A 29-year-old Clackamas High School graduate is sailing from Oregon to Hawaii with no prior open-ocean experience, a rare spinal condition, and a cat named Phoenix — and winning hearts across the internet along the way.
Three years ago, Oliver Widger was diagnosed with a condition that causes abnormal fusion of his spine. Faced with the possibility of a future with paralysis, Oliver quit his job, cashed out his 401(k), bought a $50,000 sailboat, and started learning how to sail — with help from YouTube and a neighbor.
He moved to the Oregon Coast, where he spent ten hours a day refitting the boat — mostly alone, except for Phoenix, the cat he rescued from a dumpster seven years ago. Now he's on a 2,400-mile voyage expected to take around three weeks. Oliver’s Instagram account has exploded in popularity, with 800,000 followers.
Check out his journey at Sailing with Phoenix. Donate to his GoFundMe account here.
UPDATE: Oliver and Phoenix kitty were greeted Saturday in the waters off Waikiki by dozens of local sailors and kayakers and then treated with a hero's welcome in a ceremony.
UPDATE: Love that Oliver's journey is attracting sponsors and partners along the way. Hopefully they continue so he can resume his dream of sailing the world.