Marina Del Rey is the largest man-made harbor in the United States. As one of Southern California’s most prized recreational areas, Marina del Rey is the realization of a dream that spans more than 100 years. What began as the vision of a 19th century real estate speculator has endured bankruptcy, unsympathetic government reports, two world wars and mother nature, to become a popular destination for day visitors, tourists, water sports enthusiasts and business travelers. It all began in 1887 when real estate developer, M. C. Wicks envisioned turning the Playa del Rey estuary into a major commercial harbor. Working under the auspices of the Santa Fe railroad, Wicks’ Ballona Development Co. invested $300,000 to develop the area but went bankrupt three years later. A visitor to the estuary in those days would have found no sailors, but plenty of duck hunters. A quarter of a century later, nothing much had changed. In 1916, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that it was impractical to develop the Playa del Rey inlet and basin as a major harbor. Marina proponents had another go at it in 1936, when Congress authorized reconsideration of the previous negative report, and a year…