The race that began so many miles ago has now come to a dramatic finish with the safe arrival of Skipper Ruben Gabriel on his dismasted, yet trusty twenty-two and a half foot Pearson Electra, Sparky.
Fighting through rough waves and an occassional lack of wind, Ruben and Sparky made it over 2100 miles from San Francisco Bay to Hanalei Bay Hawaii. Nearly three-quarters of the way through the race, Ruben and Sparky met with disappointment and disaster when a brutal gust of stormy winds ripped Sparky's mast in two.
Ruben recovered quickly and after a bit of brainstorming and fabulous innovation, jury rigged himself a new mast. Though still considerably shorter than the original, the new mast proved itself by carrying Ruben the final 680 nautical miles to paradise.
They were met with cheers and tears as they crossed the finish line and were towed into the cozy waters of Hanalei Bay, to be parked next to the other noble competitors of the 2008 Single Handed TransPac.
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More details and photos coming soon...
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