Armed with 16-meter kites (very large for the Gorge), Eric Rienstra and Cory Roeseler battled head-to-head Sunday afternoon in the Blowout kiteboarding race from Stevenson to Hood River. Rienstra, a Slingshot pro kiteboarder, finished first by just 10 seconds (50:30) to become one of the few to beat Roeseler in the history of the event. Rienstra used a twin-tip board with wakeboard bindings while Roeseler was on waterskis, which allowed him to take more direct downwind lines.

In all, 46 competitors turned out for the event, which had been rescheduled from last weekend to allow for better wind. Although light, the wind filled in for the entire 20-mile stretch of river between Stevenson’s kite launch and the Hood River sandbar. Race organizers, the same who ran the recent Bridge of the Gods Kite Fest, reported a 93-percent finish rate, the highest in the history of the event.