Western Flyer – Literary History Heads Back to Sea

Mission of the Western Flyer Foundation:  To stir curiosity by connecting art and science in the spirit of John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts, and their journey on the Western Flyer.

For the past several years, the Western Flyer Foundation has been restoring the Flyer, an 85-year-old wooden purse seiner. Once restoration is complete in spring, 2023, the Western Flyer will be based in Monterey Bay.

This purse seiner earned fame as the fishing vessel chartered by John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts in 1940 for a six-week expedition to collect invertebrates in the Gulf of California. Their journey is captured in their collaborative text Sea of Cortez (1941) and in the narrative portion, The Log from the Sea of Cortez (1951). Director Sherry Flumerfelt oversees the boat’s new life as a scientific research vessel and educational classroom. She’ll share the story of the boat’s restoration and plans for its future.

Sherry Flumerfelt has worked with ocean nonprofits since 1999, focusing on a range of issues including sustainable seafood, marine tourism, marine-protected.  

Sherry will be introduced by Dr. Susan Shillinglaw who had published widely on John Steinbeck and has written introductions to several of Steinbeck’s books for Penguin New American Library Editions.

The Friends of Hopkins is sponsoring this event.  It is free and open to the public.

Registration is required if attending via Zoom.