[ad_1]
Julian Yates was on his way to see his mother when a trailer loaded with glass panels came off a pickup and crashed into his vehicle.
The popular 52-year-old cruise ship captain and father of two from Akaroa, on Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula, was killed instantly.
Emergency services were called for the three-vehicle accident on State Highway 7 (Weka Pass Rd) in Hurunui, North Canterbury, at 12:10 pm on Friday.
Stuff understands Tim Miller was driving the truck down State Highway 7 when the trailer came off the tow bar and collided with Yates’s truck.
CASSANDRA KOVACS / Avenues
Skipper Julian Yates spent 10 years guiding nature cruises for Black Cat Cruises in the port of Akaroa.
READ MORE:
* Fewer Hector’s dolphin sightings in Canterbury raises concerns
* The tug of war for Akaroa cruises threatens jobs
* Cruise ship Akaroa spots Hector’s first dolphin calf of the season
* Working in the twin ports of Canterbury
Yates’ son, Rhodry Yates, 26, said Stuff He was having dinner with a close family friend when he turned on his phone and saw that his boss had been trying to reach him. Her sister, Saskia Yates, 28, had also left a message saying “please call me.”
“My stomach turned over, something in me knew something was terribly wrong.
“She said Dad was on his way to Oma’s in Hawarden, someone’s trailer came off, there was a collision and he didn’t survive.”
From the moment he learned of the accident, he decided there was no one to blame, he said.
“It’s no one’s fault, of course, there may have been human negligence involved, whatever led to that circumstance, maybe a bolt wasn’t in place or something wasn’t screwed in or something wasn’t right for that to come out.
SUPPLIED
Rhodry Yates and his father, Julian Yates.
“I am sure that whoever is in the line of fire will be heavy-hearted and going through an absolute crisis of guilt and I don’t want to add anything else. I would love to talk to that person, there will be feelings of anger and sadness, but without guilt ”.
The truck and trailer are understood to be the property of the company Miller works for.
Miller released a statement through his attorney Sunday: “I am incredibly upset about this unintended and unforeseen accident and my thoughts are with the family of the deceased.”
He said he could not comment further at this time.
CASSANDRA KOVACS / Avenues
Julian Yates shared his knowledge of the port of Akaroa with more than 100,000 passengers.
Yates, a father of two, would go out of his way to support anyone he could, his son said.
“He was generous beyond the limits of what could be expected of another person, with his time and his love.
“He was a radiant and compassionate man and he was a great joker. It influenced many people in many positive ways. For me, he was more than just my father, he was my best friend and my number one partner in life. “
Yates was a musician and played the saxophone alongside his son at an open mic earlier this year. He was also passionate about conservation, particularly Hector’s dolphins.
“He brought such an amazing and unique quality wherever he went. He was the first to get on the dance floor and dance, silly as it seemed. Nothing would stop him from being himself. “
He was a “man of the sea” and was the chief patron of nature cruises run by Banks Peninsula’s tour company, Black Cat Cruises.
“It brought so much joy to every cruise,” said Rhodry Yates.
Saskia Yates said that words couldn’t do her father justice.
SUPPLIED
Rhodry Yates, left, with his father, Julian Yates, who died in an accident near Weka Pass on Friday.
“There is nothing I can say that feels adequate to explain what a person he was and what an amazing man he was.
“It just serves as a reminder that you assume that people will be around much longer, and sometimes not, and I think it’s important for everyone to appreciate who they have in life, whether it’s friends or family.”
Black Cat CEO Paul Milligan said Stuff Yates would be “deeply missed”.
“I was just genuinely enjoying what I was doing, and it showed every day.
“Ten years of doing multiple trips a day, and every time I went out I gave it 100 percent.
“It’s a small community in Akaroa and a small team in Black Cat there, so there are a lot of people who are feeling very sad right now. It will take some time to fully understand it. “
His passion for the harbor and its marine life was unsurpassed, Milligan said.
STACY SQUIRES / Stuff
Julian Yates was killed in the three-vehicle crash at the Weka Pass on Friday.
“His genuinely positive outlook and colorful personality mean that his loss will be felt not only by the Black Cat family, but also by the wider Akaroa community with which he was heavily involved.”
Yates grew up in the Methven area, where his father developed Pudding Hill Lodge at the foot of Mt Hutt.
In an interview for Avenues magazine in 2018, Yates said her love of the sea stemmed from family vacations in the Marlborough Sounds, where days were spent exploring bays on a small boat.
He trawled for 11 years as a way to finance his dream of pilot training, before spending a stint driving water taxis in Abel Tasman National Park.
The desire for a less seasonal job led him to a job driving the Diamond Harbor Ferry, and after the February 2011 earthquake, he began to be a Black Cat skipper in Akaroa.
Yates was a “fantastic” member of the team, Milligan said, leading “exceptional” cruises day after day, one enjoyed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who was briefly allowed to take the wheel by the skipper.
“He had many close connections in Lyttelton, as well as Akaroa, so he was well known and loved throughout the peninsula.”
Stuff
Dolphin watching in Akaroa harbor is a great tourist attraction.
Yates gave himself the nickname “Capitano Juliano,” despite having no Italian heritage, Milligan said, and he played in a band and flew gliders outside of work, as well as enjoying nature and the great outdoors at every opportunity. .
But it was his job in Akaroa Harbor, bringing the wonders of its volcanic cliffs, coves and waterfalls, its Hector’s dolphins, seals and white-finned penguins, to thousands of visitors that gave him lasting joy and led him to rate his work as the best he has ever had.
He said Avenues: “I am fascinated by what I am showing people and I find that the more I know, the more I have to draw on.
“When I get home from work today, I will cross the beach to swim. I live and work in such a beautiful place. “
Some of Black Cat Cruises ‘voyages from Akaroa will be affected this week as the team takes the time to celebrate Yates’ life, the company said.
