An Oregon man who amassed millions of social media followers as he documented his journey of sailing to Hawaii with his cat arrived safely in the Aloha State on Saturday.
After docking on the island of Oahu, Oliver Widger, 29, was greeted by cheering fans, as well as Hawaii Gov. Josh Green. Green presented him with an official proclamation at the Waikiki Yacht Club, according to the Associated Press.
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“Dear Corporate America, I won,” Widger wrote in a celebratory Instagram post on Saturday.
Following his 24-day journey at sea, Widger admitted he was nervous facing the crowd of newfound fans and said he had to “hold on to things to not fall over.”
Widger — known as @sailing_with_phoenix on his social media platforms — began his sailing journey to Hawaii with his cat Phoenix in late April. He now has more than 1.7 million followers on Instagram and more than 1 million followers on TikTok.
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“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.”
The online sensation was inspired to make a change about a year ago, after he was diagnosed with Klippel–Feil syndrome and said he felt tired of working in corporate America.
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“I run the risk of going paralyzed,” Widger told Fox Business in an exclusive interview earlier this month. “The way the doctor described it is, I have a spine of somebody who’s like 115 years old… Hearing that kind of just shook up my world.”
Widger quit his 11-year career at a tire company, liquidated his 401(k) and sold his belongings to buy a $50,000 sailboat with no prior sailing experience. He taught himself how to sail with the help of YouTube videos, AP reported.
While sailing the more than 2,000 miles from Oregon to Hawaii, Widger said he never felt completely alone as he was able to maintain communication with friends with the help of technology. The scariest part of the trip was when a rudder failed, he said.
For his next adventure, Widger said he may sail to French Polynesia, but he needs to first make repairs to his boat.
“With no formal training—just courage, curiosity, and a whole lot of heart — Oliver set sail from Oregon in search of something deeper,” Green said in an Instagram post. “His journey reminds us of the voyaging spirit that lives in all of us: the drive to explore, to grow, and to trust the ocean.”
Widger did not immediately respond to Fox Business’ request for comment.
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