Nick Roberts has waited more than two decades for this. Now he’s going back to the Sydney to Hobart as owner and skipper, and he’s building toward it the hard way.
There are easier ways to spend a summer than preparing for one of the toughest ocean races in the world. For Auckland-based sailor Nick Roberts, that’s never really been the point.
Ākonga’s campaign to the 2026 Sydney Hobart
His 2026 campaign spans five races across New Zealand and Australia, each one chosen deliberately: the Three Kings Race, the Coastal Classic, the Cabbage Tree Island Race, the Bird Island Race, and finally the Sydney to Hobart itself. A deliberate progression.
“This campaign is about building toward something that’s been a long-standing personal goal,” Roberts says. “To complete my tenth Sydney to Hobart, and to do it as owner and skipper.”
Why the Sydney to Hobart?
“I’ve been sailing for 52 years,” Roberts says. “My dad first took me out when I was two, strapped into a car seat in a leaking wooden Bluebird on Sydney Harbour.”
His childhood unfolded on the water from there, windsurfing and dinghy sailing out of Balmoral Sailing Club. At 13, he watched the Sydney to Hobart start on television and felt something settle into place.
“I remember seeing the maxi yachts launching out of waves, the bowmen working the foredeck, and thinking: that will be me one day.”
Four years later, at 17 and only weeks out of school, he was on the start line. Nine races followed. The last was in 2004. Now, more than two decades on, he returns, this time in charge.
Ākonga, the Dehler 41
At the centre of the campaign is Ākonga, a Dehler 41 cruiser-racer designed by Judel/Vrolijk. Since acquiring the boat in 2022, Roberts has put serious miles under her: a solo passage through Fiji and New Caledonia, first in the Two-Handed Division of the Three Kings Race in 2024, and extensive short-handed offshore racing including the Northern Triangle and the 2026 Round North Island Race. He knows this boat. That familiarity is part of the plan.
The crew reflects the same philosophy. Long-time two-handed partner Max Livingstone brings tens of thousands of offshore miles and a calm presence forged over decades at sea. Navigator Andrew Hall of Sail IQ combines international short-handed experience with an intimate knowledge of Ākonga‘s sails. On the bow is Ryan Mills, stepping into his first Sydney to Hobart.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Roberts says. “I still remember the trust and opportunity I was given when I did my first Hobart. To now offer that to Ryan, it’s pretty special. As two-handed sailors we do everything, including the bow. Having a specialist bowman on board is a bit of a luxury.”
A fifth crew member is still being sought, someone with the cultural fit and the ability to drive the boat at the level the race demands.
“We’re not professionals,” Roberts says. “But we’re committed sailors with broad experience. We trust each other, we focus on safety and seamanship, and we make sure we’re enjoying it.”
“We’ve done a lot of miles short-handed in very competitive fleets,” Roberts says. “To now bring that experience together as a team and take on this race, it’s exciting. We’re targeting the cruiser-racer division. That’s where this boat belongs, and we think we can be competitive there.”
Chasing the tenth Sydney Hobart
What Roberts understands, after nine starts and a lifetime offshore, is that the Sydney to Hobart has a way of reducing everything to its essentials. Position, tactics, weather routing: all of it matters until the moment it doesn’t, and something more fundamental takes over.
“At 3am in Bass Strait, you’re not thinking about results. You’re thinking about the next wave, the next decision, and looking after your crew. The thing people don’t understand about the Sydney to Hobart is that it’s not just a race. It’s a test of judgement.”
Success, as he defines it, isn’t a finishing position.
“Success for us is lining up, executing our plan, and finishing the race proud of how we sailed and how we worked as a team.”
And somewhere out there, deep in the night, with the boat driving hard and the pressure on, there will be a moment that brings it all into focus. A lifetime of sailing. A team brought together. And a goal, finally within reach.
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