A State of Becoming: The Western Flyer Has a New Lease on Life
The Western Flyer—the 1937 boat that carried Steinbeck and Ricketts through the Gulf of California in 1940—has been restored as a modern marine research and education vessel. The Western Flyer will present at Santa Cruz Works New Tech on July 1, 2026.
If you've read John Steinbeck's The Log from the Sea of Cortez, you already know the Western Flyer— she was the sardine boat that carried Steinbeck and his friend, marine biologist Ed Ricketts, on a six-week collecting expedition through the Gulf of California in 1940. That journey produced one of Steinbeck's most beloved works and a landmark of early ecological thinking. Now, more than eight decades later, the Western Flyer has been brought back to life with a new mission: to stir curiosity through marine research, education, and a blend of science and art in the spirit of Steinbeck and Ricketts' voyage.
Humble Beginnings
Built in 1937 in Tacoma, Washington, the Western Flyer was a workhorse of the Pacific sardine fishery — the same industry that once made Cannery Row the center of California's coastal economy. When Steinbeck and Ricketts chartered her for their Gulf of California expedition, they had no idea what they would find, or how profoundly it would change them. The resulting book, part travel log and part philosophical inquiry, went on to inspire a generation of ecologists.
After the sardine industry collapsed in the late 1940s, the Western Flyer continued her working life as a fishing boat in the Pacific Northwest. Renamed the Gemini, she eventually fell into disrepair and sank twice. By the time she was rediscovered — identified as the Western Flyer because her call sign had never changed — she was so dilapidated as to be barely recognizable.
The Restoration
In 2015, John Gregg bought the Western Flyer and founded the Western Flyer Foundation with a singular mission: restore the vessel and return her to active use as a platform for marine science exploration and education. Gregg, a pioneer of ocean sampling technology, first read The Log from the Sea of Cortez at age 10 and was captivated by the story. After locating the vessel — a story in itself — he launched a multi-year restoration involving shipwrights, engineers, and passionate supporters, all working to preserve not just the vessel, but what she represents: a moment when science, literature, and the ocean converged into a transformative story.
The Western Flyer Today
Today, the Western Flyer is a modern research vessel equipped with state-of-the-art oceanographic tools. As a floating classroom for marine science education, research, storytelling, and the arts, she continues to make ocean discovery a hands-on, inspiring experience for hundreds of students each year. Nine months of the year, the Western Flyer is stationed in Moss Landing, providing marine science and arts education to local students. The other three months, she travels south to Baja California or north to the Pacific Northwest, bringing immersive marine science and arts experiences to communities up and down the West Coast.
We invite you to visit us at one of our community outreach events in Moss Landing this summer! Subscribe to our newsletter at westernflyer.org/newsletter to stay updated on events.