John Steinbeck's "Western Flyer" gets brought back to life

After writing "The Grapes of Wrath," author John Steinbeck explored the Gulf of California in a famous boat called the Western Flyer. Since then, the boat has inspired adventurers and scientists for generations, but the original ship was nearly lost. CBS News' Jeff Glor reports on the person determined to give it new life.
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[@tednottodd]

Anyone who has ever tried to refit or restore a boat knows exactly how much work was involved. I’m restoring a little sailing dinghy and I have hour upon hour just varnishing the seats and rail. The shipwrights in Port Townsend are legendary.

[@tuberNunya]

You should see the place they work. It's one of the finest wooden boat shipyards in the world.

[@mdouglaswray]

The restoration process is documented on KZbin and WELL worth watching - as is the Tally Ho, another legendary vessel.

[@Trebuchet48]

I live just outside Port Townsend and have greatly enjoyed watching the progress of Tally Ho and the Western Flyer. I went down to the boatyard when the Flyer was to depart and the owner invited me to step aboard and look around. Very nice guy!

[@heynowls3058]

Ever been to the The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas CA/John Steinbeck’s hometown? Terrific museum and town.

[@BillBraz-b9o]

Rocinante

[@ronkirk5099]

A great save of a piece of history.

[@patrickkenney1080]

Kudos to you for your efforts in keeping this boat and Steinbecks memory alive. The world needs more people like you!

[@wallacerotternaut]

Thank you John Gray!

[@stephenhenion8304]

Thank you CBS for covering the Western Flyer story. I have followed it from the beginning! Totally Magnificent ! Ready for the next chapter!

[@mitchyoung93]

I like how the biologist says 'this is Ed Ricketts boat'...

[@Brian-os9qj]

Truly an inspiring boat, story and area all being experienced in Monterrey

[@robertwood6439]

Wow this is the best gift you have given. It is wonderful. Thank you

[@carloscarlos7044]

Where is Rocinante ?

[@FunkyKrunkMunk]

It's @ The Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, California. It was relatively recently restored too! 😄

[@alanfaulkner6329]

Now that is a boat!

[@ronbrennan4632]

A wonderful gift for all thanks for your sharing this great restoration and ship ronrdzl

[@phooesnax]

Be sure to do a Tally Ho story. Also in Port Townsend!

[@larrybuzan7687]

A few years got to retrace the western flyers trip to the sea of Cortez

[@jimurrata6785]

Necropsy table is a weird flex, but whatever... 🙄 Happy to see Western Flyer afloat again

[@franswijnands4022]

Everything can be repaired if you throw enough money at it

[@wb7sff]

Gulf of California or Gulf of Mexico ??

[@nb7466]

People can't eat and some people have sunken boat restoration money. Must be nice.

[@sg639]

What a meaningful project at the intersection of business, science, and literature.

[@uoobwatcher]

Port Townsend, also part of the rebirth of the sailing ship “TALLY HO”.

[@kingofsolduc]

I live close by to Port Townsend WA and got invited to a fundraising concert in a boat shed. This was years ago ,tables set up around this fishing boat setting on some blocks. Cool place to have a concert . I met a guy named Ray Troll his band was playing and I got him to sign my T shirt . Also met this Guy that is a big time Museum Director from The Smithsonian . He was a Dinosaur Hunter . This was a big deal for me I guy living in the rain forest. So I signed up and bought an old nail and small pice of the original wood from the Western Flyer Foundation. That still sets in my House on a shelf. How cool of you to do this story on where it ended up.

[@maurawhelan3530]

What a great guy! Beautiful boat. Thank you so much for saving this lovely boat! Such rich history…love the fact that much of the cabin is original. Just beautiful…

[@darcyperkins7041]

People should read the Wikipedia article about how this boat came to be restored; especially it's various owners, and the twists and turns until Greg came to own it. Still a fantastic boat.

[@GaryDeWitt-t6p]

In depth series on the history and restoration here: www.youtube.com/@WesternFlyerFoundationChannel/videos No idea why CBS did not care to include this link with their story. A shame.

[@shoresharp8349]

Mainstream media doesn't recognize actually reality TV. Western flyer channel is awesome.

[@OceanPlanet60]

Nice. As cool as the restoration of Project Improbable!

[@johnslaughter5475]

I still miss Jeff as the anchor at CBS. Norah is okay, but she's not as good as Jeff.

[@robertkowalski9906]

Every time I pull the cord on my little outboard and it doesn't start I think of John, for he's the one that told me all outboard are possessed by demons, I'd have agree...

[@ncc74656m]

I'm with the biologist. Forget the interview. WHALES.

[@jmenter1]

Seaworthy does not mean what you think it does. Using big words incorrectly is inexcusable in your line of work. Im thinking of starting a business where i charge $500 per occasion where i review what celebrities say and save them from themselves.

[@robhow7962]

Stunning stuff. Thanks, CBS.

[@williamogilvie6909]

That is so great to see. I read Stienbeck's book about his trip to the Sea of Cortez with Doc Ricketts.

[@tuberNunya]

This story makes me cry. And I am not a liberal. It's so inspiring.

[@frankdoyle3716]

And then you have wealthy guys shooting rockets into space.....The Western Flyer restoration is money well spent.

[@Peter-kk6rg]

Glad to see history come back to life

[@lynnhubbard844]

NOT the Gulf of Mexico--you guys need to hire me as your proofreader, ffs

[@timothywalker4563]

Seeing the boat is the cake and the icing would be the whales 😊

[@C.Hawkshaw]

So cool! Did John Barrymore go on this boat?

[@aimeeinkling]

We visit Monterey often. It'll be fun to see the Flyer when we visit next time. And don't bother trying to explain the bay to people who haven't been there. It has to be witnessed. There's nothing else like it on Earth.

[@decencywarrior9598]

Righteous ! Thanks John.

[@christopherholliday6907]

Bravo Zulu 🏴‍☠️🇺🇸

[@Ramenscooter]

Frankenstein boat restoration

[@quesadilla79]

restored boat to a dying ocean

[@writerconsidered]

I've read a couple of Steinbeck's books but never even heard of this one.

[@tuberNunya]

He also wrote Log From the Sea of Cortez, in the afterward he talks about how Ricketts was killed by a train in Monterey and how much he loved the man. I just finished it, the last book of Steinbeck's I had not read. I don't know if I am getting old or what but it affected me deeply.

[@christinarcelano2235]

Spectacular! Way to spend your fortune. More millionaires should take heed.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

It was already amazing before the rendering for the lab was shown, but now it's just .... u went above and beyond sir!

[@bobbysnow5478]

New life in Moss Landing ca! Thanks for the video!

[@Mach11976]

What i wouldn't give to work on the Flyer! And the book is awesome.

[@tj-kv6vr]

is he the guy that lied abou t"my travels with charlie"?

[@BillBraz-b9o]

Ed rickets screaming at God in a hurricane in the sea of Cortez.

[@gregknipe8772]

Thank for investing in our history, I have my tattered copy of life in the littoral zone. This is what money is made for - you are awesome.

[@mrboatshoe]

Yeah, lemme put my dirty boots on the bed😂😂

[@dennis1954]

First time I saw The Western Flyer it was sitting in the boat yard looking like a total POS. I was walking my dog daily and watched the ship moved from the back of the boat yard eventually into the big building where it was transformed into something much greater. I missed the move back into the water but saw her floating. An amazing process that gets repeated daily by the shipwrights that take ships that look way beyond repair renewed to see the sea again.

[@tomchristensen3392]

Inspiration sir, well spent

[@abdiver12]

What a great story. Reminds me so much of the Potomac, FDR's presidential yacht that was once owned by Elvis Presley then subsequently trashed. Some people put some money together, restored it to its former glory, and its now taking people on tours out of Oakland, California.

[@ariennelandry9207]

Wonderful story.

[@guybeingaguy]

They WERE documenting this build here on KZbin. It was a fantastic channel don’t know why it stopped mid way. My understanding was the lower interior floor was to be a mobile college classroom. Doing actual marine exploration while getting your degree. I thought they dreamed of it having a underwater rover and built for it.

[@ThomasKeffer]

Because of COVID, we lost access to the Ship's Co-op. Understandable, as they didn't want the whole shop floor to be shut down because of a case. The "fish hold" is getting rebuilt as an onboard laboratory. We have a small ROV, but a larger one is on its way.

[@guybeingaguy]

@@ThomasKeffer Thanks for your reply. My memory isn’t as bad as I thought 😜 I REALLY enjoyed the videos. VERY well put together, informative and just a great story all around. Now that Arabella has launched and Tally ho is wrapping up I’m going to be a lost soul in search of craftsmanship soon.

[@mightsnow3654]

Cost more than the boat is worth.

[@charlesjohnsjr.5809]

Most restorations are but I’m glad someone has the money to preserve history.

[@ianbauer4703]

Beautiful accomplishment.

[@KosherFinance]

Rich white peope😢

[@boataxe4605]

Considering how much of the original is left, it is a wonderful replica.

[@RealOlawo]

So much efforts to restore the boat in original condition and than installing a shity e-drive.

[@tednottodd]

Actually it makes sense from a scientific standpoint. Diesel engines are very noisy, including under water. If you want to see aquatic life, you don’t want to scare the whales etc. they are already bombarded and it’s affected their feeding.

[@RealOlawo]

@@tednottodd Diesel engines can be noise isolated if needed.

[@marzsit9833]

@@RealOlawo pretty much impossible to do it in an inboard, direct-drive boat where the engine cannot be installed on flexible mounts.

[@mikeoxbig1560]

His marine biologist buddy was the inspiration for Doc, in Cannery Row....Awesome.

[@MrBalisas]

I like the chick in red.