Western Flyer (boat)

The Western Flyer after its recovery and subsequent move to Port Townsend, WA in April 2015. Preparing for restoration and upgrades.

The Western Flyer is a boat most famous for its six-week use by John Steinbeck in his 1940 Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) expedition that became the basis for his 1951 book The Log from the Sea of Cortez.^[1] Called the "most famous fishing vessel ever to have sailed," the 77-foot (23 m) boat was built in Tacoma, Washington in 1937 by the Western Boat Building Company.^[2] As of 2015, the privately owned boat is undergoing renovation in Port Townsend, Washington for future use as an educational center in Monterey, California.^[3]

Sea of Cortez

Steinbeck's account of his voyage on the Western Flyer was published as The Log from the Sea of Cortez.

Steinbeck chartered the Western Flyer, then captained by fisherman Tony Berry, and put out to sea on the afternoon of March 11, 1940. The vessel started the trip to the Sea of Cortez in a leisurely fashion down the Pacific coast. The boat refueled at San Diego and on March 17 passed Point San Lazaro before making its way down the Pacific side of the Baja California peninsula. It put in at Cabo San Lucas, on the tip of the peninsula, where Steinbeck began collecting specimens.

After Steinbeck

Following Steinbeck's voyage, the ship was returned to its main purpose: fishing. Over the ensuing years it was used to harvest sardines, perch, and crab, angling from California to Alaska'a Aleutian Islands.^[4]

Discovery and refurbishment

The Western Flyer after falling into disrepair, January 2015

In 1983 Bob Enea, the nephew of Tony Berry, began a search for the Western Flyer which had been renamed the Gemini. Enea discovered the boat in Anacortes, Washington in 1986 where it was still operating as a commercial fishing vessel.^[5] His attempts to purchase the boat from owner Ole Knudson were rebuffed until 1993 when Knudson decided to retire from fishing and offered to sell the ship to Enea for $100,000. Enea established the non-profit Western Flyer Project to raise money to purchase the vessel. The publicity generated by the announcement of the Western Flyer's discovery attracted the attention of real estate developer Gerry Kehoe who immediately purchased the boat from Knudson over Enea's objections, announcing plans to move it to Salinas where it would be placed in drydock as the centerpiece of a new theme restaurant.^[5]

Twice in 2012 the boat sprang leaks and sank, being refloated each time. After the second sinking, Kehoe transported the boat from Anacortes to Port Townsend, Washington to undergo refurbishment in preparation for relocation to Salinas.^[6]

In early 2015 the boat was sold to John Gregg for a reported $1,000,000. According to a statement from Gregg and his brother Andrew, they intend to refurbish the vessel and turn it into a scientific and educational vessel to operate along the West coast of North America. Gregg has stated that he intends to restore the Western Flyer to its original condition, while exceeding U.S. Coast Guard safety requirements. The vessel will reportedly have an environmentally friendly electrical propulsion system and will be outfitted with scientific equipment including a remotely operated vehicle to view marine life below the ocean’s surface. The Western Flyer Foundation has since been created to send the vessel to ports along the west coast of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico for public education through harbors and museums. Another goal is to enable students to participate in the gathering and analysis of scientific data.^[7]

References