Why does this name sound familiar?
Has he posted to the NG?

********

Hello,

Recently named grand prize winner of West Marine's Great Fall
Give-A-Way,
retired government official of 30 years and Captain, Joe Karpinski, of
Alexandria, Virginia used his first months of fall to brush up on the
basics of
open ocean cruising. Last month he and his team set sail amid a fleet
of 75
boats competing in his third Caribbean 1500 Cup, a seven-12 day passage

from Hampton, Virginia to Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands.

Please see below for the release in its entirety. Should you have any
questions or require additional materials, please contact me directly
at
415.399.1002.

Thanks,
Sam Curley for West Marine


MEDIA CONTACTS:
Samantha Curley
Purple Door Communications
415.399.1002

Laurie Fried
West Marine
831.761.6944


CAPTAIN JOE KARPINSKI OF ALEXANDRIA WINS WEST MARINE'S GREAT FALL
GIVE-A-WAY
Contest Winner Launches on Two Month Voyage from US to Caribbean

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (December 6, 2006) - Recently named grand prize
winner of West Marine's Great Fall Give-A-Way, retired government
official of
30 years and Captain, Joe Karpinski, of Alexandria, Virginia used his
first
months of fall to brush up on the basics of open ocean cruising. Last
month
he and his team set sail amid a fleet of 75 boats competing in his
third
Caribbean 1500 Cup, a seven-12 day passage from Hampton, Virginia to
Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands.

"Sail and open ocean cruising are my hobbies and my passions since
college
so I'm thrilled to be the winner of West Marine's Great $2,500
Give-A-Way,"
said Captain Karpinski. "My only regret is finding out just as I set
sail for the
Caribbean. Like any West Marine customer that loves boating, I want to
shop
now!"

As his grand prize Captain Karpinski will receive a $2,500 gift card to
spend at
any of West Marine's retail stores, on the web at westmarine.com, via
catalog or by calling 1-800-BOATING. During initial shopping sprees,
Karpinski
says he plans to accumulate electronics and other merchandise needed on
his
next offshore sail.

"In the spirit of making boating more fun, we're pleased to recognize
this
valued customer as the winner of West Marine's Great $2,500
Give-A-Way,"
added Peter Harris, chief executive officer, West Marine. "We hope that

Captain Karpinski continues to sail year after year and that West
Marine can
service all of his future boating needs."

About West Marine
West Marine, the ....(snip)
###

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent to . If you no longer wish to
receive email from us, please follow the link below or copy and paste
the entire link into your browser.
http://www.xmr3.com/rm/1109943-27951...ol.com/HCS7AAD