Stepdaughter's emotional tribute to jetboat racer

Duayne Insley (inset) of Glenorchy was killed in a jet boat accident on the Waimakariri River at...
Duayne Insley (inset) of Glenorchy was killed in a jet boat accident on the Waimakariri River at the weekend. Photo / Supplied

The stepdaughter of a Kiwi killed in an accident in Canterbury has thanked him for helping 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. Racing was brought to a halt following the accident, and all racing today had been cancelled as a mark of respect.

Insley was killed when he was struck by a log overhanging a channel of water, Fairfax reported.

His 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 step dad 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."

An old friend of Mr Insley, Dave Watson, is also remembering the 47-year-old as an easy going guy that was well-liked in the community.

The pair met in Glenorchy when they were both in their 20s, when Mr Watson was working on the local fire station where Insley volunteered as a fire fighter. Mr Watson had grown up in the town while Insley had only recently moved there. But his friend said he fitted right in.

"He was one of those guys that helped everyone out and got along with everyone."

"He loved jet boating as well as all of his farm stuff."

Mr Watson said Glenorchy was a small community where everyone knew one another.

Tributes were also flowing in from the international jet boat racing community.

Oregon-based group Epic Motorsports has spoken out about the accident on Facebook, sending condolences to Insley's family and friends.

"We are thinking of you from across the pond," it said.

Insley operated a horse-trekking business with his wife, Deana Insley.

On the pair's company website, High Country Horses, Deana Insley described how he proposed to her in Monaco when picking up a trophy for a jet boating world title, which she said was his passion.

"He loves to race jet boats as a sport, having picked up two New Zealand Champion titles plus a world title last year", she said.

NZJBRRA spokesman Paul Mullan said event organisers decided at a meeting on Sunday night that racing would commence on Tuesday.

"We're putting in an extra leg on the Waitaki on Wednesday in place of the two legs cancelled on Monday," Mr Mullan said.

In an earlier post on the association's Facebook page the group said details of exactly what happened were still under investigation, which was now being headed by the police.

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