1937 Sardiner

The top three photos in this post come thanks to Kyle Stubbs, who has contributed photos here before, not to mention many photos on uglyships, which is how we first met.   He’s not Sea bart.

I’ll tell you more about this fishing boat in a bit, but that mud says it has been below the surface of the water, and it ain’t a submarine.

Some claim it’s the most famous fishing boat in the world, although that sounds hyperbolic.   Guesses?

It’s Western Flyer, the boat chartered by John Steinbeck AND Ed Ricketts, which served as the platform for their expedition to the Sea Of Cortez aka Gulf of California.  Click here for an interesting article on how marketing removed Ricketts’ name from the Log from the Sea of Cortez account.  The vessel is currently undergoing a $2 million restoration.

Log from the Sea from Cortez is well-worth reading, although my favorite is Cannery Row, in which Ricketts is portrayed as the marine biologist.  For a portion of Log, click here.  My favorite pages in that excerpt are the second half of p. 6 and all of p. 7,  and the second half of p. 14 onto top of 15.

Tangentially related:  the elusive bowsprite has responded to an updated book on the Sea of Cortez here.

Many thanks to Kyle for these photos, taken in Port Townsend.