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Sherry Flumerfelt
Western Flyer Foundation
sherry@westernflyer.org
(831) 220-8047

Latest Press Release


In the Press


Steinbeck boat returns for public tours, educational expedition

Staff, The Leader, April 15, 2026

The historic fishing vessel Western Flyer will return this spring to Port Townsend, where it underwent a multiyear restoration, for a week-long schedule of student programs and a free community event. Originally built in Tacoma in 1937, the Western Flyer is best known for carrying author John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts on their 1940 Gulf of California expedition, later chronicled in the book, “The Log from the Sea of Cortez.”

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Dan Haifley, Ocean Currents | Good, nerdy fun at Whalefest Monterey this weekend

Santa Cruise Sentinel, April 09, 2026

This weekend you’ll get to enjoy the stories and cool stuff many of them have to share by visiting Whalefest Monterey at Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf and the adjacent Custom House Plaza, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

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Bringing the Western Flyer Home — Opening Historic Doors

March 01, 2026

Federal funds secured to support the Western Flyer’s return to Monterey are now helping improve ADA access at Pacific Biological Laboratories.

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Award-winning film to screen at Big Blue Film Fest

Lincoln County Leader, January 21, 2026

We Simply Liked It: Steinbeck, Ricketts, & the Return of the Western Flyer, a short film by Aaron Straight of Soulcraft Allstars, has been named Best Film at the upcoming Big Blue Film Festival, January 23-24, in Newport.

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Award-Winning Film to Screen at Big Blue Film Fest as Western Flyer Plans Return to the Pacific Northwest

January 15, 2026

We Simply Liked It has been named Best Film at the Big Blue Film Festival in Newport, Oregon. Created with SoulCraft Allstars, the short documentary chronicles the Western Flyer’s return to the Gulf of California, honoring the vessel’s historic journey with John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts.

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The Time X Academy Students Got to Go on the Western Flyer!

November 05, 2025

The vans rolled out of the X Academy Maker Space just as the sky began to lighten, a soft blue glow stretching over Watsonville. It was early—6:45 a.m.—but the energy was unmistakable.

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