Man Quits His Job To Sail Around The World With His Cat

At one point or another, we've all daydreamed about quitting our jobs and disappearing. One 29-year-old Oregon man actually did it.

When Oliver Widger was diagnosed with Klippel-Feil syndrome, a painful skeletal condition that can sometimes cause paralysis, he realized that life is precious, and he was wasting too much time doing something he hated.

"The world kind of sucks and, like, I don’t think I’m alone in how I felt with my work," Widger told the Associated Press. "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."

So Widger found a way out. He quit his corporate job at a tire shop, cashed out his 401(k) and bought a boat. Now, he plans to sail around the world — alone. Well, except for his cat Phoenix, whom he found in a dumpster about seven years ago.

After spending a year outfitting the boat and learning to sail, Widger embarked from Warrenton Marina on the Oregon Coast on April 30. His first stop? Hawaii.

"Ahead of me is the journey of a lifetime. Over two thousand miles of open ocean. No land. No help. Just wind, waves, and a boat I prepared with my own two hands. And of course, my first mate Phoenix," he captioned an Instagram post on the day he left.

Widger wrote he was optimistic to "find pieces of myself I never knew were missing," adding, "I’ve already won because I found the courage to try."

Via Starlink, Widger posts daily updates from his journey on his Instagram and TikTok accounts. So far, he's faced storms, sail repairs and the most "terrifying" — a rudder failure.

"The boat was just rocking like this every thirty seconds," he said, describing the difficulty of making repairs while the boat is battered by waves at its sides. "It was like being in an airplane with violent turbulence with the windows rolled down the entire time."

Widger's most recent update came on Sunday (Day 18). He was doing maintenance as his Hydrovane bolts were loose, and the boat was taking on a small bit of water. It appears, though, that he got it fixed and remains on course for the Aloha State.

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