Three days after a horrific powerboat accident that claimed his co-pilot's life, Michael Araujo was discharged from hospital yesterday afternoon.

The co-owner of A & P Marine Limited was at the helm of the C-Class catamaran which crashed off Coral Beach on Sunday, killing New Zealand expatriate Stuart Smith. The latter's body begins a lengthy journey today back to his homeland for burial.

Meanwhile, the Marine Police and the Bermuda Power Boat Association (BPBA) are in the early stages of an investigation into the fatal crash.

BPBA president Chris Roque met with the police yesterday prior to a meeting of his association's executive last night.

The tragedy - the first of its kind in open water in Bermudian history - as well as two other boat crashes in Sunday's Around The Island race were expected to dominate last night's discussions.

Roque, who was Araujo's co-pilot prior to Smith, said the BPBA was "heartened by the outpouring of support and sympathy" in the wake of crash.

"I have been getting calls and cards from people I don't even know. It's really nice how the general public has responded to this situation and I want to thank everybody who has shown concern," he said.