A marine surveyor from overseas will inspect the C-Class catamaran in which Stuart Smith crashed and died while racing two Sundays ago.

P.c. Lawrence Dean - one of two marine policemen investigating the fatal powerboat accident - disclosed yesterday that the crash probe is "well underway" and entails three major segments; one being a thorough examination of the boat by a foreign expert.

"We are having the boat examined by a marine surveyor who is being brought in from Toronto, Canada.

"We want to know the quality of the boat we're dealing with. It's a race-modified boat so we need to be able to say exactly what the boat is and what it's capable of. We also need to ovbiously rule out any mechanical failure and he will be involved in that also. He will examine both boat and engine," P.c. Dean explained.

Mr. Smith, a 34-year-old New Zealand expatriate, was killed during the annual Around The Island race. He was the co-pilot/navigator of a boat driven by his employer and friend Michael Araujo.

The other two primary areas of investigation, Dean said, are the collection of statements of "everyone involved (in the accident) and witnesses to it" and "looking at the BPBA's (Bermuda Power Boat Assocation) safety rules and guidelines to ensure they were all met and enforced (on that day)".

Stating they have had "a lot of cooperation from BPBA members and the public", the marine policeman estimated the investigation will take "another couple of weeks". Thereafter, the evidence file will be forwarded to the Coroner's Office.

P.c. Dean indicated the other two crashes in the race are being investigated separately and "will not factor into this". The information on those accidents will be given to Insp. Mark Bothelo to determine if any offences contributed to those crashes.

Asked if any of the three investigations could result in court action, he replied: "I could be wrong but I don't anticipate they (the two other crashes) will entail a court hearing unless some offence has been committed which, as far as I know, there wasn't because those accidents were the result of racing and the conditions. The main thing that may be looked at there is safety - were the BPBA guidelines followed? That's basically it.

"Obviously the fatal accident has to be investigated by the Coroner's Office." That would then determine if any court action is necessary, he added.

Meanwhile, Mr. Smith is likely to go to his eternal rest in a place he loved and, ironically, where he met his demise - the ocean. Following a funeral service in his home town of Whakatane, New Zealand, yesterday morning (8 p.m. Tuesday, Bermuda time), his body was to be cremated. "We think when we get his ashes back we would like to scatter them at sea because he loved the sea so much and he always wanted to be a free spirit," his sister Judy told The Royal Gazette.

About 150 mourners - some from as far away as Auckland, where Smith lived before migrating to Bermuda, and Australia - packed the chapel of a funeral home to bid Mr. Smith farewell.

Describing it as "a lovely ceremony", Judy said several friends gave remembrances of her late brother and tributes from Bermuda, including one from Mr. Araujo, were read. Then, Mr. Smith's father, David, spoke and finally, Mr. Smith's three sisters combined to eulogise their baby brother. The family received Mr. Smith's body on Tuesday morning and took it to his parents' home for a private vigil.

"It was a long, hard wait but it was really good to have him here with us and Connor (Smith's son) was able to come and see his dad. That was really important for our healing, especially since he (Mr. Smith) had been away so long," said Judy.

She and other close relatives intend to plant trees at their respective homes in Mr. Smith's memory. "It was the hardest two days. Now we're hoping we can get on and remember all the happy things about Stuart."