As Bermudians journeyed home from work yesterday evening, it was a grim Tuesday morning for Stuart Smith's family thousands of miles away in New Zealand.

Relatives of the boat-crash victim were waking up to the heart-breaking reality that their son and brother was dead.

A Police spokesman confirmed that the 35-year-old family in Whakatane had been notified of the marine mechanic's death in an accident during the annual Around The Island Power Boat Race on Sunday.

Later, Smith's boss at A & P Marine Limited, Ken Parker, told The Royal Gazette he had spoken with Smith's father.

"I talked to his father and he now knows the full story though they had been informed by the Police Department," said Parker.