Agata Popęda here with good news that the Western Flyer, the legendary boat that took John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts to Mexico’s Gulf of California in 1940, is back home at Fisherman’s Wharf.
It arrived yesterday morning, with a boat parade, and some lucky Western Flyer fans—there are many of them out there—toured the vessel. But the history of this almost-100-year-old boat (it was built in 1937) also deserves a tour—the Western Flyer has had a very adventurous life, full of fall and glory, depending on the year. Here’s the story I wrote after immersing myself in the history of this humble fishing boat, which made it into the world of literature. It’s a story full of twists and turns.
In the coming years, under the care of Western Flyer Foundation, the boat will serve as a research vessel to local students of marine biology. The foundation is in the process of developing programs, among which there will be research trips up and down the West Coast, and environmental monitoring.
John Gregg, the foundation founder and president (and also a marine biologist), told me he wants the Western Flyer to be a fully-functional, earning-its-keep vessel despite its age of 86. He compares the Western Flyer to the U.S. Constitution—also old, but functioning. Old is fine, if properly taken care of, according to Gregg, who also points out that Ricketts and Steinbeck were practical people with no patience for museum objects.
They were also dreamers and philosophers who made the 1940 trip to the Gulf of California—and the sardine boat that took them there—immortal. The voyage is documented in Steinbeck’s The Log from the Sea of Cortez. The boat, twice-sunk, is now back on the water.
There will be some opportunities to touch the beautifully restored Western Flyer throughout the year. It will spend the immediate future in Moss Landing Harbor; the hope is to have the boat permanently docked in Monterey Harbor in 2024. Keep checking the Western Flyer Foundation website for info about programs and touring opportunities.