KEY POINTS:
Relatives of the member of a Kiwi fishing dynasty killed in a freak boat crash in the Marlborough Sounds have spoken of their love for the father of three.
Anton Perano, 38, was one of two men killed when their 11-metre aluminium runabout Shikari collided with a 91-tonne moored ex-Navy patrol vessel at Waikawa Bay, near Picton. The cause has yet to be established but sun strike, speed, mechanical failure and adverse conditions are being considered.
The dead men were among six New Zealand King Salmon workers - five men and a woman - returning home at about 4pm after a day checking the firm's five salmon farms in Queen Charlotte Sound.
Troy Climo, also 38, was the other man killed. Maurice Alfred Liberona, 48, from Blenheim, suffered serious chest and shoulder injuries and a 20-year-old suffered chest and heart injuries.
The pair were airlifted to Wellington Hospital where one had surgery overnight. Both remained in a critical condition in the intensive care unit last night.
The woman, 23-year-old Lisa Agate, was still in Blenheim's Wairau Hospital last night after surgery for a broken cheekbone and wrist. Juan Carlos Vargas, aged 32, of Blenheim, has since been released from Wairau Hospital.
The Peranos are one of New Zealand's longest-established fishing families. Joseph August Perano was born in Dunedin in 1876 and followed his father Agostino into fishing.
In about 1904, he was fishing in Cook Strait when a pair of humpback whales broached near his boat, leading him to a bigger quarry.
Perano Head, a jutting headland over Cook Strait, was named after the spot where Joe and two sons whaled for more than 50 years.
Anton, who lived in Blenheim, had two daughters and a son, all under five. His wife of six years, Penny, was last night being supported by her parents, family and friends.
Anton's youngest sister, Sarah Perano said her big brother was the light of many lives. "He was a lovely and very dedicated father to his wife and three children," said Sarah, the youngest of four siblings.
"He was a fun and adventurous brother who enjoyed the outdoors and his garden. He was intelligent and thoughtful and a great guy to be around. He'll be very much missed."
Perano was studying for a Bachelor of Commerce at nightschool while working as a King Salmon farm manager and had completed an exam the day before the crash.
Sarah said the family were close and three siblings hiked up Mt Richmond several months ago. They were planning another family trip, to Perth to visit an aunt.
"We had an amazing Christmas all together with the kids at their house, on the new deck my father had built for them," said Sarah.
"Anton was a real Kiwi bloke. He was a good, decent guy who loved his rugby and league. He even has his own outdoor toilet with Speight's posters. It's his special room. He had a great sense of humour."
Sarah said her brother was qualified to drive the boat but the family hadn't been told if he was doing so on Friday afternoon.
"He's worked for the company for many years and is very safety conscious. He never cuts corners. He wasn't an idiot.
"It's such a freaky accident, not a car accident that happens all the time. It was completely out of the blue.
"I really feel for his wife and kids. He really loved them all."
Relatives of fellow Blenheim resident Climo - also from a strong fishing background - were too distraught to talk last night but a neighbour said he was a "lovely guy".
The Traffic Accident Investigation Commission is working with police and Maritime New Zealand to piece the events together.
The King Salmon fishing boat was allegedly travelling at around 46km/h when it hit the stern of Flightless, which was named Moa before being decommissioned by the Navy.
Owners of waterfront properties spoke of the buzz of activity as emergency crews raced against time to save those on board the runabout.
The owner of Flightless, Picton builder Steve Woledge, was unavailable for comment.
Investigators spent yesterday examining the two boats involved in the incident. "We are still looking at all the avenues, including sun strike, speed, mechanical fault and conditions," Detective Inspector Jason Hillgrove said.
He confirmed one man died on impact and the other as he was being worked on by emergency staff.
Police received a 111 call from someone onboard the salmon boat and the first officers to reach the scene were taken out on private vessels.
Police are still waiting to speak to witnesses, including some of the devastated crew. King Salmon chief executive Paul Steere was flabbergasted by the "freakish nature of the accident". "The boat hit the other boat and they've all fallen forward. They got broken bones and other trauma. They were taken to shore."
Anton had worked for King Salmon for 15 years and Climo for four.
"The message I'm getting from their colleagues is they were passionate about what they did," said Steere. "They all worked so well together."
King Salmon employs about 420 people, about 80 of them in the Marlborough Sounds. Half the fish are sold in New Zealand with the rest exported to Australia, Japan and the US.
Workers were offered counselling yesterday. Professional skipper Denis Payton said some locals had been too quick to blame the accident on speed or sun strike and the boat could have had a steering problem.
"If a throttle or steering cable breaks it's all over before you can react. If a person at the wheel collapses it can take a while to react and sometimes it's too late," said Payton.
"It was a good day here. No wind and a flat sea. It was daylight and it does point to a mechanical fault somewhere."
Police said the post mortems would be completed by the end of today and funeral arrangements had yet to be confirmed.
