Last weekend was a good one to be a Soltysiak.

Sunny skies and a light but steady breeze greeted competitors in the first of eight summer races that make up the Gorge Cup windsurfing series. This is the 21st year of the series, which runs from May through August at the Hood River Event Site and brings together a wide range of sailors, from seasoned veterans to first-time racers, to competitors in a friendly atmosphere.

Persistence finally paid off for Jac Le Roux.

In what organizers and longtime competitors agree is one of the windiest races in the Gorge Cup’s long history, more than 30 windsurfers put their skills, and gear, to the test over the weekend at the Hood River Event Site. Saturday’s action included gusts into the 40-mph range, and Sunday into the upper 30s, giving racers in the summer-long series a true taste of what nuclear Gorge conditions can dish out.