we are posting this for Marilyn DeMartini
Hello!
I am certain that all of you have read or heard about the grossly inaccurate article written by Ms. Hannah Karp last week. As a journalist and PR professional representing Cigarette Racing Team, I could not let this example of hopelessly poor journalism pass without refuting the numerous errors throughout. Though many people have emailed Ms. Karp, thanks to Dave Patenaude's mass email, providing the article and her email address, we felt it was even more important for her editor, and his editor to be so informed, as I am sure Ms. Karp did not share the communiqués she received from the OSO crew!
We at Cigarette have appreciated the supportive--and sometimes humorous--calls and emails we have received from all of you who were as shocked and frustrated as we were by this shoddy reporting. Let's all help keep spreading the good news! Best, Marilyn
Marilyn DeMartini, Inc.
below is the letter that was sent
May 31, 2006
Eben Shapiro, Editor, Weekend Section
The Wall Street Journal
200 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10281
Dear Mr. Shapiro:
When Hannah Karp called to inquire about my client, Cigarette Racing Team™ for her article in The Wall Street Journal, I was delighted to provide press information and copious details about the exciting history of the legendary company and brand, Cigarette. We discussed that much like Kleenex (tissue) and Xerox (copies), the company's name had become identified as the icon for the powerboat industry.
We arranged for a factory tour and a boat ride for Ms. Karp and her friend who would be traveling to South Florida. However, at the last minute, she cancelled her appointment.
I spoke with Ms. Karp again last week, nearly two months later when she called to ask, "What is the loudest boat?" I explained that the new Mercury engines which Cigarette uses in nearly all of its boats are much quieter than most engines and that we do not record decibel numbers. I even referred her to John Haggin, a turbine boat racer who might be able to provide some data on the helicopter engines that are used on some high-performance boats. He recorded 85 decibels. Her 100 decibel figure is not documented, but neither is most of her article.
I was amazed and distressed as it appeared that Ms. Karp had apparently not read the materials sent, nor heard the information that both Skip Braver, president and CEO of Cigarette, and I conveyed in our telephone interviews. She consistently referred to "cigarette boats" and "cigarette boat races" as if they were a generic term, which they are NOT. Cigarette, with a capital C, is the abbreviated name of Cigarette Racing Team, but Ms. Karp seems unaware of the importance of such a trademarked brand name. Her misinformation is again apparent as she uses "Nascar" as a noun, not NASCAR (all in caps), the acronym for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
There are many other inconsistencies and anachronisms in her article and I feel compelled, as a veteran of the sport of powerboat racing and recreational performance boating to clarify these points so corrections can be posted for your readers--especially since this article was picked up by various media, including Miami's
www.herald.com, who obviously thought since it was written in The Wall Street Journal that it was factual. I regretfully show that is not so.
Cigarette Racing Team, L.L.C. 4355 NW 128th Street, Opa-Locka, FL 33054-5123
305-931-4564 – fax 305-769-4355 –
www.cigaretteracing.com –
mdemartini@cigaretteracing.com
In her lead, Ms. Karp identifies the wealth and prestige (or "conspicuous consumption") associated with a "cigarette boat"--which if she had identified it by brand, Cigarette, would have been correct. However, she quickly makes an association with "cigarette-boat races" which do not exist. Offshore Powerboat Racing is an exciting sport, but is related to pleasure boating like a Sunday drive is to a NASCAR race. They are totally different factions of international industries and sports.
Ms. Karp notes a 20% increase in recent sales (though she does not site the source for her statistic), then later talks about "flat or declining sales" in the $9 billion industry--factually, $9.4 billion if she had sited the National Marine Manufacturers Association's 2005 statistics.
Ms. Karp's reporting of the concerns of waterfront residents regarding boating is verified and those issues are heard and addressed by the entire marine industry. However, in addition to quoting Ms. Mansfield of North Carolina who states, "I complain into my cocktail" about the "roar of Nascar," did Ms. Karp ever think of interviewing one of the avid fans at the SBI/APBA race she attended in Marathon, Florida-or any of the other venues on the powerboat racing circuits?--fans who adore the roar of engines and come to follow their favorite race teams and to be a part of the excitement that the boats and racers bring to a community? Apparently not, as she was too involved, critiquing the awards party or attendance of the Tampa Bay Cheerleaders who added to the festivity of the event. Yes Ms. Karp, sex does sell-especially in the $9.4 billion powerboat market-which is just a niche of the overall marine market.
Again, Ms. Karp fails to differentiate between racing and recreational powerboating. Most boats do not go 170 mph. Even the "Super" classes of race boats are restricted by rules and engine configurations to maximum speeds of 140 mph-for safety and parity. Some classes are even speed-bracketed so racers cannot go beyond the speed designated for their classes. While some performance boats are built to exceed the speeds of race boats, it is a small percentage of the market and due to water conditions--or comfort levels--boaters do not run consistently at full speed. It is a momentary thrill that those who choose to do so are justified in loving-and affording. It compares to the sports or muscle car aficionado who likes to "soup up" an engine for the sheer enjoyment of the ability to do so. Whether or not you share an appreciation for speed, the international automotive and boating past-time is in most places, entirely legal.
And while Ms. Karp notes that some racers are professionals and some are "weekend warriors," journalistic research would show that both powerboat racing sanctioning bodies have a very small percentage of racers who are paid to participate. Most are die-hard enthusiasts who race for the love of the sport--a venerable sport that started in the early 1900's with legends like Gar Wood and Chris Smith of Chris Craft fame. The sport had not "popped up overseas in the 1960's" as reported. Nor did Don Aronow, the legend who built the basis for the American powerboat industry, "start a racing
circuit to test designs for his company." Don Aronow built soundly constructed powerboats under the corporation "Cigarette Racing Team" (named for a rum runner's boat) and won countless titles and records from the company's inception in 1969. He retired from the sport in 1971 but his reputation as the founder of Thunderboat Row endures.
Yes, the sport was then a test of endurance as quoted by racing veteran John Kenyon, but shortening the race courses and bringing them closer to shore was not an action to "give corporate sponsors in the VIP's tents a better look at their investments"--it was part of powerboat racing's late 1990's marketing strategy to bring the sport closer to the fans. And if "the aura may have faded a bit," why have 27.5 million Americans reportedly gone powerboating--the largest number in 10 years and a 20% increase since 2004? Interesting that the National Sporting Goods Association was quoted-certainly a good source for sportswear and equipment, but why not quote the National Marine Manufacturers Association as well? The marine trade association's figures show that "recreational boating participation increased an estimated 300,000 in 2004, to 69 million, from 68.7 million in 2003."
Regarding sales of powerboats, where did Ms. Karp find Freshwatermarine.com, a site I cannot even find on the internet, as a news source, rather than Pier 57 or Lake Cumberland Marine, two of the largest performance boat dealers in the country?--or Ocean Performance, a dealer in Connecticut, near Lake Winnipesauke, New Hampshire where a speed restriction was recently voted down?
Again, regarding racing, Ms. Karp has misinterpreted information. She says that OSS has prize money and sobriety tests--but so does SBI/APBA. In addition, the "hard tops," or canopies in marine vernacular, are visible in both sanctioning bodies--a safety factor for larger, faster boats, but not a requirement in the Factory, or Production Classes, which give boaters the opportunity to race their recreational boats--for fun and competition. Both sanctioning bodies incorporate many safety systems and regulations.
Perhaps the most humorous of Ms. Karp's malapropisms is stating, "...Fountain Powerboat Industries...accounts for about half the cigarette-boat market..." I can just picture Reggie Fountain gritting his teeth! Fountain, a legend in his own rite, has spent a lifetime and fortune creating his own powerboat empire, built on his winning racing record. Meanwhile, Aronow is rolling--laughing--in his grave!
The closing quote from a racer who commented that, "These aren't boats you put mufflers on" is correct--for most race boats. The industry, however, has made great strides in changing technology--including mufflers--so that engine noise is reduced and complies with new regulations--just as racing has complied with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regulations pertaining to endangered species on the race courses.
While Ms. Karp paints her own picture, powerboaters are not just a wild bunch of speed-freaks who care nothing about the environment, their neighbors or the rising cost of fuel. Rather, boaters live on the waterfront, appreciate the waters in which they enjoy their sport and spend their money in pursuit of their own pleasures. Is this "politically incorrect?" We think not. So while you are entitled to your opinion Ms. Karp, your article should have been in the "Editorial" section-not in the "Weekend" news section.
I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you regarding your suggestions to correct the errors in this article. Please feel free to contact me at 954-564-7234 at your earliest convenience. We appreciate your timely attention.
Sincerely,
Marilyn DeMartini
Director, Public Relations
Cigarette Racing Team™
CC: Bill Grueskin, Managing Editor, The Wall Street Journal
Hannah Karp
Platinum Member
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