Lady of the Lake Captain Celebrates 40 Years at the Helm

Captain Ken Wilsey was Greeted With Appreciation at Every Stop Along the Lake

By Dennis Rahm

What started as just another normal work day for the Captain of the Lady of the Lake, soon turned into a well-deserved surprise.

Co-workers of Ken Wilsey arrived before departure time on Friday morning and greeted the Senior Captain of the Lake Chelan Boat Company sporting t-shirts saying “I survived 40 years with Ken Wilsey”.

The employment benchmark may have escaped the attention of the humble and likeable Wilsey, but as he would experience throughout the day those whose lives he has touched while navigating the waters of Lake Chelan had other ideas. After the surprise of the shirts being sported by Larry Majchrzak and Becky Brooks, Wilsey would later experience warm welcomes by groups of folks during uplake stops at the Holden Dock and Stehekin.

Majchrzak, who has worked alongside Wilsey for nearly 30 years, describes him as a quiet and thoughtful man. “Ken was very excited and had no idea this was happening. He was pretty emotional and thankful by the outpouring of support and recognition”.

Wilsey first came to work for the Boat in 1978 and began his career, as most Lady of Lake pilots do, as a deck hand before working his way up to Captain. He grew up in Stehekin and likely knows Lake Chelan as well as anyone.

Congratulations to Ken Wilsey on 40 years at the helm. You can share in his special day by viewing additional photos in the gallery below.

Wilsey also gave a brief interview to LakeChelanNow prior to departing Chelan on Friday and describes his most memorable experience on the lake.

When asked about how long he plans to continue work Wilsey quipped “I’ll be here until they put me in the ground”. You can hear that interview here.