Oliver Widger, an Oregon man who quit his job at a tire company and liquidated his retirement savings to set sail for Hawaii with his cat, Phoenix, reached his destination Saturday, welcomed by cheering fans at the end of a weekslong journey that he documented for his mass of followers on social media.
Widger, known online as “sailing_with_phoenix,” was also greeted by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green at the Waikiki Yacht Club on Oahu, acknowledged he was nervous facing the crowd, which included reporters. Widger said he was feeling “really weird” — not seasick, but, “I just feel like I have to, like, hold on to things to not fall over.”
He became an online sensation with his story, which followed a diagnosis four years ago with Klippel-Feil, a syndrome that carried a risk of paralysis and made him realize he disliked his managerial job. He quit his job with “no money, no plan” and $10,000 of debt — and the goal of buying a sailboat and sailing around the world.
In this photo provided by Oliver Widger via his Instagram account on Thursday, May 15, 2025, his cat, Phoenix, sits inside their sailboat somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as both make their way from Oregon to Hawaii.
Advertisement
Oliver Widger / AP
Who is Sailing With Phoenix?
The 29-year-old set sail for Hawaii with Phoenix in late April, documenting their experiences for his more than 1 million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million followers on Instagram, many of whom he gained over the past week. He said he thinks his story, which made national news, resonated with people.
He said he taught himself to sail mostly via YouTube and moved from Portland to the Oregon coast. He spent months refitting the $50,000 boat he bought.
“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.”
Advertisement
Sailing with Phoenix welcome party at Waikiki Yacht Club
Oliver Widger, 29-year-old Oregon man who sailed from Oregon to Hawaii, arrives at the Waikiki Yacht Club, on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Waikiki, Hawaii.
Michelle Bir / AP
Gov. Green presented Widger with a proclamation after he arrived on Oahu. Fans swarmed Widger after the news conference, many holding cameras and seeking selfies.
The scariest point of the trip came when a rudder failed, Widger said. Highlights included seeing dolphins and whales and periods of calm Pacific waters. “Being in the middle of the ocean when it was completely glass in every direction was an absurd feeling,” he said.
Widger said he never truly felt alone, since he was communicating with friends by means including video conference. But he also lamented not experiencing the open waters in a way that other sailors — who didn’t have access to tools like Starlink internet satellites — have in years before.
Advertisement
He said he may travel next to French Polynesia. But he said he had been focused on getting to Hawaii and not on what he’d do after that. He said he also needs to make repairs to his boat.
In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Oliver Widger’s Instagram account on Saturday, May 3, 2025, Widger talks to the camera somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as he and his cat, Phoenix, sail from Oregon to Hawaii.
Oliver Widger / AP
What is Klippel-Feil syndrome?
Klippel-Feil syndrome, or KFS, is rare skeletal condition in which two or more cervical vertebrae are fused together, according to the Cleveland Clinic, which causes abnormalities in the spine.
The disorder is congenital, meaning a person is born with it. However, some people go undiagnosed until later life when symptoms worsen or first become apparent, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders.
Advertisement
“It took three years of battling fear and facing the reality that, as a result of my cervical spine condition, I’m at risk of paralysis,” Widger said. “That truth pushed me to finally choose a life worth living. I hated my job. I despised the corporate machine.”
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Gov. Josh Green predicted Friday that thousands of Hawaii residents may give up their health insurance after Congress did not extend subsidies for Affordable Care Act policies.
Green pledged millions in local taxpayer funds to help them maintain coverage.
Hawaii’s 24,000 Affordable Care Act customers faced uncertainty in December as they had to reenroll without knowing whether extra subsidies would be extended.
Now that the subsidies are ending, customers must find more money or reduce their coverage.
Advertisement
Premium increases force difficult choices
Insurance agent and radio host Martha Khlopin works with about 300 people who depend on ACA premium subsidies.
“People, I think, will be making the decision, taking that risk and just praying they don’t get sick,” Khlopin said. “So I pray that too. Don’t get sick in 2026, because your premiums and co-pays might be a lot.”
As an example, Khlopin cited a 50-year-old man who makes $40,000. He was paying about $170 a month this year for a plan with good coverage. His new plan will cost about $500 a month starting in January.
“It’s a pretty big increase for him,” Khlopin said. “So what he decided to do was just use his savings to cover the premiums because he really needs to keep the very generous platinum plan that he has right now.”
Coverage downgrades expected
Khlopin said others are downgrading their coverage, choosing lower premiums but much higher out-of-pocket costs and deductibles.
Advertisement
“So it’s a lower premium, but you have higher cost because you have to meet a deductible,” Khlopin said, noting that could lead some people to avoid care.
“So if I do need a particular procedure that’s expensive, I might decide not to get that done, which ultimately can cause more problems down the road,” Khlopin said.
Green predicted an even more dire scenario with thousands choosing to go without coverage.
“That’s really bad, because it’s not just the lack of insurance for them. It’s also $150 million of uncompensated care to rural facilities to our community health centers,” Green said.
State tax credit proposal
Green proposed that the state make up the lost subsidies with a state tax credit for about 8,000 ACA customers.
Advertisement
“The analysis we did is that to do the enhanced subsidy that Congress walked away from for now would cost $16.5 million,” Green said.
“That would definitely be a very, very wonderful gift to people to know that there is some relief coming to lower those health insurance premiums,” Khlopin said.
What remains unclear is how quickly that aid could reach policyholders and what will happen to those who decided not to renew when the deadline for open enrollment ended Monday.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
Southwest Airlines is adding more routes from Sin City to the Aloha State.
The airline, which is headquartered at Dallas Love Field, will fly from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas to Hilo International Airport starting Aug. 6, 2026. The service will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, pairing with existing service between Las Vegas and Honolulu.
“When I took office, I pledged to strengthen ties with the ‘Ninth Island’ — Las Vegas, where many Hawaiʻi-born residents live,“ Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said in a statement. ”Southwest’s renewed service shows its dedication. Quicker flights across the Pacific means more convenience for our local families and another chance to support our hometown airline.”
Hawaiian Airlines is Hilo’s dominant carrier, offering more than 105,000 available seats this month, according to Cirium Diio Mi data. Southwest was second, offering more than 54,000 available seats.
Advertisement
Aviation News
Stay prepared. Receive the latest airlines news, delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
“We heard you, Hilo,” Adam Decaire, Southwest’s senior vice president of network planning and network operations control, said in a statement.
“Las Vegas is important to you, and you’re important to us..”
Advertisement
This month, Southwest offered 146 flights between Las Vegas and Honolulu, totaling more than 25,000 available seats, according to data from Diio by Cirium. Southwest first began flights from the western U.S. to Hawaii in 2019. The airline currently flies to the Hawaiian islands from Las Vegas and Phoenix, and from California cities Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego.
Southwest does not operate direct flights to Hawaii from Dallas.
The Hawaii route expansion comes at a time when Southwest is weighing the possibility of building a more than 12,000-square-foot lounge at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, according to documents previously viewed by The Dallas Morning News.
American Airlines is eliminating frequent flyer miles for basic economy customers
Miles are a way for travelers to earn specialized perks.
Mexico’s two busiest airlines strike merger deal
The two are creating a new low-cost airline group, become the country’s largest domestic carrier.
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Spirits were high for the University of Hawaii Night outside of Honolulu Hale on Thursday, Dec. 18.
A special member of the UH football team was honored by the mayor. Even though it is called University of Hawaii Night, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi had one team in particular that he wanted to give praise to.
“We’re here tonight especially for the football team, given the great winning season they’ve had. But I really want to include the coaches in that, coaches never get enough credit,” Blangiardi said.
The star of the show was UH’s kicker, who is commonly known as the “Tokyo Toe,” who was honored with a proclamation that declared Dec. 18 as Kansei Matsuzawa Day.
Advertisement
“Consensus all-American, first in the school’s history, all of this deserves celebration,” Blangiardi said. “Kickers have always been my favorite guys, but this guy here is off the charts. You got to give him credit where credit is due, you know?”
The all-American kicker stayed humble despite the accolades and said he could never have done it without the local community.
“Because of the coaches, because of my teammates, that’s the biggest reason why I am here right now, so I want to appreciate everybody supporting me throughout my journey,” Matsuzawa said.
Hawaii’s athletic director had some good news in terms of the Rainbow Warriors being televised in the islands for fans who prefer to watch the games at home.
“Pay per view is a thing of the past, we’re not going to have that any longer, I’m committed to that, and we’re certain about that,” UH athletics director Matt Elliott said. “We are in the process of working on what is the next phase of our media rights deal, so, waiting for the Mountain West to finish their job, which is to figure out the national rights and partners, and then we’ll turn our focus on the local rights.”
Advertisement
Matsuzawa will take the field as a Warrior one last time against the University of California on Christmas Eve in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.
