A FORMER harbour chief killed in a horrific bike smash on the A9 had taken up motorcycling only recently.
Nigel Mills, 55, was riding his 1,000cc Kawasaki KLZ with his wife Trish on the pillion when they were involved in a collision with a car on the Thurso-Inverness stretch of the notorious road.
Friends said the former ship’s captain and director of harbours in Orkney was a “dedicated, loyal and hard-working” father of three who had taken up motorcycling only about a year ago.
Mrs Mills, who looks after elderly people in Orkney, was seriously injured and is being treated in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.
It is understood she suffered a fractured pelvis and two broken legs in Thursday night’s crash at the Catalina junction leading to Alness Point Business Park.
The couple, who have three sons, were understood to be heading to Aberdeen to visit friends before going on to a motorbike show. They had been due to return to Orkney today.
Tributes were paid to Captain Mills, who retired about two years ago from his post as harbours director and lived at Tankerness.
Orkney Islands Council chief executive Alistair Buchan said: “Nigel was a dedicated, loyal and hard-working colleague who achieved much in his time as director of harbours in what was a particularly challenging time for the service.
“He will be sorely missed and our thoughts go out to all of his family at this tragic and very sad time.”
Former colleague Michael Morrison, business development manager for Orkney harbours, said friends had been “devastated” by the tragedy.
“A lot of us did not realise that he had got into motorbikes,” he said. “We think this was about a year ago.
“He was well known in the islands through his high-profile job as director of harbours and everyone was shocked to hear of his death.
“I believe his wife Trish was really quite badly injured and I was told she broke her pelvis and both legs. She is also well known in the community through her job looking after the elderly.”
Police have appealed for witnesses to the collision, which happened shortly before 9pm on Thursday.
The driver of the car is believed to have escaped serious injury.
The road was closed for more than six hours while officers from Dingwall investigated.
As director of harbours with Orkney Islands Council from August 2001, Capt Mills was responsible for the safe and cost-effective operation of the ports and harbours, including the oil port of Scapa Flow, and the passage of about 75 cruise liners and 30,000 passengers that visit the islands every year.
He had been operations manager with the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh from 1996-2001.
In this role, he was in charge of the maintenance of all floating aids to navigation around the Scottish coast and provided the board’s navigation committee with expert advice.
Between 1993 and 1996, Capt Mills was marine superintendent for Shetland Islands Council’s inter-island ferry service.
His long and varied career at sea also included stints with companies such as BP, Ugland, Walhams and Denholms.
Capt Mills was a council member of the British Ports Association.
The crash happened just 10 minutes before a TV documentary was screened about life and death on the A9.
The collision scene is close to where five people were trapped in the wreckage of a two-car crash in December.
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