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IT is 3am and brothers-in-law Antonio Giner and Piers Dudley-Bateman have just been in contact with family as their eight-metre yacht struggles through four-metre swells and 30-knot gales in Stockton Bight.
They both may be 70-ish, but age is only a number when you have the passion and knowledge of the sea like this pair.
But suddenly, something catastrophic happens.
It is that quick that they cannot send another message, either to their families or authorities.
The last pings from their mobile phones to a tower on Gan Gan Hill, near Nelson Bay, has them between three and five nautical miles south about 3.30am on Friday.
What happened next may never be known.
And that is the mystery surrounding the deaths of the two men, whose bodies were found washed ashore Stockton Beach on Friday afternoon.
Police are investigating whether Mr Giner, 72, from Duns Creek near Paterson, and Mr Dudley-Bateman, 67, of Victoria, were able to get into their tiny dinghy in a frantic attempt to abandon their stricken yacht, possibly after it was swamped.
One of the men was found still wearing his lifejacket while the other was naked, a fairly common scenario when bodies are lost in large churning seas that act like a giant washing machine to rip clothes away.
The dinghy was found on the tide mark at Stockton.
The pair had been cruising up the coast from Broken Bay to North Arm Cove, in Port Stephens, and were planning on hitting their destination about midday on Friday.
Their deaths have sent their families and several communities into deep mourning.
Mr Giner’s wife, Annita, was still coming to terms with losing her husband and brother on Sunday.
Mr Giner was well known in social circles for spreading his Spanish culture. Paterson Tavern owner Nicole Eslick said Mr Giner was a well-liked and charismatic man.
She said she had known him for about 17 years and he had held several successful Spanish-themed events at the tavern.
“He used to cook paella and Spanish tapas and that sort of thing,” Ms Eslick said.
“He had that Hispanic accent and was very jovial and enthusiastic. He was very popular, very charismatic and a lot of fun.”
News of Mr Giner’s death has sent shock waves through the Paterson community.
“We were shocked and in disbelief initially,” Ms Eslick said.
“He was just a great bloke, it’s very sad.
‘‘He will be sorely missed.”
Mr Dudley-Bateman was a celebrated artist, with his work having been exhibited in art galleries in Australia and overseas, including the Red Hill Gallery in Brisbane, Eltham South Fine Art and the Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair.
His art also hangs on the walls of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Melbourne University and the conference room in the Australian embassy in Washington.
Water police continued the search for the men’s yacht on Sunday, with fears it may have overturned but not sunk and could be a hazard to other boats and ships along the busy Stockton Bight.
It may also hold some clues into the last moments of the pair.
