“It was hardly a marriage, but the Port of South Whidbey and City of Langley did a little courting Wednesday night.The question was, should the two entities join together to build slips for several hundred boats in Langley Harbor?Dione Murray, a city councilmember representing Langley at the port meeting, was amenable to the idea but could make no commitment.The city of Langley is interested in discussing any and all options available, Murray said.In what capacity? queried Jan Smith, port president. Senior partner? Junior partner?At that, Murray demurred, but added, We are dead in the water if we don’t work together.Tom Roehl, port consultant, asked Murray, What’s your bonding capacity?To which she replied, Call the mayor, Lloyd Furman.No, this match wasn’t consummated, but the consensus was that the port and city will have to get together if a marina project is to be pursued.To date, Port Commissioner Jim Hawley has done the volunteer legwork on the marina. His report to the public was made Wednesday. The only way that it pencils out is to do at least 300 slips, Hawley said.His sources estimate the cost at $5.5 million, which would result in 4,200 linear feet of moorage space to lease at a projected $8 per foot per month on average. That’s high by today’s moorage rates, he acknowledged, but will likely be about right when and if the marina is finished in five years.Hawley said he talked to two firms expert in building marinas. The largest single cost in Langley would over $1 million for a wave attenuation device to stop waves from breaking up the marina, as happened to Langley’s infamous first marina some 20 years ago.The marina would be built between the existing Nichols Brothers dock and Langley Small Boat Harbor. Hawley expressed confidence that the necessary access and tideland leases could be obtained. We’d have to control the whole waterfront from Nichols to the far property line, he said.That’s available.Murray cited the demand for moorage spaces in the area, something that all agreed is sky high. The wait for a 40-foot slip in Edmonds is 13 years, she said, and a 26-foot slip takes a year on a waiting list. It was agreed that if local boaters couldn’t fill up the marina people would come from miles around to find a slip.Bob Wolf, Langley resident, made a plea for a marina from the handicapped community. Boating is something that many handicapped people can enjoy, he said. He boated when he lived elsewhere, but now that he’s moved to Langley he’s thinking of selling the boat because I can’t find any moorage.Dr. Don McCabe, an avid boater himself, was in the audience, and he didn’t want people to be scared off by the estimated marina price tag. A million dollars today is like a hundred thousand 10 or 20 years ago, he said.The discussion ended with no decision, but further courting is likely. “