MSI Imports, the Auckland company that is a leading supplier of towable water sports equipment, has appointed Andrew de Lautouras sales and marketing manager. After starting his marine career in Christchurch, de Lautour moved to the United States as a water-ski instructor and more recently to Vancouver where he workedwith a boat rental company for 18 months. He will be responsible for international brands such as O'Brien, Kidder, Double-Up and Fuel.
Wear that lifejacket
American recreational television broadcaster the Outdoor Channel has signed an agreement with the National Marine Marketing Association designed to reduce the number of recreational boating accidents through the increased promotion of lifejacket use. The initiative will use TV to push the safe boating message through the voluntary wearing of lifejackets for those boating or fishing. Lloyd Klee, from Safety at Sea in Westhaven, says the New Zealand regulation that requires every boat to carry a properly fitting lifejacket for everyone aboard, puts us ahead of the Americans. But he says using a variety of outdoor TV programmes to carry the lifejacket message could be useful here.
Water-Watch
Today: Offshore Powerboat Championship, inner harbour course (Northern Offshore Powerboat Club); Saturday race, every fortnight until September 23 (Bucklands Beach Yacht Club); Winter Series (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron).
Today and tomorrow: Visually Impaired Sailors Regatta (Ponsonby CC).
Tomorrow: Winter series racing begins (Richmond YC and Panmure Y&BC).
Organisations planning events on or in the Waitemata or Manukau harbours should register in advance with the Auckland Regional Council on (09) 366 2000. The 24-hour response number for the ARC maritime unit is (09) 362 0397.
