Hurricane Marty which sacked La Paz in late fall, destroyed most of the vessels in the La Paz Marina. Most vessels in the Palmira Marina further east and enclosed by a rock jetty, escaped a lot of the damage. Palmira gained from the protection of the high ground to the east of it. Max wind speeds are reported to have been about 90 knots with gusts to 110. Some of the boats were not insured and were being used by long term livaboards. They are now homeless. During the lull when the eye passed overhead some boats withdrew from the marina and anchored out in open water. I understand that they by and large survived without major damage. Most likely a lot less than that which they would have had if they had stayed. Based on 25 minutes of video footage shot during the storm, from a boat located inside La Paz Marina, the following observations. The docks in La Paz Marina(LPM) broke apart and dock lines parted and the resulting vessels sank the other vessels in the marina. The "breakwater" was flimsy and itself broke apart and left the boats exposed to wave action generated by a longer fetch. Typical yacht fenders like the Taylor large 10" by 30", are not heavy enough or big enough to do the job expected. In the pictures the fenders are jumping out of the water and fail to protect boat sides from being abraded by the dock. Too much use of breast lines, instead of spring lines which would have provided more resilience. Dock lines too small for the job. In some respects this was a "little" hurricane, as storms of this magnitude occur above 45 degrees latitude with some regularity and where the marinas and boatowners are used to this sort of thing, little damage occurs. I can think of a number of suggestions, but they all make some assumptions about the actual winds to be expected. If possible, the defense of the marina should be a team effort. The results will be shared by all. The biggest boats with the most windage should get the most attention. Any one of them that breaks loose is almost certainly going to sink one or more other boats. It might be possible to anticipate the breakaway effects and place boats such that if they break loose they would be driven to a place that would create the least damage, to themselves or or other vessels. Assign tasks to various people. Engineers for deciding how to use the lines available for the best effect. To identify and create strong points to anchor to. Someone to predict the wind direction and speed, where the eye will pass and the result for wind direction and speed. If the eye passes overhead, to have the direction and speed ready just before the wind starts up again. The length of time the lull will last. Tying boats together has some appeal, but remember the "weakest link" problem. If a larger mass of boats breaks loose, it will have some of the characteristics of a larger vessel. Tie the heaviest and windage boats to the strongest docks, anchors or "deadmen" that can be rigged. Less heavy and windage boats downwind of that. Decide if the best tactic is to have the bigger boats provide a lee for smaller boats, depending on the expected wind direction(s). Consider leaving the marina and anchor out. If you can find some way to keep the fenders from jumping out of the water, like weighting them down, it would help a lot, I think. A flopper stopper kind of device hung on the end of a line attached to the bottom of the fender. More fenders. Bigger fenders(hard to do, where to store). During the lull, when the eye is overhead. Have an estimate for how long this will be. Reposition boats to best advantage based on the expected wind after the eye has passed on. Any boat which is sinking, should be sunk to keep it from becoming a battering ram, during the next wind shift. Sink it in shallow water. Remove and put to use any line or fenders from such vessels. Renew chafing gear, add more lines. If you have no hull and contents insurance, then by all means do everything humanely possible to give your boat the best chance of surviving. If you think the marina is the safest place, stay there. If team cooperation is good then consider that in your odds. At certain wind speeds, somewhere around 140 sustained or over, the best course may be to abandon the boat, if you planned to stay aboard and just try to escape with your life. It is real easy to say that none of this will do any good, but even if the damage can't be entirely eliminated, there is an excellent chance that the situation can be seriously improved. Mike Capt. Mike Maurice Wilsonville, Oregon (Portland)