Duncan Johnstone.

Friendship is the key for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, reports

Burling and Tuke ... it’s impossible to mention one without the other. They go together like bacon and eggs, salt and pepper, Bond and Murray.

And like their Olympic rowing counterparts, they enter the controversial Rio waters the hottest of favourites across the 10 yachting classes.

There’s more to this combination than just undoubted talent that has already earned them an Olympics silver medal, an unprecedented four consecutive world titles in the tricky 49er class, world sailor of the year title, and a professional contract that sees them crucial to Team New Zealand’s hopes of winning the America’s Cup in Bermuda next year.

In these days of high performance units and space-age technology, their success and remarkable boat speed isn’t all about rocket science. A lot of it is based on a most basic human element. Over the course of eight years together, sailing’s perfect partnership has also developed into the strongest of friendships.

Put simply, these two guys are the best of mates. There’s a trust in each other to go with their sixth senses of wind and water that sets them apart from even the very good sailors. And they believe it will be crucial to their chances of going one better than they managed in London four years ago.

These two go way back. After Burling finished 11th in his Olympics debut in the 470s with Carl Evans at Beijing 2008, the ambitious teenager looked for a new partner as he stepped up to the demanding skiff class. He’d known Tuke from youth sailing and fired off an email seeking out his interest. The reply came quickly and was positive. They’ve never looked back.

‘‘Over those years we haven’t just been partners on the boat, we’re good mates as well and I think that really helps when the pressure comes on,’’ Tuke said. ’’We’ll see that over the next couple of weeks when we come under the pump. If you have to put down a good performance, you draw from the fact that you have spent a lot of time together and been through some pretty fun times and tough times too.

‘‘There’s no one else I’d want to be travelling around the world sailing together with than Pete.’’

The feeling is mutual. Says Burling: ‘‘Our friendship makes it really easy. I couldn’t imagine doing this with someone you didn’t get along well with.’’

The pair estimate they live out of each others pockets for more than 300 days a year, travelling the globe contesting international regattas and completing demanding training schedules on home waters. Even when they are home, their links extend beyond working the tiller and sail ropes. If the surf is on, you’ll often find them paddling out together to ride the waves.

‘‘We have a lot of the same hobbies and that makes it easier. We get on really well and we end up spending a lot of our down time together as well,’’ Burling said.

But they’ll also seek their own time, Tuke, 27, heading north to his family home in Kerikeri and Burling, 25, to his in Tauranga. The seaside bases and supportive families have been central to their love of the ocean.

‘‘We are realistic. We know we have to be balanced and we will spend time apart when we want to. We enjoy hanging out together but at the same time when you spend almost the whole year together, you have to have your own time.’’

But don’t be fooled. This hasn’t all been plain sailing. While Tuke says there haven’t been any ‘‘big clashes’’ they’ve had to iron out some things along the way. Communication has been the key to keeping things on an even keel.

‘‘If there is something that is annoying us or we think we can improve on, we’re not afraid to speak up and I think it’s important to do that. Otherwise, when you spend that amount of time together, that ‘something’ will just build up. We have always been good at getting things out in the open and we’re happy to take each other’s feedback,’’ Tuke said.

Like-minded they may be but they are also differing personalities which often helps the chemistry of successful relationships. Tuke is more outspoken though Burling has grown increasingly comfortable with the recognition and demands that come with their success.

Their air of invincibility took an unexpected dent when their remarkable run of 27 consecutive titles at major regattas came to an end at a warm-up event in Rio last month. But they’ve brushed that off. They used the truncated event for some last minute trials on equipment. They’ve also got a monkey off their back before the big event.

‘‘Yeah, we got beaten over a couple of days,’’ shrugs Tuke. ’’We’ll take that and we’ll learn a lot. We are already in better shape for it. The learnings we got from some of the things we didn’t execute on those couple of days are probably more important result was.’’

Concurs Burling: ‘‘Like we have said all along, we are not really worried about that record, we are all about trying to get gold at the Olympics.

‘‘We have done a lot of yachting over the last few years and with that Team New Zealand stuff we are a lot better yachties than we were four years ago in London.

‘‘In this sport you are really learning a lot as you go and we are still developing. That will continue through this event. But I’m really happy with where we are at the moment. We’ll be ready on the day.’’

Burling and Tuke aren’t alone with their ‘‘power of two’’. New Zealand’s best yachting medal chances in Rio appear to be in the double-handed crews.

Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie have a similarly strong bond that brought them gold in the women’s 470 four years ago and they will be strong contenders again in a fleet that has tightened. And youngsters Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech have proven highly competitive in the 49erFX class that has raised hopes of a podium finish in the exciting new women’s skiff. than what the