Port of South Whidbey officials are hoping more marina work may spell more business for Langley next summer and in years to come.

The port is engaged in an effort to make the outer edge of the new floating breakwater available for large ships to tie up. The goal is to have the additional space available by Memorial Day, May 25, according to Angi Mozer, executive director for the port.

“We’re really hoping to have it all done by the time boating season kicks off,” Mozer said.

Dubbed the Outside Mooring Project, the effort is being funded with a $130,000 county grant from the Rural County Economic Development Fund. It’s expected to cover the entire cost of the project, from an underwater survey and design work to construction.

Port commissioners are expected to discuss design work and future work during a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the port’s headquarter in Freeland, located below China City.

Earlier this year the port completed phase one of the South Whidbey Harbor redevelopment project. It added about 400 feet of dock space to the existing marina with the installation of two floating docks that double as a breakwater.

Because the outside edge is raised, it prohibits vessels from tying up anywhere but along the inside of the floats. The new project aims to alter parts of the docks to allow larger boats to tie up along the Northern edge as well.

The changes are planned only for the larger of the two new floats, which is about 266 feet long. Just how much additional space will be provided is unclear as the project is still in the design stages, Mozer said.

“It might only be a small portion,” she added.

The redevelopment and the expansion, however, are generating interest from larger boats. In fact, it seems the port has finally been able to capture a slice of a highly coveted market, one brought by the Victoria Clipper, a Seattle-based high-speed catamaran and whale-watching boat. The vessel has stopped for lunch in places like Coupeville for years as it commutes to whale hotspots throughout Saratoga Passage and Deception Pass between March and May.

These stops provide a regular, albeit seasonal, dose of tourism dollars to Front Street merchants as the Clipper is capable of carrying up to 200 people at a time.

The company used to stop in Langley for Mystery Weekend, and infusion of tourism dollars was an appreciated bonus for the business community, according to Marc Esterly, executive director for the Langley Chamber of Commerce.

“It was always quite a good showing,” he said.

The boat stopped making the annual venture, however, due to issues tying up in the small harbor, he said. The possibility of getting them back in any capacity would be great news, he added.

“It would be a win-win for the Clipper and us,” Esterly said.

Stops in Langley would be few, in fact only on days when tides don’t allow the vessel to safely tie up in Coupeville. That works out to about three days total, Mozer said. Also, it’s still not certain as port staff are still in discussions with the Seattle tour company.

The new docks have also attracted the attention of a Camano Island business woman, Lindsey Griggs, who has expressed interest in starting up a passenger ferry to Langley. The viability of such a proposal is unknown — similar services have been unsustainable or proved too difficult to establish in the past, and port staff have been unable to reach Griggs to find out more about her proposal.