The Western Flyer became famous when John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts sailed it to the Gulf of California for a 1940 marine science expedition, later chronicled in The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Now, the storied vessel is traveling north along the Pacific coast, returning to the Pacific Northwest waters where the vessel was built, worked, and later brought back to life.
This voyage reconnects the Western Flyer with a defining chapter of its history while bringing hands-on ocean science programs to coastal communities across Oregon and Washington. Visitors are invited to step aboard, meet the crew and educators, and experience the Flyer's story firsthand.
This opportunity is for a group day trip to Newport to tour and learn about the boat. The group will travel by shuttle van, leaving from Corvallis. Here's our schedule and plan for the day of May 17:
- 1:15 p.m. — Meet near the covered bike rack in the "A" parking lot just to the North of PRAx
- 1:30 p.m. — Shuttle van departs
- 2:30 p.m. — Arrive in Newport. Tour the Wester Flyer. Visit the Marine Hatfield Science Center for a public talk and short film about the boat's significance and history
- About 5:30 p.m. — Depart Newport
- Between 6:30 and 7 p.m. — Arrive back at PRAx
Surabhi Balachander, Assistant Professor of English, and Anna Guasco, Assistant Professor of Marine Studies, will accompany the tour group to share additional context on the literary and cultural context of the Western Flyer's historic journey.
This opportunity is sponsored by Center for the Humanities. It has limited spots available. Please only register here if you can commit to the trip. If you have more than one person in your party, please have each person fill out the registration form. If you need to cancel your registration, email Shelley Stonebrook at [email protected].