Big plans for kiteboard hot spot
County, Everett, Port study marina work
By Krista J. Kapralos
Herald Writer
EVERETT - It's an unassuming slip of land off Everett's westernmost edge, but for kiteboarders, Jetty Island is hallowed ground.
There's no way to tell how many people each summer come to Everett, hop on what appear to be stubby surfboards, grip lines attached to giant kites and let the wind rip them across the waterfront. City parks officials and local enthusiasts do know the kiteboarders already come from as far away as Canada and California.
Michael O'Leary / The Herald
Jason Clack kiteboards off Jetty Island in 2003. Jetty Island has become a popular destination for kiteboarders all along the West Coast. The 10th Street Marina, where the ferry to Jetty Island docks, could soon get $750,000 in improvements through a partnership between Everett, the Port and Snohomish County.
"It's such a good area in regards to the consistency of the wind that I wouldn't be surprised if it even became more of a destination," kiteboard instructor Jason Clack said.
A partnership between the city of Everett, the Port of Everett and Snohomish County may bring $750,000 in improvements to the 10th Street Marina, where the Jetty Island ferry docks, over the next few years.
By then, one of the best-kept secrets among local kiteboarders - Jetty Island - will be out of the bag.
"This has the potential to really put us on the map," assistant parks director Hal Gausman said.
The city of Everett, the Port of Everett and Snohomish County are together contributing $750,000 to make improvements on the 10th Street Marina, the area where the Jetty Island ferry shuttles 35,000 people each season to Everett's man-made island. The project will bring paths, a kayak dock and other amenities, and it will also offer more public access to the water than ever before. Kiteboarders, who have long revered Jetty Island as a secret haven for the sport, are expected to flock to the island in droves.
It has been 34 years since the city, the port and the county teamed up to buy what is now the 10th Street Marina. The partners have since shared the costs of improvements.
On Wednesday, the Everett City Council is expected to approve spending $250,000 to help build paths, a raised beach, a kayak dock and other amenities. Plans call for the port and county to each contribute $250,000 as well.
Construction will begin in October, after this summer's Jetty Island Days, Port of Everett marina director Kim Buike said. It could be up to two years before the improvements are completed.
As Everett's historically industrial waterfront opens up, city officials hope there will be greater appeal and more publicity that could bring record numbers of kiteboarders.
In 2004, USA Today listed Jetty Island alongside Oregon's Columbia River Gorge and spots in North Carolina and Mexico as among the best for kiteboarding.
Kiteboarders balance on abbreviated surfboards and are pulled atop the waves by oversized kites shaped like parachute canopies. Experienced kiteboarders can launch themselves and catch 30 or 40 feet of air over the water, Clack said.
City spokeswoman Kate Reardon said she called around about the sport three years ago, when she noticed kiteboarders in the water from the windows of City Hall.
"We got in touch with these people and they said, 'Don't tell anybody, it's our secret spot!'" Reardon said.
Clack said he discovered perfect kiteboarding conditions at Jetty Island in 2001.
Much more than kiting and boarding
Enthusiasts call kiteboarding a marriage of three sports: windsurfing, wakeboarding and water skiing.
Add to that a big, nylon canopy that catches the wind like a parachute. Kiteboarders ride abbreviated boards, like snowboards, and are towed over the waves by wind power. Experienced riders can launch themselves up to 40 feet into the air and do aerial acrobatics.
The marina improvement plans
The City of Everett, the Port of Everett and Snohomish County are each contributing $250,000 to bring improvements to the 10th Street Marina. That�s where 35,000 people each year wait to be ferried to Jetty Island.
Construction on the improvements is scheduled to begin this fall. They include:
* Shelters
* Waterfront walkway
* Raised sandy beach
* Playground
* Kayak launch dock
* More parking
* Seasonal vendor areas
* Six-foot high mound for telescopes
"We heard a rumor that the wind blows really hard out there, so we went out and ended up getting an extremely good kiteboarding season," he said. "From there on, the word spread that the Jetty is one of the best places to learn kiteboarding in Western Washington, and the nation."
Clack runs Seattle Kiteboarding Center and has taught the sport off Jetty Island for three years. In April, he plans to open a new store, Jetty Island Kite & Skim, near the old Everett Shipyard at the marina.
Watching kiteboarding has become just as popular as the sport itself.
Patrons at nearby waterfront restaurants ask for window tables to watch the kiteboarders.
"We even heard there was a real estate flier on a house on Grand Avenue that promoted watching kiteboarders from the window," Clack said. "There's a lot of interest in the sport in that regard."
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
Much more than kiting and boarding
Enthusiasts call kiteboarding a marriage of three sports: windsurfing, wakeboarding and water skiing.
Add to that a big, nylon canopy that catches the wind like a parachute. Kiteboarders ride abbreviated boards, like snowboards, and are towed over the waves by wind power. Experienced riders can launch themselves up to 40 feet into the air and do aerial acrobatics.
The marina improvement plans
The City of Everett, the Port of Everett and Snohomish County are each contributing $250,000 to bring improvements to the 10th Street Marina. That's where 35,000 people each year wait to be ferried to Jetty Island.
Construction on the improvements is scheduled to begin this fall. They include:
* Shelters
* Waterfront walkway
* Raised sandy beach
* Playground
* Kayak launch dock
* More parking
* Seasonal vendor areas
* Six-foot high mound for telescopes