MID-LIFE MAKEOVER
Aotea is a South Pacific 42 from the board of American designer Robert Perry, built in Christchurch by Canterbury Export Marine in 1987.
The genesis of the yacht’s design came by way of Peter Rachtman, a New Zealander born in America. Peter had a rich history in finding markets for products, or probably more correctly, finding products that suited the market.
From a background in the US entertainment industry, Peter moved to New Zealand in 1979 and, after buying a yacht and cruising around Tonga and Fiji, he took a keen interest in our marine industry.
He could see great New Zealand products that needed help getting exported. He set up a company
