“Sailing with Phoenix,” Oregon man who quit job to sail with cat, arrives to cheering fans in Hawaii

Oliver Widger, an Oregon man who quit his job at a tire company and liquidated his retirement savings to set sail for Hawaii with his cat, Phoenix, reached his destination Saturday, welcomed by cheering fans at the end of a weekslong journey that he documented for his mass of followers on social media.

Widger, known online as “sailing_with_phoenix,” was also greeted by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green at the Waikiki Yacht Club on Oahu, acknowledged he was nervous facing the crowd, which included reporters. Widger said he was feeling “really weird” — not seasick, but, “I just feel like I have to, like, hold on to things to not fall over.”

He became an online sensation with his story, which followed a diagnosis four years ago with Klippel-Feil, a syndrome that carried a risk of paralysis and made him realize he disliked his managerial job. He quit his job with “no money, no plan” and $10,000 of debt — and the goal of buying a sailboat and sailing around the world.

Who is Sailing With Phoenix?

The 29-year-old set sail for Hawaii with Phoenix in late April, documenting their experiences for his more than 1 million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million followers on Instagram, many of whom he gained over the past week. He said he thinks his story, which made national news, resonated with people.

He said he taught himself to sail mostly via YouTube and moved from Portland to the Oregon coast. He spent months refitting the $50,000 boat he bought.

“I think a lot of people are, you know, you’re grinding at your job all day long and it doesn’t really matter how much money you make at this point, everybody’s just trying to do enough to get by and that just wears you out,” Widger said. “It’s just the world’s in a weird place, and I think people have seen that it’s possible to break out.”

Sailing with Phoenix welcome party at Waikiki Yacht Club

Gov. Green presented Widger with a proclamation after he arrived on Oahu. Fans swarmed Widger after the news conference, many holding cameras and seeking selfies.

The scariest point of the trip came when a rudder failed, Widger said. Highlights included seeing dolphins and whales and periods of calm Pacific waters. “Being in the middle of the ocean when it was completely glass in every direction was an absurd feeling,” he said.

Widger said he never truly felt alone, since he was communicating with friends by means including video conference. But he also lamented not experiencing the open waters in a way that other sailors — who didn’t have access to tools like Starlink internet satellites — have in years before.

He said he may travel next to French Polynesia. But he said he had been focused on getting to Hawaii and not on what he’d do after that. He said he also needs to make repairs to his boat.

What is Klippel-Feil syndrome?

Klippel-Feil syndrome, or KFS, is rare skeletal condition in which two or more cervical vertebrae are fused together, according to the Cleveland Clinic, which causes abnormalities in the spine.

The disorder is congenital, meaning a person is born with it. However, some people go undiagnosed until later life when symptoms worsen or first become apparent, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

“It took three years of battling fear and facing the reality that, as a result of my cervical spine condition, I’m at risk of paralysis,” Widger said. “That truth pushed me to finally choose a life worth living. I hated my job. I despised the corporate machine.”