Boat that took Steinbeck to Sea of Cortez is being restored

If all goes as planned, the boat that took John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts on their expedition to the Sea of Cortez will come sailing back into Monterey Bay in a few years.

The 77-foot-long wooden purse seiner Western Flyer is being restored at Port Townsend, Washington.

The boat was chartered in 1940 for the voyage to the Sea of Cortez, which is also known as the Gulf of California, and led to Steinbeck’s 1951 book “The Log From the Sea of Cortez.”

The Western Flyer Foundation said it’s goal is to stir curiosity by providing rich and remarkable education, research and creative opportunities aboard a historic vessel famous for carrying Steinbeck, and his best friend Ricketts.

Ricketts inspired the character Doc in Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row” and “Sweet Thursday.” He died in 1948. Steinbeck died in 1968.