Jetboaters halt racing over death
The stepdaughter of a Kiwi killed in an accident in Canterbury has thanked him for helping to shape who she is.
Duayne Insley died on the Waimakariri River on Sunday morning while racing at the World Championship Jetboat Marathon.
Insley had been navigating the course on a CX21 boat, on the second day of the week-long competition.
Insley was killed when he was struck by a log overhanging a channel of water, Fairfax reported.
Racing was brought to a halt after the accident, and all racing yesterday was cancelled as a mark of respect.
Insley’s stepdaughter Casey Irvine wrote a message on Facebook thanking her stepdad for being himself and for making “my mum the happiest I’ve ever seen her”.
“The ‘step’ in stepdad implies you were somehow less of a dad to me than my own because you arrived a little late. Well I know for sure this is not the case”, she said.
“Thank you for being in our lives, you’ll be missed more than you could know.”
Tributes also flowed in from the international jetboat racing community.
Oregon-based group Epic Motorsports sent condolences to Insley’s family and friends on Facebook.
“We are thinking of you from across the pond,” it said.
Insley operated a horse-trekking business in Glenorchy with his wife, Deana Insley.