the El Ventorrillo ranch run in the middle of a street packed with thousands of runners on July 9, 2009 in Pamplona, Spain. Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Running with the bulls Pamplona alive with Running of the Bulls – The excitement of the eight-day Running of the Bulls is captured in this image from July 2009. Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Running with the bulls Pamplona alive with Running of the Bulls – Bulls run around La Curva in Pamplona on July 11, 2010. Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Running with the bulls Pamplona alive with Running of the Bulls – Runners enter the bullring in Pamplona ahead of a lone fighting bull in the eight-day Fiesta de San Fermin on July 12, 2013. Hide Caption 6 of 6

"I walk in (the embassy) and say 'you gotta help me, I lost my passport.' And they're like, 'you're the guy.' I had no idea what they were talking about!" he says.

"They held up the Spanish papers and said 'you're the guy, right?' It was me and that was the first time I'd seen it. They told me I had to go back to Pamplona because somebody has turned in all my stuff."

With the Spanish newspapers now in circulation, the real fun started for Hock on his return journey to Pamplona.

"I get back on the train, again without any money, and the guys are like 'ooh, it's you. First class! Come on, join us.'"

Upon his arrival at the police station, much to his bemusement and relief, Hock discovered that all his possessions were still inside the wallet -- down to the last peseta.

"'This is Spain,' the police officers told me. 'You were gored and you lived, therefore it would be unlucky for anybody to steal your stuff!'"

Photos: The world's longest superyachts Photos: The world's longest superyachts 1. Azzam – Launched in 2013 at a reported cost of $500 million, Azzam heads Boat International's Top 101 list at 180 meters (590 feet) in length. Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: The world's longest superyachts 2. Eclipse – The plaything of Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, Eclipse measures 162.5 meters (533 feet). Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: The world's longest superyachts 3. Dubai – Eclipse is only half a meter longer than this vessel owned by Sheikh Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: The world's longest superyachts 4. Dilbar – Formerly known as Project Omar, Dilbar was launched this year for Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. Measuring 156 meters (511 feet) in length, it has the largest gross tonnage -- the measure of internal volume -- at 15,917 GT, according to Boat International. Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: The world's longest superyachts 5. Al Said – Owned by the Sultan of Oman, Al Said was the second longest when launched in 2007, measuring 155 meters (508.53 feet). Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: The world's longest superyachts 6. Topaz – Launched in 2012, the 147-meter (482-foot) Topaz is one of several vessels on the list built by German firm Lurssen. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: The world's longest superyachts 7. Prince Abdulaziz – The 147-meter (482-foot) Saudi-owned Prince Abdulaziz was the world's longest superyacht for over two decades following its launch in the mid-1980s. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: The world's longest superyachts 10. Ocean Victory – Russian billionaire Viktor Rashnikov's Ocean Victory (140 meters/459 feet) rounds out the top 10 after El Mahroussa and Yas. Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: The world's longest superyachts Coming soon ... – At 141 meters (462 feet) long, Dream Symphony will be the world's largest yacht to be powered by sail alone when it launches. Hide Caption 9 of 9

Before leading the way down the narrow staircase to the yacht's snug captain's quarters, Hock takes the last sip of his fresh coffee.

He opens a folder on his computer and, sure enough, there are scans of various Spanish newspapers and the New York Times chronicling his near escape.

While flicking through, Hock picks out some grainy photos sent to his parents' house in New York by a Spanish woman 20 years after his accident.

While the bull in Pamplona makes for a great story to tell at dinner parties, you get a sense Hock is grateful for where that experience has taken him.

"Being a captain lived up to everything I thought it would be," he said.