Gone with the wind

Thursday turned out to be an OK day for flying a kite on South Whidbey. But just if you wanted to surf.

Teague Pilcher, a member of the Seattle Kiteboarding Association, was one of nine kite surfers who braved the rain Thursday's unrelenting rain and hit the waves at Double Bluff. They got to the beach about 8 a.m. and spent much of the daylight hours there.

Pilcher said it's not unusual to see 20 or so people kite surfing at Double Bluff on the weekends.

"Kiteboarding is one of the fastest growing watersports; it's catching up to windsurfing," he said.

Despite the windy conditions, surfers said the weather could have cooperated more. The wind was too gusty, some said. A constant wind speed would have made the surfing spectacular.

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