Eighty-five years after John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts departed Monterey for the Gulf of California, the legendary Western Flyer has officially set sail once again and the first two weeks of her voyage have already made waves.
On March 16, 2025, the Western Flyer departed Monterey in a send-off for the ages. Hundreds gathered to celebrate the historic launch in full 1940s style complete with vintage cars, sea shanties, costume contests, and a fireboat salute. “The moment of leave-taking,” Steinbeck once wrote, “is one of the pleasantest times in human experience.” Monterey made sure it was exactly that.
Since then, the Western Flyer has made stops in Santa Barbara, Long Beach, Newport Harbor, and San Diego before crossing into Mexican waters on March 27 and arriving in Ensenada for her first international port of call. Along the way, the vessel has welcomed close to 1,700 visitors for tours of the vessel, lectures, educational programs, and community celebrations rekindling public fascination with her remarkable legacy and exciting new mission.
“We’re retracing a route that shaped marine science and literature, but we’re also forging new partnerships,” said Sherry Flumerfelt, Executive Director of the Western Flyer Foundation. “This voyage is about honoring the past while engaging the next generation of scientists, artists, and ocean stewards.”
Highlights from the first two weeks include:
Santa Barbara: The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum hosted a standing-room-only lecture by Western Flyer Foundation Board President Tom Keffer and welcomed more than 360 aboard the vessel.
Long Beach: A fireboat salute, a dockside welcome with Mai Tais, and tours of the Flyer brought together more than 275 community members.
Newport Beach: A brief but packed visit included 100 guests aboard the vessel and a lively presentation by Flumerfelt to 80 attendees at Newport Harbor Yacht Club.
San Diego: Docked beside maritime icons like the Star of India and H.M.S. Surprise, the Western Flyer received a hero’s welcome at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, drawing nearly 500 public tour participants and a 150-person keynote event.
Ensenada, Mexico: The voyage’s first international port welcomed the Flyer with open arms. A vibrant festival hosted by Caracol Museo de Ciencias featured oceanography exhibits, a historic model ship showcase, and a presentation by the Flyer’s Outreach Coordinator, Aracely Rojas.
Throughout its journey, the Western Flyer has served as a floating classroom and conversation starter welcoming the public aboard to explore where science, history, boat building, art, and storytelling meet.
Next Stop: The Gulf of California
The vessel rounded the tip of the Baja Peninsula and entered the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) around April 8 retracing the route Steinbeck and Ricketts took into these biologically rich waters.
On April 11, the Western Flyer was welcomed in La Paz with an official inaugural celebration bringing together community, science, conservation, and history. Local and regional partners joined forces to mark this extraordinary milestone, a joyful convergence in the very place that inspired not only a literary and ecological classic, but a movement that continues to shape how we explore and protect our oceans today.
Follow the Western Flyer’s Journey:
Stay connected as the Western Flyer makes history again. Follow along for stories, videos, and updates: Visit the Foundation’s website: westernflyer.org/baja2025/
Track the Western Flyer in real-time: Where’s the Flyer?
Sign up for the Foundation’s email newsletter for regular updates: westernflyer.org/newsletter/
Read Tom Keffer’s Blog from the Sea of Cortez
Facebook @thewesternflyer
Instagram @westernflyerfoundation
YouTube @WesternFlyerFoundationChannel
More About the Western Flyer and the Expedition
The Western Flyer, immortalized in Steinbeck’s The Log from the Sea of Cortez (1951), has embarked on a mission-driven expedition, retracing its 1940 journey. Over the next three months, the Flyer will travel throughout the Gulf of California, partnering with scientists, educators, and conservationists to conduct research, share knowledge, and inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.
About the Western Flyer Foundation
The Western Flyer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sparks curiosity by blending science and art, inspired by John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts, and their 1940 journey aboard the Western Flyer. After an award-winning restoration, the foundation now provides free ocean-based education programs for students and engages scientists and communities through research and outreach. Learn more at www.westernflyer.org.