The Log from the Sea of Cortez: A Summary On March 11th, 1940 John Steinbeck and Edward Ricketts sailed off the coast of Monterey, California around the Baja Peninsula and into the Sea of Cortez; also know as the Gulf of California. Steinbeck, the author of this journal, recounts his experiences with marine life in gulf during his near 4,000-mile journey. Although Steinbeck reveals his knowledge about science and the sea, he also shares his personal philosophy about life which gives the reader an inside look into Steinbeck’s inner thoughts. The Log from the Sea of Cortez allowed Steinbeck to be influenced by Ricketts who shaped some of Steinbeck’s character archetypes in his later fictional works. To start, Steinbeck and Ricketts had to…show more content… The first collection of specimen was in Cabo San Lucas where they experienced their first of many troubles with their external engine, which they referred to as the Hansen Sea-Cow. This unreliable engine seemed to work against the crew and would only work on days of perfect conditions. The Sea-Cow provided for comical breaks in the journal when the marine biology talk became stale and when Steinbeck needed to have a release from his trilogy. Next, the men made it to the El Pulmo Reef just a few miles around the tip of the peninsula where they could officially announce they were in the Sea of Cortez. The reef provided their first specimen of the trip, which sparked their drive to explore more. Steinbeck’s first encounter with locals and his first philosophical note occurred during his time in La Paz in which he spent a few days collecting supplies and chatting with the people. They then sailed in high seas to San Jose Island and then made their way to Marcial Reef where they collected a bulk amount of specimen. After tirelessly working for the day the men were greeted by some Mexicans who invited them on a hunting trip in which they did not actual hunting but learned about the culture of the Mexicans. The men’s desire to make it to the Guaymas was halted because of the distance they had to cover, thus they
