Brighten Your Day

Man Leaves 9-5 Life To Sail The Ocean With His Cat — And Raises $100K Doing It

May 26, 2025

What happens when you walk away from the life you've settled for — and chase the one your heart has always wanted?

For 29-year-old Oliver Widger of Oregon, it meant leaving behind the corporate world, buying a sailboat with no experience, and setting off across the Pacific Ocean with only his cat for company.

And people are loving every second of it.

@sailing_with_phoenix

Last year, Oliver made a bold choice. After 11 years in a career that left him unfulfilled — and facing a spinal condition that put him at risk of paralysis — he knew he couldn’t keep living on autopilot.

“I quit my career of 11 years, liquidated my 401k, and stepped into the unknown,” Oliver shared on social media. “It took three years of battling fear... I hated my job. I despised the corporate machine. But I have always harbored a wild, impossible dream: to sail around the world.”

So he did just that.

No roadmap. No sailing background. Just a dream, a boat, and his feline first mate.

Oliver’s journey — raw, vulnerable, and adventurous — has captured hearts across the globe. From Oregon to Hawaii, he documented every wave and milestone, drawing millions of views on social media.

His GoFundMe campaign to support the voyage has already raised over $100,000.

“I think a lot of people are... 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,” he said. “It’s just... the world’s in a weird place, and I think people have seen that it’s possible to break out.”

On May 24, Oliver arrived in Hawaii — greeted by a cheering crowd who had followed his journey and celebrated his courage to live freely.

As for what’s next? He’s not quite sure — and that’s perfectly fine.