Bruce Guy and Phil Skeggs were neighbours in a quiet cul-de-sac at Riverside.
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They shared the same back fence. It was a love of sailing that brought the two men together.
They died on Sunday as crewmates after their yacht, Business Post- Naiad, dismasted and capsized in ferocious conditions at the entrance to Bass Strait on the second day of the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race.
Mr Guy, 51, was the skipper of the yacht, living his dream of steering his own boat in the legendary blue water classic.
Regarded as a meticulous sailor and one of the characters of the Tasmanian yachting fraternity, Mr Guy is believed to have suffered a heart attack.
He is survived by his wife Ros and children Mark, 26, and Karen, 25.
``Dad loved sailing. He loved the competition. He also loved a beer and a talk after the race. Dad simply loved life,'' Mark said yesterday from the family's home.
Mr Skeggs, 35, was competing in his first Sydney- to-Hobart.
A well- known country footballer, he had taken up sailing about three years ago.
Mr Skeggs is understood to have drowned when Business Post-Naiad, a 11.9m Farr 40 yacht, rolled a second time.
He was married to Stephanie and the couple had two children, Kirsty, 9, and Joshua, 6.
Mr Skeggs' brother Geoffrey said that Phil had not been worried about encountering rough weather in Bass Strait.
``No, no. He's a solid sort of a bloke, he didn't worry. He could swim well. The safety equipment they have on the boat is unbelievable. It just sounds like a freak accident on the water,'' Mr Skeggs said.
The other seven crew members of Business Post-Naiad were airlifted by helicopter from the boat at 8am yesterday about 50 nautical miles off the far southern NSW town of Merimbula. They were treated at the Merimbula local hospital.
The other crew members are Mr Guy's nephew Tony Guy (Invermay), Rob Matthews (Riverside), Jim Rogers (Legana) and Matt Sherriff (Hobart) and North-West sailors Steve Walker, Peter Keats and Shayne Hansen.
Bruce Guy was one of Northern Tasmania's most competent sailors.
He had competed in two previous Sydney-to- Hobart races (1975,1994), six Melbourne-to- Devonport races and six Melbourne-to-Hobart races.
He competed in many other ocean races in Bass Strait and was a veteran of the Australian Three Peaks Race, having competed in all 10 of the gruelling Tasmanian events.
He was navigator on the West Tamar yacht Hazadatas, which won the 1991 Three Peaks.
This year, Mr Guy finally won the Three Peaks in his own boat, Business Post- Naiad, which he had owned since 1994. He regarded that win as one of his proudest moments in yachting.
Mark Guy, an elite triathlete, often sailed in races with his father but training commitments kept him from competing in this year's Sydney to Hobart.
``Dad has always been there for mum, my sister Karen and myself,'' Mark said.
``He has given me unbelievable support in everything I have done. He believed in me.''
A third- generation sailor, Mr Guy learned to sail from his parents' waterfront home at Kelso Bay on the West Tamar.
He passed on that love of the water to his children.
``When I was a kid, Dad travelled all over Australia with Karen and I while we sailed sabots in the national championships,'' Mark said.
General manager of the Launceston company Davies Shepherd, Mr Guy also played football with the Beauty Point and Longford clubs and was a central umpire with the Northern Tasmanian Football Association and many other country associations in the North for 20 years.
``Dad will be missed by many, many people,'' Mark said.
Phil Skeggs was a locksmith at Jacksons Security in Launceston.
His parents Joe, a retired Launceston police sergeant, and Beryl live in Norwood.
Geoffrey Skeggs said that his younger brother was well-known for playing football with the East Launceston, Rocherlea, Evandale and Bridgenorth clubs.
``He was an unbelievable kind of fella, a real good guy,'' Mr Skeggs said.
Mr Skeggs said that Phil was a skilled sailor who had competed in many ocean races, including the recent Melbourne- to-Stanley race which was won by Business Post-Naiad with Mr Guy at the helm.
Phil Skeggs had been looking forward to his first Sydney to Hobart race.
``I was talking to him (Phil) on Christmas Day in Sydney and he said they'd had a good trip up and couldn't wait to start the trip back,'' Mr Skeggs said.
Stephanie Skeggs was being comforted by her parents Dave and Gay Ross at their Ravenswood home yesterday.
Karen Guy arrived in Launceston yesterday after catching a flight from her home in Melbourne.
