We’re continuing the Crew’s Log, first started during our return to the Gulf of California—a running mix of updates, photos, and messages shared from the vessel as the Pacific Northwest expedition unfolds.
These are real-time dispatches from the deck, the wheelhouse, and the ports along the way.
Entries are posted in near real time, with the most recent at the top.
FRIDAY, May 8
Charleston, Oregon
12:19 – Sherry – We’ve had North Bend high school students on board all morning. It’s always interesting seeing what draws different groups into the Western Flyer story. This time, one of the teachers is a huge Steinbeck fan, so students came in already excited about the history and legacy of the boat. But one of the groups was especially into the science side of things, asking lots of questions, checking out the instruments, and wanting to understand how ocean research actually happens out here.
Thursday, May 7
Charleston, Oregon
19:00 – Captain Paul – Tonight we set the table with our first spring seafood bash (the Kings are running!) and gathered for a good gab around the galley table with Executive Director Sherry holding court!
18:25 – Sherry – Tied up alongside the local fishing fleet, it felt appropriate to have a seafood feast tonight. Amy and Trish from the Charleston Marine Life Center brought over delicious smoked salmon and teriyaki steelhead that disappeared almost immediately. Paul added to the spread with fresh salmon, rockfish, smoked albacore, and the largest spot prawns any of us had ever seen.
17:30 – Rials – Today was our first official day of student programs, and the boat was full all day. We started with two groups of high school students from Marshfield High School in partnership with the Charleston Marine Life Center. Students toured the vessel, explored plankton under microscopes, tested water quality, and talked about the recent grey whale strandings along the Oregon coast and what those events may reveal about changing ocean conditions.
In the afternoon, students from the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) after-school program came aboard for tours plus art and science activities. The best moment of the day came just as the visit was wrapping up, when a harbor seal pup and its mom surfaced alongside the dock to hang out with the kids!
16:40 – Sherry Flumerfelt – Rials (Education Manager) and I flew in yesterday to join the crew. They all seem happy, and the Flyer looks great. We’re staying in cottages right across from the Charleston Marine Life Center. It’s great to be back in the Pacific Northwest!
Tuesday, May 5
Transit between Brookings and Charleston, OR
17:00 – Captain Paul – Arrived in scenic Charleston Harbor at 1830 in lingering late afternoon sun with the busy fleet of shrimpers running in and out delivering their catch. We were hospitably greeted by Amy of the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology and Trish of the Charleston Marine Life Center. Gathering in the Flyer’s galley we got acqainted and learned the local lore and all looking forward to the collaboration ahead!
13:00- Captain Paul – 7 nautical miles SW of Cape Blanco and 6 hours out of Charleston – 12 knots of wind making up out of the WNW ruffling the water on a long swell – fine traveling! The sea is alive as currents swirl on the water surface. Jenni’s list now includes several Black Footed Albatross, a big Mola Mola, 20-30 scattered Humpbacks, a Tufted Puffin (identified by sharp eyed Phil), three sharks (1+white) and numerous assorted sea birds 🦈
12:34 – Phil Sconce – We are about 10 miles offshore, due West of Humbug Mountain, just South of Cape Blanco. In the last half an hour, we’ve seen 20-30 humpback whales, three great white sharks, a giant Mola Mola, and countless sea birds!
11:34 – Phil Sconce – Beautiful day out here. Calm and glassy.
10:15 – Photos shared by Phil Sconce
0700 – Captain Paul – Cinco de Mayo – Adios Brookings Harbor! Farewell, fine friends who came aboard paying homage to the Western Flyer, John Steinbeck, and Ed Ricketts. Arriving a week back to that perfect port seeking shelter from the storm, and making good use of it to spruce up the Flyer for the weeks of celebrations ahead. Cleared the jetties and threading through the fishermen out early in small boats seeking bottomfish and salmon we swung northbound up the misty coast for Charleston, our first destination on the 2026 Pacific Northest Tour. Stay tuned for all the fun as we join the festivities of The Charleston Marine Life Center’s 10th Anniversary Open House!
Sunday, May 3
Brookings, OR
09:30– Captain Paul – Making good progress getting the Flyer shaped up for the weeks ahead. Crew doing great in a good atmosphere for team development. I declared today “Rope Yarn Sunday” so everyone can tend to personal maintenance. Last night we had the first old movie night in the lab. Took in “The Boys in The Boat” to get into the Seattle spirit. We are holding our run to Coos Bay for Tuesday, as a lingering NW swell still is prevalent, also finish a few more maintenance jobs in progress.
Friday, may 1
Brookings, OR
19:18 – Trip Zabriskie – A woman yelled down from the parking lot above the dock in Brookings while the crew was working on their chores on the deck. She said, “Hey Western Flyer, I’ve been waiting seven years to see this boat”. Trip yelled back, “then hopefully you won’t mind waiting another couple of hours till 2 o’clock so we can finish up our chores then.” She responded, “We’ll see you then.”
Thursday, april 30
Brookings, OR
19:18 – Trip Zabriskie – On the Flyer’s southbound voyage in 2023, Cap’n Paul made friends with Harlan, a retired log truck driver living in Brookings. He has visited us several times on our return and insisted on taking us out to dinner at the newest dining spot in Brookings, named Twisted. The new proprietor, Angela, and the barkeeps, Colleen & Sam, were gracious and fed us well, which in turn led to a good night’s sleep.
We were up early and on deck after a hearty breakfast of steel-cut oats, raisins, walnuts, and a fried egg on top for the captain and me, while Jenni and Phil opted for scrambled eggs with a healthy portion of goat cheese. Phil and Jenni went off to the hardware store with the dock cart while Cap’n and I worked over the deck and gear.
Jenni and Phil were working on the seawater flow-through all afternoon as Paul and I welcomed 19 enthusiastic guests on board for tours. It was a productive day, and I learned something new from Cap’n Paul: you can revive wilted celery by trimming the end and sticking it in cold water. So I was inspired to make the last of the shredded chicken into salad for lunch for us all . Yum!
Tuesday, April 28
Tucked into Brookings, OR, for a few days
From Trip, 19:29
Trip to the rest of the crew: “I’m going to the market up the street so I can pick up some milk for Paul and me. They close at five, so I’ve only got 20 minutes. I’ll be back.”
Trip to the attendant behind the counter: Are you hiding the milk someplace? I don’t see any.
Attendant: Oh I’m sorry honey, we don’t sell milk here.
Trip: Darn, we need some for breakfast in the morning. I’m on a boat down by the gas dock.
Attendant: Oh, you are? What’s the name of the boat?
Trip: The Western Flyer.
Attendant: That must be a pretty special boat. I’ve had three different customers come in today and ask me, “Where’s the Western Flyer?” And the only place to get some milk is up at McKays; it’s about a mile and a half up the hill.
Trip: That would be a bit of a walk.
Attendant: Well, it’s a short drive.
Trip: I don’t have a car; I’m on the boat.
Attendant: Here’s my keys; it’s the silver Mazda out front. Just be back by five; that’s when I get off work.
Trip: What, that’s only five minutes from now!
Attendant: I’m just kidding, honey. I’ll be here. But if you crash it, please make sure you total it.
I thanked her profusely and headed back down to the dock. A crabber nearby chatted me up and complimented the Flyer. I had to share my recent experience, and ended by saying, “only in Brookings”.
He responded: No, my friend, there’s good people everywhere.
Monday, April 27
Continued the journey toward Coos Bay, crossing into Oregon and pausing in Brookings to wait out the weather.
18:07 – Reflections sent in by our newest crew member, Trip Zabriskie (more on Trip soon)
A Family of Flyers
Readying the Flyer for our PNW passage was quite an achievement. The clam shack was a beehive of activity with Sherry and her gang coordinating volunteers, reaching out to educational partners to finalize plans, nailing down schedules, and reaching out to other groups that might be interested in hosting and joining the excitement.
Cap’n Paul was delving into his vast network of contacts up the coast to secure moorage and call-in favors to get us the most prominent and visible spot on the docks.
Jenni had taken apart the ROV and was cleaning it out with Q-tips, calibrating the science equipment that she plunges to the depths of the ocean, and tweaking the programs that gather and synthesize raw data.
Phil was up to his elbows in grease as he changed out water pumps, rewired fuse blocks, and somehow wrestled a freezer chest down the companion way and into the ROV room so we could safely store all the homemade food our friends and family donated to the cause.
For me, I was asked to sand, scuff, and repaint a majority of the high gloss, black epoxy-based paint that is used on all the cap rails and other trim-work throughout the boat. George, another dedicated volunteer, was tasked with the inevitable chore of scuffing and applying countless coats of varnish to the bright work. Thank You, George.
But the hardest workers of all were unseen, at least by me. It is John the founder of the Western Flyer Foundation, and our board president Tom (and the rest of the board), and You, the countless donors who have made this voyage possible. This was truly an All-Hands-On-Deck effort that will touch countless lives and pay us back tenfold. Thanks to All of Us. This Family of Flyers
11:02 – Phil sent these photos after arriving safely in Brookings.
SUNDAY, APRIL 26
Continued north offshore, with building swell and changing conditions shaping the route.
Jenni Johnson
18:16 – We are starting to round Cape Mendocino. Phil and I just took over the watch from Capt. Paul and Trip. Fueling up on stir fry and plums as we slowly hobby horse our way north.
Captain Paul
15:15 – Life out here is inspiring; feeling the legacy!
13:48 – Last evening in the fading daylight, as we sailed north outside the San Francisco Bay entrance and Farallon Islands, the sea surface was alive with predators and prey. Humpback Whales viciously slapping the surface with pectoral fins and tails, while all manner of sea birds shared in the feast.
Dolphins splashed and circled wildly, and a massive Humpback Whale matched our pace 50 meters out, perhaps wondering if our shiny new black hull paint suggested we were some kindred sea mammal.
As the last vestige of daylight penetrated the sea surface, Trip was at the rail outside the starboard wheelhouse door. Staring down into the water, he was startled to see a large set of open jaws lined with glistening white teeth seemingly suspended just below the surface. As he watched from the Western Flyer deck, the creature closed its jaws and descended into the dark depths below. Maybe as John Steinbeck surmised in The Log From The Sea of Cortez, “Sparky and Tiny do not question the Old Man of The Sea”, and now neither does Trip” for they have looked at him.”
12:41 – At noon on our second day of the run the sky broke overhead, the sea no longer gray now bright blue with whitecaps streaming off the wave crests – and a lone Black-Footed Albatross pacing us in long soaring sweeps of the sea on either side.
12:28 – [Hows the weather looking at Cape Mendocino?]
I haven’t been on the computer. Tom sent me some info @ 0400: winds moderate around Mendocino, but steep seas to 8 ft about what we have now. We will be there at 6:00 pm. It gets worse then, so our timing is good!
Jenni is doing well, logging an observed 15 whales and small pod of Pacific White Sided Dolphins at 0815.
11:40 – We’ve been hanging on through watch and checks. No sit down meals or much eating at all. Gray sea and sky. But around 0500 the nearly full moon lit the seascape for an hour before setting!
08:58 – Phil Sconce – Good morning! Short steep seas all last night and this morning. However, it has been beautiful. Lots of birds, whales, and a small pod of dolphins. Making good time.
06:42 – Captain Paul – Slowed down during the night by seas. Doing better since daylight.
Saturday, April 25
Departed Moss Landing and began the northbound journey along the California coast.
14:26 – Captain Paul – That was a nice send-off from the fuel float! I think the Flyer took to the seas with extra vigor after being waved off by Carol Stenbeck’s alter ego. It was a real thrill to bend our course northward and begin the return voyage to the Pacific Northwest. The swell and cool misty drizzle we drive into leave no doubt as to our destination! We are edging offshore into deep waters about 12 miles west of Point Ano Nuevo and will shape our course passing west of the San Francisco Bay entrance and the Farallon Islands this evening.
09:24 – Sherry Flumerfelt – The crew and the Western Flyer have just taken off on our second expedition, this time to the Pacific Northwest. I was feeling a little nostalgic sending them off – sad to see them go, even though I’ll be meeting them in Oregon in ten days. It reminded me, once again, of the passage in The Log from the Sea of Cortez as the Flyer was leaving Monterey:
The moment or hour of leave-taking is one of the pleasantest times in human experience, for it has in it a warm sadness without loss. People who don’t ordinarily like you very well are overcome with affection at leave-taking. We said good-by again and again and still could not bring ourselves to cast off the lines and start the engines. It would be good to live in a perpetual state of leave-taking, never to go nor to stay, but to remain suspended in that golden emotion of love and longing; to be missed without being gone; to be loved without satiety. How beautiful one is and how desirable; for in a few moments one will have ceased to exist.
The book also describes bringing “truckloads of food.” As you can see from the photos below, our crew is not wanting for food, thanks to the generosity of our friends Alex Castanos, Amy and Michael Ponce, and Pat Webster (with sourdough straight out of the oven). They also came by Moss Landing to send us off. We are deeply grateful!
Wishing our crew fair winds and following seas.
