Two weeks ago I opened the Rustler to a long article whose headline proclaimed, “Western Flyer Sets Sail With Weekend Celebration and Send-Off Festivities.”
I immediately ordered tickets online to what was described as an “enchanting evening titled ‘Tales from the Western Flyer’ celebrating the storied history of the legendary boat that has been a haven for fishermen, scientists, sailors and storytellers for nearly a century.”
That Saturday a friend and I visited the Western Flyer docked at the end of Fisherman’s Wharf, then joined a crowd of over 100 at the nearby Stanton Center for that enchanting evening.
The article that drew me there had been submitted to various news outlets by the Western Flyer Foundation’s executive director, Sherry Flumerfelt, who deftly led the March 15 presentation. Thanks to the King City Rustler for printing it.
One reason I responded on such a visceral level to Ms. Flumerfelt’s words is that I had read Steinbeck’s “The Log from the Sea of Cortez” during a six-day whale-watching trip to Baja 11 years ago. Sharing that book expanded our experience, highlighting the value of the Baja peninsula. Its value was reiterated at Saturday’s gathering by those responsible for the rescue and rather miraculous restoration of the Western Flyer.
John M. Gregg, owner of Gregg Drilling & Testing, bought the deteriorating vessel for $1 million in 2015. He created the Western Flyer Foundation to manage its restoration in Port Townsend, Wash., over the ensuing decade. Gregg shared his story of reading Steinbeck’s “The Log from the Sea of Cortez” as a 10-year-old, beginning his lifelong relationship with the Western Flyer.
Highlighting the discussion was a talk by Steinbeck scholar and author Susan Shillinglaw. Professor of English at Cal State San Jose since 1984, she directs the University’s Steinbeck Center. She served as director of Salinas’ National Steinbeck Center from 2015-18.
Dr. Shillinglaw discussed the partnership between Steinbeck and pioneering marine biologist Ed Ricketts. His groundbreaking book “Between Pacific Tides” was published in 1939, the same year as Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath.” All the speakers emphasized Doc Ricketts impact on Steinbeck’s philosophy, leading the Salinas-born writer to understand human behavior as more about the “we” than the “I.”
The Western Flyer’s historic 1940 voyage to Baja embodied that view of nature and humanity they shared. Their account, “Sea of Cortez,” was published days before Pearl Harbor, equally crediting them both. A decade later, a second edition, renamed “The Log from the Sea of Cortez,” was published under the more famous name of Steinbeck alone, with an appendix called, “About Doc Ricketts.”
The presentation closed with the entire crew setting sail the next day from the exact Fisherman’s Wharf spot Steinbeck and Ricketts embarked in 1940, casually sitting along the edge of the stage. They answered questions from the appreciative audience, making it truly a memorable night, which I felt privileged to attend.
The love and sense of community, which drew together so many gifted people from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, was palpable. We can follow their journey online in ways the original crew could not have imagined.
I learned that a main focus of the trip will be working with scientists and school children along the Baja Coast. The resurrection of the Western Flyer inspires us all, and advances the quest for knowledge and community science embodies.
In contrast to today’s focus on “the ONE,” the powerful leader with all the answers and power, apparent even in TV advertising, one of America’s most renowned authors reminds us of truth that has animated humankind since its prehistory.
We are not alone. We are part of a greater whole, without which true progress is impossible. Community is our calling. The swing toward individualism manifesting today throughout the world, always a part of the American mythology, is out of our deep character, and can be truly dangerous.
SuRay is a writer of local history, poetry, letters to the editor and a play about Bella Lockwood, the first woman to legally run for U.S. president. She has lived in Lockwood for 38 years.
