Stephen Wilen acquired his first boat, a Blanchard 36-foot, raised deck cruiser, in the 1970s, and has lived on his second boat, a restored 57-foot 1924 express cruiser, since 1988. He is an ardent student of Northwest maritime history; he was he commodore of the Pacific Northwest Fleet of the Classic Yacht Association in 1993 and 1994, and the national commodore in 1996. Steve is currently on the board of he Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society.