Interview with Nick Butt, Boat Captain of Morty's Fast40+ 'Girls on Film'
by Mark Jardine 27 Sep 2016 11:42 BST
27 September 2016
Morty's Girls on Film on day 3 at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week © Paul Wyeth /
www.pwpictures.com
We spoke to Nick Butt, Boat Captain of Peter 'Morty' Morton's Fast 40+ yacht 'Girls on Film' which recently won the One Ton Cup which was raced from Hamble.
Mark: How did you get into the Fast 40+ class?
Nick: I got a phone call from Morty in November time last year, basically asking me if I'd come and work for him. At the time I was running a TP52 that was doing an almost global circuit, and this class meant I could do exactly the same job, but be at home, rather than spend my life travelling. That was the huge appeal to it, then looking at the drawings of the boat, it is basically a mini TP52, so it was bound to be a fun class to sail in.
Mark: The class has gone from zero to having a very healthy circuit in a very short space of time. What was it that you think that got the owners together to get behind the concept?
Nick: I think a 40-foot yacht is an easy boat to manage. Cost-wise it is manageable for a lot of UK boat owners who want to go Grand Prix sailing. It is a lot cheaper than a 52 for example, with limited professionals on board. The fact that one person can look after it, on about a three day a week average means the overall running costs are achievable for a UK-based circuit. Also with the class piggy-backing other events means the fees for the owners are quite limited because the racing format is out there at Easter, the IRC Nationals and other events.
Mark: The class has drawn in a lot of the top sailors both amateur and professional. What is it about sailing the boat that makes it so enjoyable?
Nick: You get wet and it goes quickly - I think it is as simple that. It is taking everyone back to their younger years when they used to sail dinghies. You very much feel the more work you put in, the faster the boat goes.
Mark: Do you see the circuit growing in the UK?
Nick: I can see the circuit potentially nudging on almost 20 boats towards the end of next season.
Mark: There hasn't been a UK circuit of this type for a very long time, the last time probably goes back to the tonner rules. Is this going to be a circuit that can last the test of time?
Nick: I guess that all depends on whether the circuit is sold and goes to the Mediterranean, as another one of the 40-foot circuits that never quite made it in the Mediterranean. Hopefully, the circuit will remain here, if a franchise is sold to the Mediterranean it will be a Mediterranean circuit. Hopefully, we always remain as a UK based Fast 40+ circuit.
Mark: Could that be its downfall, if it decides to go global, as the yachts seem to suit the Solent and that kind of racing?
Nick: I think a lot of these owners, who are here at the moment, are very happy to go sailing on the weekend. Drive down from home on a Friday night or Thursday night and do two or three days of sailing and then drive home on Sunday. I don't think any of these guys want to get into the expense of flying crews around, relocation of boats, logistics of containers and such like. It would take a lot of what we have built into the class away from it - the fact it is friendly, it is low-key, it is high-level but it is fun at the same time. I think when it gets to that stage of finance being spent, it gets a little bit too professional. The dynamics change and it wouldn't be a good thing. I think we will stay with what we have here for a good period of time.
Mark: It is quite a coup getting the One Ton Cup to race for. Do you think the fact you have a prestigious cup like that will attract more owners?
Nick: I think it is bound to. You look at the history of the cup and the type of class it has represented over the years, it is a highly sought after cup. My particular owner had never won it before, he had come second, three or four times! He had won nearly every other Ton Cup there is, but never the One Ton Cup and is was definitely a must-achieve for us this year.
Mark: Lastly, do you think that the Fast 40+ alongside a couple of other classes could lead to a revival of the Admiral's Cup?
Nick: We were having a conversation during Cowes Week on this very subject! I think if the Admiral's Cup ever got reignited, I think you would have to look towards a class rule like this. Just due to the volume of the boats out there right at the moment, it would make an ideal boat to fill that mid-boat slot.
Mark: So maybe a TP52, Fast 40 and a J111?
Nick: Or a C&C30, or something like that, with a young team financed by the other two owners, all under 25 for the little boat for example.
Mark: So this is a conversation that has clearly come up, a case of watch this space?
Nick: I don't know whether it is a case of watch this space, I am just repeating what I heard being discussed around the dinner table of what would make for a good format for the Admiral's Cup.
Mark: Nick, many thanks for your time.
Nick: No worries, thank you.
Find out more about the Fast40+ class at www.fast40class.com