Western Flyer of Steinbeck Fame Departs for Historic Mexico Return
On March 11, 1940, a wooden commercial sardine seiner named the Western Flyer made literary history by casting off the dock lines from Monterey, California and steaming south to Baja California. Now, 85 years later, the newly restored vessel launches for Mexico yet again under the direction of the nonprofit Western Flyer Foundation (WFF). The Western Flyer is scheduled to set sail on March 16, 2025 at 1500 hours.
“More than a historical retracing, this voyage is a mission-driven expedition,” the WFF stated in a press release. “Partnering with scientists, educators, and conservationists, the Western Flyer Foundation will conduct research, exchange knowledge, offer hands-on educational programs for youth, and inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.”
Western Flyer’s First Legendary Trip
Flashback to 1940 as the Western Flyer makes her southerly course. The destination? Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. The charter clients and crew? American author John Steinbeck and his good friend, marine biologist Ed Ricketts. Loaded with glass jars and gallons of formaldehyde preservative, the core mission of the trip was to classify and collect marine invertebrates for scientific research. According to WFF, Steinbeck and Ricketts made 24 discrete collections from 21 localities over their six-week adventure, resulting in over 560 logged species of marine invertebrates and the first compendium of Gulf of California invertebrate fauna ever published.
Another goal was to write about the experience, which the two gentlemen accomplished in the classic book Log from the Sea of Cortez. Hanging over Steinbeck during the trip was the surprisingly strong backlash to The Grapes of Wrath which had been released the previous year in 1939. The novel, that starkly depicts the abuses of agribusiness and the upper class, was met with death threats, public book burnings, and even an investigation from J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. Derided as a drug fiend and communist, despondent Steinbeck was so shaken he declared his career as a novelist over. It was under these conditions that the Mexico expedition with Ed Ricketts was formed. Laying low, getting out of Dodge, manifested into a romp on a boat in tropical climes.
The book, which didn’t initially sell well in-part because it hit the shelves the week of the Pearl Harbor bombing in 1942, is a one-of-a-kind examination of the natural world, human nature, and philosophy. Interactions with Mexican street kids blend with laments of unsustainable fishing fleets and modernity’s greed. Detailed descriptions of sea hares or a pristine tide pool are woven with musings of Far East philosophy and cosmic oneness—a solid decade or two before the beats and then hippies made such themes cool.
Originally the entire unedited catalogue of marine invertebrates was published right in the book, an interlude reminiscent of how Herman Melville wrote a chapter in the middle of Moby Dick as a stage play. Naturally there are lighthearted moments too. A lot of beer is consumed and colorful characters examined earnestly and with humor.
The 2025 Redux
Flash forward to today and the Western Flyer is in Bristol condition after an extensive restoration in Washington state by the Port Townsend Wooden Shipwrights Co-Op and modern systems installation by Ballard-based Snow & Company Boatbuilders. The efforts by the WFF and partners brought the ship back to life from derelict status rotting in the Swinomish Channel. The legendary boat triumphantly returned to Monterey, California, and Steinbeck’s beloved Cannery Row haunt in 2023.
“As the Western Flyer embarks on its historic journey, the Western Flyer Foundation is working with community partners in California and Mexico to host public events, open houses, educational tours, and presentations along the way,” said the WFF. Stops include Santa Barbara, Long Beach, Newport Beach, San Diego, Ensenada, La Paz, Santa Rosalía, Agua Verde, San Jose del Cabo, and more. The calls to port will feature special celebrations, museum partnerships, and public programs that bring the vessel’s legacy and mission to life.
Western Flyer Foundation (WFF)
