Tag Archives: remake historic expedition
Western Flyer from Steinbeck’s Sea of Cortez returns to Gulf of California after 85 years
A fishing vessel that was built during the Monterey Bay’s sardine boom and made famous by a Nobel Prize-winning author will return to the site of its former glory after 85 years. The Western Flyer, a state-of-the-art purse seiner when it was built in 1937, was chartered by John Steinbeck and his marine biologist friend, Ed “Doc” Ricketts, for a six-week expedition that would be immortalized in the “Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research.” Fully renovated to its original specifications and updated with cutting-edge technology, including a hybrid diesel-electric engine and science lab, the Western Flyer will return to the Gulf of California and retrace Steinbeck’s and Ricketts’ groundbreaking journey of discovery. 18 photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:45
Western Flyer relics go to auction this week
The sharp bang of an auctioneer’s gavel, due to sound Thursday, Feb. 13, in Berkeley, California, could echo locally. A Wauna man seems a bit anxious. He’s nursing a years-long emotional tie to the formerly junk-piled maritime items for sale, not to mention a financial stake in the auction outcome. “I’m on pins and needles,” Michael Hemp told Gig Harbor Now last week. A Northern California man, the original salvager and owner of the items for the last 49 years, has a lesser emotional tie to the relics. But he maintains hopeful anticipation for a far bigger slice of a potential cash pie. Because the objects Fry, then a teenager, rescued from a scrap heap in Alaska are original parts of the “Western Flyer,” perhaps the most famous fishing boat in the world. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:41
Western Flyer scheduled to make historic expedition 85 years after Steinbeck and Ricketts
The historic Western Flyer will return to the Gulf of California this spring, marking 85 years since the famous expedition with John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts and their crew. Local scientists, educators and conservationists will team up to study the Gulf of California’s ecosystems, exchange knowledge and brainstorm new ideas to protect the marine world. The expedition starts at 3 p.m. March 16, departing from Old Fisherman’s Wharf. The send-off celebration will mark nearly 85 year to the day since the now-famous journey that inspired the book ‘Sea of Cortez. ’more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:04
