It’s been 75 years since the Western Flyer made Monterey her home port. But that will change Nov. 4 when the immaculately restored vessel sails into the harbor to become a floating scientific classroom.
A party for the historic homecoming is planned and it will likely rival those held at Ed Ricketts’ marine biology lab on Cannery Row during its heyday.
Festivities are set to begin at 11 a.m. at the end of Old Fisherman’s Wharf. There will be a boat parade at noon followed by a welcoming ceremony at California Dock.
Free Western Flyer tours will be offered from 2-4 p.m. There also will be live music, science and art activities, giveaways and prize drawings, photo opportunities and merchandise for sale.
Special guests will include members of the Ricketts family and relatives of crew members who made the scientific expedition to the Gulf of California with author John Steinbeck and Ricketts in 1940. A private tour of Ricketts’ lab for his family members is planned.
Steinbeck chartered the 77-foot-long purse seiner for a six-week excursion. The goal was to collect marine specimens from the Sea of Cortez. In 1951, Steinbeck’s memories of the journey were published in his book “The Log From the Sea of Cortez.”
Sherry Flumerfelt, executive director of the Western Flyer Foundation, describes the Western Flyer’s return as one of the greatest comeback stories.
“It was underwater for six months (having sunk twice in Washington state),” Flumerfelt said. “People had completely given up hope. Now it’s going to continue the legacy that Steinbeck and Ricketts started.”
The Western Flyer was built in 1937 in Tacoma, Washington. It hauled in tons of sardines from Monterey Bay until they disappeared and the canneries on Cannery Row gave their last gasps of steam and shut down.
It nearly wound up cut in two and placed in a restaurant in downtown Salinas. Enter John Gregg, a marine geologist. He bought the boat in 2015 and started the nonprofit Western Flyer Foundation. Restoration began that same year in Port Townsend, Washington.
The foundation is headquartered in Moss Landing. Its mission is to “stir curiosity by connecting art and science in the spirit of Steinbeck and Ricketts and their journey on the Western Flyer.” Students will study marine and coastal ecosystems.
Land-based science programs for students have been offered for some time. Staff members have gone into classrooms and nonprofits. Graduates from the scientific illustration program at CSU Monterey Bay have been recruited to lead illustration classes.
“A big part (of the program) is to get students out doing tidepool trips down the coast,” Flumerfelt said.
After the welcoming party, there will be lots more work to ready the Western Flyer for its new role. “We’re already planning programs for next spring with community colleges,” Flumerfelt said.
The Western Flyer, which arrived in Moss Landing recently, will be moored there and eventually at Fisherman’s Wharf, Flumerfelt said. It will be traveling a couple of months a year as well.
“I have an amazing team,” Flumerfelt said. “Everyone is pitching in. It’s all exciting.”
The nonprofit Western Flyer Foundation continues to seek funding for its efforts. To make a donation, visit the foundation website.
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