WESTERN FLYER makes a run out of Moss Landing, California, the day after her triumphant return to Monterey. After a nine-year, $7-million restoration, the 77′ former purse seiner that once carried John Steinbeck and his friend Ed Ricketts to the Sea of Cortez will return to research work under the auspices of the WESTERN FLYER Foundation.
In 2019, I walked into the Port Townsend (Washington) Shipwrights Co-op to interview co-owner Tim Lee. I found myself standing next to the bow of a large wooden fishing vessel, and glancing at her, I turned and noticed a length of white tape on the weathered stem, with the words “WESTERN FLYER” hand-written on it.