Oliver Widger, a 29-year-old sailing across the Pacific with his cat, Phoenix, has amassed over a million followers across TikTok and Instagram. His voyage from Oregon to Hawaii has resonated with many, and Widger believes he understands why.
"The world kind of sucks and, like, I don’t think I’m alone in how I felt with my work," Widger explained in a Zoom interview.
"You can be making $150,000 a year and you still feel like you’re just making ends meet, you know what I mean? And I think people are just tired of that and working really hard for nothing and want a way out."
Widger's story is one of escape, a theme that resonates with a growing number of individuals seeking alternative lifestyles.
Four years ago, a diagnosis of a syndrome carrying a risk of paralysis spurred him to reassess his life.
He realised his dissatisfaction with his managerial role at a tire company, where the demands of a clean-shaven appearance and pressed shirts felt stifling. Inspired by stories of sailing from California to Hawaii, he envisioned a different path.
With "no money, no plan," and burdened by $10,000 of debt, Widger abruptly quit his job. His leap of faith, documented on social media, has captured the attention of those yearning for a similar break from the ordinary.
“I knew one thing: I'm buying a sailboat,” he recalled. “I'm sailing around the world.”
He liquidated his retirement savings, taught himself to sail mostly via YouTube and moved from Portland to the Oregon coast, where he spent months refitting the $50,000 boat he bought.
Now, Widger is harnessing the power of social media to fund his round-the-world sailing dream.
Since he set sail in April, followers have been tuning into his “Sailing with Phoenix” social media posts to view videos of him and his feline first mate battling the waves and bouts of seasickness, enjoying dazzling sunsets, recounting tricky boat repairs or just reflecting on life at sea.
As he discussed his journey with the AP, a netted bag carrying bottled water and snacks swung wildly over his head as the boat rocked.
He recalled highlights of the voyage so far, including marveling at the speed dolphins cut through the water and finding flying fish on the deck. There have been stretches when there were no birds in sight for days. It can be a struggle to sleep when the boat is creaking while being buffeted by waves or to steady a boiling pot for the MREs he has been subsisting on.
There have been harrowing moments like when a rudder failed and the boat tilted sideways in the surf for three hours as he made repairs, and the time he locked himself in the engine compartment and pried his way out with a wrench.
Widger acknowledged he is relatively inexperienced as a sailor, but he has implemented safety measures and communication backup plans, including a satellite phone and an emergency beacon.
Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Harms of the US Coast Guard in Hawaii hasn't been following the journey closely, but said he is relieved to hear Widger has the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, known as an EPIRB.
It's a critical tool for rescuers to locate a mariner's position during an emergency, especially in the Pacific, the largest ocean, Harms said.
Widger's journey provides a good opportunity to educate the public about sailing safety, such as the importance of wearing a personal flotation device whenever topside on the boat, monitoring the weather closely and registering emergency tools like the EPIRB, Harms said.
“That's a really critical piece for anybody that's getting motivated by his story to go set off on their own adventure,” Harms said.
Until his arrival, likely in Honolulu, Widger is making sure everything is in place to avoid Phoenix having to undergo Hawaii's animal quarantine. A mobile vet will sign off on Phoenix's health when they arrive, he said.
Widger wasn't aware of the deadly danger of cat feces to the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, but he has been keeping all his trash, including kitty litter, on board. Even though he said he is legally allowed to throw it overboard, seeing so much plastic in the ocean motivates him not to.
In addition to managing the practicalities of daily life on a boat, he is coping with going viral in the middle of the ocean by creating social media content and making decisions about merch his fans want to buy.
He credits it all to his neck issue, which “shook up my world and it changed my perspective on everything.” He also hopes he can be an inspiration for anyone who's in a rut.
“Everything I’ve done I thought was impossible,” Widger said. "Sailing around the world is such a ridiculous dream. Whatever your dream is, just go, just do it.”
