Is the dystopian reality of late-stage Capitalism weighing you down? Sick of spending a minimum of 40 hours per week, a number that averages out to about 1/3 of your life, observing a pc screen or busting your rump to make a dime while your boss makes a dollar off your labor? Then live vicariously through the journey of the brave 29-year-old who left his corporate job at Discount Tire, ditched his stable corporate life in Oregon, bought a sailboat, learned methods to sail his boat, and is now on day 14 of his voyage sailing from Oregon to Hawaii.
Oliver Widger was diagnosed with Klippel-Feil syndrome, a condition that may sometimes lead to paralysis because two or more of the bones in his neck are fused together. He told NBC News in a video interview that this diagnosis led him to ponder his mortality and are available to the belief that the oppressive and all-consuming nature of a full-time job actually sucks, so he knew he had to alter something. The state of his cervical spine means he can experience sudden paralysis at any moment, so he decided to take the leap of religion and pursue his dream of sailing across the Pacific, together with his cat Phoenix on board.
15 days later
Prior to purchasing his 33-foot Com-Pac 33 sail boat and naming it Phoenix after his cat, Oliver did not have any experience sailing. He bought it last 12 months in mid-May, then spent a bit over a month fixing it up, and took it out for its maiden on a river in Oregon on June 23. He spent several tons of of hours out sailing before he sailed his boat to the Oregon coast in preparation for the voyage. After performing and documenting a series of in depth and expensive repairs on Phoenix, he set his sights on Hawaii and commenced his voyage on May 1.
Oliver posts day by day updates about his adventure and numerous more candid story posts on his social media pages, and so they recently went viral. When he first began vlogging his journey of buying the boat and learning methods to sail and dealing on it, he had slightly over 2,000 followers. He now has amassed well over one million followers on Instagram and over 800,000 followers on TikTok, and I believe he deserves every one among them, especially since he’s funding his journey by posting content.
There’s something for everybody
Oliver posts tons of content — using Starlink, in case you’re wondering — from day by day updates about how his journey goes, to posting photos and videos of his sweet little kitty Phoenix being lovable, to discussing his weight-reduction plan at sea. In case you return in his feed, you possibly can even watch the entire wrenching he had to finish prior to embarking on his voyage, and though we’re not rooting for mechanical issues, a few of his day by day updates include some technical repairs that he has to do along the way in which. It’s estimated that his trip will take anywhere between 14 and 21 days.
We’re all wishing he and Phoenix a secure journey, and Oliver in case you read this, I saw you mentioned selling a Lotus with the intention to help fund your expedition and I really need to know more about your automotive history, especially provided that you spent 11 years working at a tire shop. Godspeed to you dude, from all of us here at Jalopnik.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
