The historic Western Flyer, chartered by John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts in 1940, now serves as a working research vessel and floating classroom, sparking curiosity through the intersection of marine science and the arts.
Visit the Western Flyer in the Pacific Northwest This Spring
In 2026, the Western Flyer will travel north along the Pacific coast, returning to the waters where it was built, worked, and restored.
This voyage reconnects the vessel with its roots—while bringing hands-on ocean science programs to students and communities across Oregon and Washington.
Seas the Summer Is Back!
July 08, 2026Seas the Summer is back! Join us on the Moss Landing waterfront every Saturday and Sunday from August 1 through September 6 for free hands-on art and science activities, Western Flyer tours, talks, local artists and vendors, and more.
View Full ArticleFrom the Western Flyer to World Champions!
July 08, 2026X Academy’s Hephaestus Robotics team just took first place at the 2026 MATE ROV World Championship, competing against 47 high school teams from 13 countries.
View Full ArticleApplications Open for the Western Flyer’s MentorShip Program – July 13-17
July 02, 2026The Western Flyer Foundation is accepting applications for its free MentorShip Program, a unique week-long summer experience in Moss Landing, July 13–17.
View Full ArticleThe boat John Steinbeck made famous
Cascade PBS | Knute Berger, The Mossback Den, June 30, 2026Last week a remarkable vessel was in town: the historic Western Flyer, a rescued and refurbished onetime purse seiner built in Tacoma, that famously cruised the Sea of Cortez in Mexico with author John Steinbeck and marine biologist Edward Ricketts aboard.
View Full ArticleWestern Flyer Foundation Selects Four Mexican-Led Marine Research Projects for 2027 Gulf of California Expedition
June 23, 2026Press Release: Western Flyer Foundation Selects Four Mexican-Led Marine Research Projects for 2027 Gulf of California Expedition
View Full ArticleThe Western Flyer concludes its 2026 visit to the Pacific Northwest
KLCC | By Brianna Bowman, June 22, 2026Not many fishing boats are immortalized in literature by Nobel-Prize-winning authors. But not all boats are the Western Flyer. Eighty years ago, John Steinbeck described the elegant, wooden fishing vessel.
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