The issue of using the swim platform while underway is well worth noting. Whether docking or underway, as far as I am concerned, the swim platform gives a false sense of security. Unless you boat is at anchor or docked, one should not be on the platform. This part of the boat is so close to the water and the props that one slip and there is precious little time to recover. As another man-overboard story can relate why to stay off the swim platform when underway, a summer cruising incident was related to me from our cruising friends. At the time, three trawlers were in the Bahamas crossing the Banks during the morning in 12' of warm water, calm seas and no wind. The trawlers were about a mile separated but in constant VHF contact during the cruise. Aboard the middle trawler, the husband had put the boat on autopilot and gone below leaving his wife on watch on the flybridge. For reasons unknown, the wife decided to go to the stern and step out on the swim platform. During her time on the platform she lost her grip and fell into the water. The trawler, now on autopilot and the skipper below, moved away from her at the rate of about 9 knots. The wife was not wearing any life preserver or personal floatation. After what was estimated at about 20 minutes, the husband returned to the flybridge. Not finding his wife, he looked around the boat thinking she may have moved below and he just missed her. No such luck. Panic set in and he moved to the VHF to put out a call to the fellow boaters and hit the MOB button. The other boats responded by the lead boat turning around and the following boat began to search the waters. Fortunately, the following boat came upon the wife, treading water and rather unpreturbed, after about 15 minutes. They pulled her aboard and later transferred her to her boat. This time, all was well. Lesson learned: stay off the swim platform when underway for any reason and wear some sort of PFD when on watch and on deck, especially alone. Steve "Duchess"