Christchurch man Murray Philpott (55) died in the Ben Ohau Range on Saturday.
His son Daniel Philpott regularly sailed with him in an A-class catamaran.
Murray Philpott competed in national and international regattas and had sailed for more than 30 years.
"Sailing with Dad was crazy. He was always sure of himself.
"My dad was by far the smartest and most confident person I knew,'' Daniel (22) told the Herald.
He said his father was well liked in the yachting community.
"Everyone at the yacht club couldn't get enough of Dad.
"It still surprises me how many knew him,'' he said.
Daniel said his father had flown a glider in his youth but a few years ago "decided to get back into it''.
"He fell back in love with it very quickly,'' he said.
Murray Philpott, a mechanical engineer, got an offer from Team New Zealand earlier in his career but declined, as he wanted to stay in Christchurch, Daniel said.
Daniel said the yachting and sailing community would have "one hell of a send-off'' for the sailor.
New Zealand A Division Catamaran Association (NZADCA) president, Brent Harsant said Mr Philpott was one of NZADCA's longest-serving members and was always happy to offer his services as a technical adviser and measurer to other sailors.
"He won many national regattas and represented New Zealand at the worlds, where he made a lot of great connections.''
"He was an integral part of the New Zealand fleet, and his passion and enthusiasm for the class helped it get to where it is today.''
NZADCA had lost not only a fantastic sailor, but also a great guy, he said.
"Whether it was on the water or land, Murray was a fun person to be around with and had the biggest smile.''
Maritime New Zealand said on Sunday Mr Philpott was the only person in the glider.
The cause of the crash was unknown and the accident has been referred to the Civil Aviation Authority.
- Rebecca Ryan & NZME
