West Marine just got a special award for supporting our troops....

WEST MARINE HONORED WITH THE PATRIOT AWARD
FOR EXCEPTIONAL SUPPORT OF THE MEN AND WOMEN IN THE MILITARY

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (January 9, 2007) - Today, West Marine announced
that it has been given the Patriot Award by the Department of Defense,
for
exceptional support of employees in the military. West Marine and Store

Manager Dean Barillaro will be honored at a banquet on Saturday,
January
27th, 2007 in Greensboro, North Carolina, for outstanding support of
the
North Carolina Army National Guard along with SPC Meredith Miller, a
National
Guard soldier and West Marine associate.

Dean Barillaro, Store Manager for the Washington, North Carolina
location
noted "West Marine is a big advocate of hiring former and active
military
personnel. SPC Meredith Miller is a valued Associate and demonstrates
discipline, attention to detail, and tremendous follow-through which
are
attributes she learned in her Army National Guard training. SPC Miller
has been
a tremendous asset to our store and to our company."

West Marine, the country's favorite retailer of boating supplies and
accessories, was started by Randy Repass in a garage in Sunnyvale, CA
in
1968. Today, West Marine has nearly 400 stores and carries more than
50,000 products available in its stores, on the Internet at
westmarine.com
and by calling 1-800-BOATING.

"I decided from the beginning that I wanted to take care of our
customers
and our Associates" said Randy Repass, Founder, West Marine. "That is
the
foundation of our company."

SPC Miller noted, "Since I am a full time college student and an active

member of the North Carolina Army National Guard, I needed an employer
who
would be flexible and understanding of my military and school needs.
West
Marine is a great company to work for and Mr. Barillaro has been very
supportive of my National Guard training."

About West Marine
West Marine, the country's favorite retailer of boating supplies and
accessories, has nearly 400 stores located in 38 states, Puerto Rico
and
Canada. Its catalog and Internet channels offer customers approximately

50,000 products and the convenience of exchanging catalog and Internet
purchases at our retail stores. Its Port Supply division is one of the
country's
largest wholesale distributors of marine equipment serving boat
manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and
government
agencies. For more information on West Marine's products and store
locations, or to start shopping, visit westmarine.com or call
1-800-BOATING
(1-800-262-8464).