US man quits corporate job to sail around the world with his cat, with no sailing experience
- This US man decided to quit his job and follow a crazy dream
- He was bored with his job and living with a worsening spine condition
- So he decided to sail the world with a trusty sidekick, his cat Phoenix
Published on May 07, 2025 at 5:26 PM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on May 07, 2025 at 9:27 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
This US man quit his corporate job to sail across America with the cutest cat you’ve ever seen, the only problem is: he has absolutely no sailing experience.
Meet Oliver Widger, a man who decided there was no more time to waste at his corporate job. So one day he decided to cash in his 401K, quit, buy a sailing boat, and finally live.
Alongside his cat, Phoenix, Oliver decided to rise from the ashes of his corporate life after suffering from a serious spine condition, to sail from Oregon to Hawaii despite the fact he’d never sailed before. Ever.
He’s been fixing up his boat and learning how to sail, but this month he set off on his journey, embracing a dream that he still can’t quite believe is reality.
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Traveling around the world with a cat and no sailing experience
Oliver Widger is a man with a plan. And that plan is to travel from Oregon to Hawaii on a sailing boat that he spent all of his 401K on.
Oliver hated working a 9-5 in corporate drudgery while also suffering from a constantly worsening cervical spine condition. But he had a massive dream.
He wanted to quit his job, cash in his 401K, spend it all on a boat, and sail the world with his trusty sidekick, an adorable cat called Phoenix.
And that’s exactly what he’s done. The only problem? He has absolutely no sailing experience.
The adventure is happening sooner than he thought
Oliver was planning on fixing up his sailboat and learning to sail so he could set off on his adventure from Oregon to Hawaii in April 2026.
Due to his worsening cervical spine condition, though, he decided that time is of the essence, as he could actually become paralysed from his illness.
So he brought his adventure with Phoenix forward by a year to May 2025. Which meant he had to work even harder on getting everything ship-shape and learning the ropes before he set off.
We couldn’t not talk a bit about Phoenix, who despite her difficult start in life, has become every bit a ship’s cat.
Oliver found the beautiful female Tortoiseshell moggy in a dumpster. And despite him saving her life, he describes her as having saved his life.
Phoenix has gained quite the fanbase on Instagram, and you can follow Oliver and Phoenix’s voyage across the world there, too.
Good luck, Oliver and Phoenix, we hope you won’t have any cat-astrophes!
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Daisy Edwards is a Content Writer at supercarblondie.com. Daisy has more than five years’ experience as a qualified journalist, having graduated with a History and Journalism degree from Goldsmiths, University of London and a dissertation in vintage electric vehicles. Daisy specializes in writing about cars, EVs, tech and luxury lifestyle. When she's not writing, she's at a country music concert or working on one of her many unfinished craft projects.
