A daredevil skipper who trailed behind super yachts in his rubber dinghy during the Sydney to Hobart race broke down as he passed through the finish line.
Nathan Rykers, from Miranda, south Sydney, was an unofficial entrant in the iconic race and was labelled a fool for attempting to navigate the 40ft waves in his tiny one-man boat.
But the determined swashbuckler successfully arrived at Hobart’s Constitution Dock three days after setting off on Boxing Day – and his relief was palpable as he broke down in tears at the end.
Nathan Rykers, (pictured) from Miranda, south Sydney, was an unofficial entrant in the iconic race and was labelled a fool for attempting to navigate the 40ft waves in his tiny one-man boat
But the determined swashbuckler successfully arrived at Hobart’s Constitution Dock three days after setting off on Boxing Day – and his relief was palpable as he broke down in tears at the finish line
Heartwarming footage obtained by Seven News shows Mr Rykers sobbing on the phone while still sitting inside the tiny dinghy he spent several gruelling nights aboard.
In a spectacular fashion Mr Rykers managed to tackle the notoriously rough seas and follow behind $15million super yachts in his boat named ‘Zodiac’.
It was 20ft shorter than the smallest yacht in the race and had only 50 horsepower.
With only two EPIRBs, 200 litres of fuel and his GoPro as company, Mr Rykers proved his doubters wrong as he battled monster waves and cold, lonely nights.
In a spectacular fashion Mr Rykers (pictured) managed to tackle the notoriously ough seas and follow behind $15million super yachts in his boat named ‘Zodiac’
With only two EPIRBs, 200 litres of fuel and his GoPro as company, Mr Rykers proved his doubters wrong as he battled monster waves and cold, lonely nights
When asked why he decided to enter the competition, he simply said: ‘Just to see what it was like to battle the famous Sydney to Hobart.’
It certainly wasn’t all smooth sailing and the amateur yachtsman admitted to almost giving up and heading back to shore.
Reduced to tears, he told reporters ’40ft waves at 3:00 in the morning’ was the most difficult hurdle during his three-day journey.
However Mr Rykers was self-assured and believed he was capable of playing with the big ships during the heartstopping race.
‘I have researched this very thoroughly for quite a long time,’ he told Seven News.
The determined skipper set off along with super yachts to travel the 1,170km route to Hobart
Australian Supermaxi yacht Black Jack heading to Hobart during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race
Sydney Hobart Yacht Wild Oats on the River Derwent at the finish line (Pictured)
The Sydney to Hobart race traditionally sees yachts of many sizes sail the 1,170km route to the Tasmania capital from Sydney Harbour over a three-day period.
LDV Comanche was declared line honours winner of the 2017 yacht race after its protest against Wild Oats XI was upheld.
Before the appeal, Wild Oats XI appeared to have smashed the race record in claiming provisional line honours for the ninth time after a dramatic finish.
The official race organisers took to Twitter to explain their decision, saying Wild Oats XI ‘failed to keep clear while tacking’, and was penalised by one hour as a result.