A crowd of more than 800 people have gathered at the QBE stadium in Albany, Auckland to mourn the loss of Nick Saull, who died at sea.
The Auckland father of four was killed on board the Platino yacht after its rigging collapsed, leaving it stranded hundreds of kilometres from New Zealand.
It took rescuers days to retrieve the three remaining survivors and bring Mr Saull's body back.
Friends and family who spoke at the funeral described him as a big man with an even bigger heart, and say the large turnout showed just how much he meant to everyone.
Friends of Mr Saull remembered him as a "humble man", and described him as a good rugby player and "gentle giant".
"One of the most humble men you could ever meet, natural born leader and all the guys on the rugby field just followed him and loved him to bits," his teammate Danny Hemmingway said on social media earlier this month.
Mr Saull's friend, Mark Readman, met him through the local surf club and has known him for a number of years.
He said he was "a gentle giant, that kind of guy who everyone loves".
"He was one of those guys who had a lovely nature, just a real good bloke. He was one of those guys who just gives back. And it's so tragic for us to lose him like that. It's just surreal really."
He said Mr Saull, director of Brin Wilson Boat Builders, was a big player in the Red Beach community where he was from.
"He was involved in rugby clubs and had a nautical background. He had a huge commitment to the surf club in many ways. It's such a difficult time for all the members because Nick was a guy that was just so, so respected."
He said he had four kids who were also all involved in the surf club in some way.
"The family's all absolutely devastated of course and struggling to come to grips with it all."
Newshub.
