Bid to float candidacy flounders

An attempt by three election candidates to give their campaigns some extra buoyancy struck rough seas yesterday.

Cr Lee Vandervis joined forces with fellow Dunedin City Council candidate Russell Lund and Otago Regional Council candidate Hilary Calvert this week to launch an innovative approach to election advertising.

The trio added their election signs to "an old boat from the farm", sourced by Cr Vandervis, and launched it in Anderson's Bay inlet, where it was swinging on a mooring.

Everything was going swimmingly until yesterday, when high winds drove the boat on to the inlet's sea wall, where it was secured by members of the public.

ORC harbourmaster Steve Rushbrook said the anchor was still attached when the boat was recovered, "so it obviously just dragged its anchor".

"My guess is too much windage with the signs and everything on it, and the wind and the weather how it is has just been too much for the anchor and the cable to cope with."

ORC staff could not say yesterday what rules applied to signs displayed on boats in the inlet, but were "looking into the issue and will follow up with the appropriate party if it is deemed that a rule is being breached", a spokesman said.