Reborn Western Flyer of Steinbeck Fame Seeks Return to Pacific Northwest
The 1937-vintage, 76’ wooden fishing vessel Gemini was derelict in the Swinomish Channel of Washington state when found by now-owner John Gregg in 2015. Despite the dire condition of the old timbers, Gregg knew two things. The first was that he finally found his dream boat after years of searching and had to have her. Second, the boat’s true christened name was not Gemini—it was Western Flyer, the same vessel of John Steinbeck’s literary classic The Log from the Sea of Cortez.
Western Flyer was the chosen charter to Mexico of John Steinbeck and marine scientist, Steinbeck’s best friend, and bromantic muse Ed Ricketts (widely thought to be the inspiration for the “Doc” character in Cannery Row) in 1940. At the time of Steinbeck’s intrusion into her life, Western Flyer was a Monterey, California-based sardine seiner built in Tacoma, Washington. No parties involved, including the owner and captain Tony Petrich, could’ve guessed that their southward adventure to collect marine invertebrates, drink beer with the locals, and pontificate about the universe would become an immortal footnote of the American literary canon.
As I’ve reported in the past to Passagemaker magazine and in a previous Best4 Boats article about her voyages once relaunched, Gregg’s herculean effort to bring Western Flyer back from the grave was remarkable. A huge share of the credit goes to Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-Op (PTSC) whose expert craftsmanship brought Western Flyer to arguably better-than new condition. When I interviewed Gregg back in 2022, he joked that while he thought he was getting a restored workboat, the passionate shipwrights at PTSC gave him a beautiful concert piano.
The restored boat splashed in 2022, was fully outfitted, and returned south to Monterey, California in 2023 to begin life as an education, science, arts, and floating literary icon right where Steinbeck and Ricketts originally chartered her. This new chapter for the vessel is part of the Western Flyer Foundation, a nonprofit with the mission statement, “To stir curiosity through marine research, education, and a blend of science and art inspired by John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts, and their journey on the Western Flyer.”
Return North Planned
Flash forward to 2026, and The Western Flyer Foundation has announced its intention to bring Western Flyer back to the Pacific Northwest.
“We are working to bring the Western Flyer north in spring 2026, and we need your help to make it possible,” writes The Foundation on their website. “Our plan is to sail this historic vessel from Monterey to the Oregon coast and on to Port Townsend for a multi-week journey of science, education, and community engagement.”
River-bar-hopping stops along the route include Coos Bay, Newport, and Astoria, Oregon with the goal to welcome students and scientists aboard to engage “directly with the ocean through hands-on science and creative inquiry.” The program is described as a pilot expedition to launch a long-term Pacific Northwest presence. According to The Foundation, the pilot voyage reflects a long-term operating plan for seasonal travel in spring followed by extended periods based in Monterey Bay.
“Before becoming a floating classroom and research vessel, the Western Flyer spent many years working in Pacific Northwest waters and was later restored in Port Townsend,” continues The Foundation. “This planned return honors that history while looking ahead—introducing a new generation to the vessel’s remarkable restoration and its ongoing role in education and research.”
The catch? $100,000.
“This proposed journey will move forward only with the philanthropic support needed to make it possible,” The Foundation writes. If contributions exceed the cost of the voyage, additional funds will support the ongoing maintenance and care of the Western Flyer. If they do not raise enough funds to do the full trip, they will reduce the number of port stops accordingly.
To see Western Flyer make an annual spring migration up north to her home waters alongside the gray and humpback whales would be a proper new life. The storied vessel, with her official place on the National Register of Historic Places, carries a timeless power to ignite curiosity and awe before the cosmos. We can, just as Steinbeck and Ricketts celebrate in The Log from the Sea of Cortez, fully appreciate and understand the miracle of life within the modest confines of a tidepool. That new generations are hopping aboard Western Flyer in the same spirit of adventure and curiosity is what it’s all about.
You can support the effort of this northbound pilot expedition online here. At the time of this writing, they are about a third of the way to their goal.
