Tucker Thompson is bringing the sport of sailing to the masses, and in the process could help city leaders bring more events like the recent J/22 world championship races to the area.

Mr. Tucker and his partner, Bruce Nairn, operate T2 Productions, an Annapolis-based company that produces videos of sailing races and shows them as soon as the boat reaches the dock. T2 targets the "non-mainstream" side of the sport, Mr. Thompson said.

"We're not producing shows for the America's Cup or Volvo. In that way, T2 has a niche market no one else is addressing," he said.

The company started as a marketing venture, trying to gain publicity for sponsors of sailing events.

"Promoting the sport of sailing in the media has always been a challenge, particularly (getting) video coverage," Mr. Thompson said.

Over the last several years, the company has developed a niche in video production. It can produce a show ready for immediate viewing when sailors hit the dock.

Mr. Thompson and Mr. Nairn are both sailors by trade. Three years ago the two decided to offer racing sponsors increased exposure and marketing value with the idea that videos on the sport of sailing would be quite an important vehicle at regattas.

"We found the hardest thing to do was to explain to corporate America the value of sailing," said Mr. Thompson. "No amount of words or pictures could actually explain the emotions of sailing. We needed video."

So the two produced a video using footage from the Volvo Ocean Race stay in Baltimore, and used it to sign Marriott Corp. as their first client.

Around the same time - the summer of 2001 - investment banker Dick Franyo was preparing to open the Boatyard Bar and Grill, which he envisioned as a hangout for the sailing community.

He wanted to film the Annapolis Yacht Club Wednesday Night Races, and show them in the bar in the evenings.

"I was thinking I was going to do it," he said, but after talking to Mr. Thompson and Mr. Nairn he decided to partner with them, buying a powerboat that the two use to tape and produce the segments.

"It really has been a great partnership," said Mr. Franyo. "We've helped them, and they've helped us."

The company's goal is to be a one-stop shop for sailing media, offering still photographs and videos. His company makes the footage, along with commentary, interviews and sponsored commercials, available for on-demand viewing on its Web site. The Internet side of the business, in particular, is "starting to really take off," Mr. Thompson said.

T2 also offers instructional videos, on-site announcing at regatta events, and video advertisements. The company's footage has also been shown on Europe's Sailing Channel and on the Hard Water high- definition cable channel in the United States.

The sailing community hopes to use the publicity to attract more events to the area.

"We use the film boat to take people out every week," said Mr. Franyo. "We take people out who we think should know more about Wednesday night racing. Last year we invited the whole City Council."

City officials also have taken trips on the boat to see how the process works and help them attract more business to the so-called sailing capital of the world.

The videos, said Mr. Franyo, give city visitors a chance to see what goes on in the sport if they don't have access to the bay.

To get the footage, Mr. Thompson describes himself as something of a "one-man band," driving the 21-foot powerboat while narrating the action through a headset with a microphone, looking at scores and competitor lists and checking wind shifts.

Mr. Nairn, meanwhile, watches the up-close maneuvering and does the production work. It's essential they get everything right the first time, because there is no editing.

"Bruce and Tucker are such accomplished sailors they always know where to be," said Franyo.

"(The sailors) know that they know as much as they do, so they let them come right up, literally 4 feet away from the race. They won't get in the way. Anyone else, the sailors would be yelling at you to move."

Right now, Mr. Thompson and Nairn are T2's only employees. Camera work and other functions are contracted out. That's likely to change, however, as business continues to pick up.

In addition to the Annapolis area races, T2 heads to New England, Florida and the Caribbean to film events, which are made available for downloading on the company Web site and shipped overnight for viewing at the Boatyard and the AYC.

---



Nora Macaluso is a freelance writer living in Crownsville.

- No Jumps-

Published June 07, 2004, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2004 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.