HONOLULU — Midway while sailing across the Pacific with just his cat named Phoenix, Oliver Widger reflected on why he thinks his many followers — more than a million on TikTok and Instagram — are drawn to his story of quitting his 9-to-5 job and embarking on a journey from Oregon to Hawaii.

“The world kind of sucks and, like, I don’t think I’m alone in how I felt with my work,” Widger, 29, told The Associated Press on Wednesday via Zoom. “You can be making $150,000 a year and you still feel like you’re just making ends meet, you know what I mean? And I think people are just tired of that and working really hard for nothing and want a way out.”

People are inspired by someone who found a way out, said Widger, who is among a growing number of people who have undertaken such voyages in recent years.

Being diagnosed four years ago with a syndrome that carried a risk of paralysis made him realize he hated his job as a manager at a tire company, a job requiring him to be clean-shaven and wear pressed shirts. He heard about people who sailed from California to Hawaii and decided that was the life for him.

He abruptly quit his job with “no money, no plan” and $10,000 of debt.

“I knew one thing: I’m buying a sailboat,” he recalled. “I’m sailing around the world.”

He liquidated his retirement savings, taught himself to sail mostly via YouTube and moved from Portland to the Oregon coast, where he spent months refitting the $50,000 boat he bought.

Now, Widger is harnessing the power of social media to fund his round-the-world sailing dream.

Since he set sail in April, followers have been tuning into his “Sailing with Phoenix” social media posts to view videos of him and his feline first mate battling the waves and bouts of seasickness, enjoying dazzling sunsets, recounting tricky boat repairs or just reflecting on life at sea.

As he discussed his journey with the AP, a netted bag carrying bottled water and snacks swung wildly over his head as the boat rocked.

He recalled highlights of the voyage so far, including marveling at the speed dolphins cut through the water and finding flying fish on the deck. There have been stretches when there were no birds in sight for days. It can be a struggle to sleep when the boat is creaking while being buffeted by waves or to steady a boiling pot for the MREs he has been subsisting on.

There have been harrowing moments like when a rudder failed and the boat tilted sideways in the surf for three hours as he made repairs, and the time he locked himself in the engine compartment and pried his way out with a wrench.

Widger acknowledged he is relatively inexperienced as a sailor, but he has implemented safety measures and communication backup plans, including a satellite phone and an emergency beacon.

Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Harms of the U.S. Coast Guard in Hawaii hasn’t been following the journey closely, but said he is relieved to hear Widger has the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, known as an EPIRB.

It’s a critical tool for rescuers to locate a mariner’s position during an emergency, especially in the Pacific, the largest ocean, Harms said.

Widger’s journey provides a good opportunity to educate the public about sailing safety, such as the importance of wearing a personal flotation device whenever topside on the boat, monitoring the weather closely and registering emergency tools like the EPIRB, Harms said.

“That’s a really critical piece for anybody that’s getting motivated by his story to go set off on their own adventure,” Harms said.

Until his arrival, likely in Honolulu, Widger is making sure everything is in place to avoid Phoenix having to undergo Hawaii’s animal quarantine. A mobile vet will sign off on Phoenix’s health when they arrive, he said.

Widger wasn’t aware of the deadly danger of cat feces to the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, but he has been keeping all his trash, including kitty litter, on board. Even though he said he is legally allowed to throw it overboard, seeing so much plastic in the ocean motivates him not to.

In addition to managing the practicalities of daily life on a boat, he is coping with going viral in the middle of the ocean by creating social media content and making decisions about merch his fans want to buy.

He credits it all to his neck issue, which “shook up my world and it changed my perspective on everything.” He also hopes he can be an inspiration for anyone who’s in a rut.

“Everything I’ve done I thought was impossible,” Widger said. “Sailing around the world is such a ridiculous dream. Whatever your dream is, just go, just do it.”

Craig Prins, the state administrator tapped by Gov. Tina Kotek to steady the beleaguered Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, announced Thursday his abrupt retirement after two years on the job.

Prins, 55, told the commission of his plans to leave the agency during the commission meeting.

He said his retirement is effective July 1. His salary is about $233,000.

“I am very proud of what we accomplished since I came on board,” he said.

He said the decision is a personal one.

“I really feel this is the right decision for my family,” he said.

Chair Dennis Doherty praised Prins for steadying the agency and said he knew Prins had planned to stay for only two years when he took the job.

“I said, OK, but I held on to you for what, two years, four months,” Doherty joked.

Prins leaves at a critical time for the agency as it shepherds a major new warehouse project in Clackamas County and rebuilds its ranks after the departures of top managers.

The agency regulates the sale of liquor in Oregon, generating a projected $576 million for the current two-year budget.

Kotek’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about plans for Prins’ replacement.

Prins came to the OLCC from the Oregon Department of Corrections, where he served as longtime inspector general. He succeeded OLCC director, Steve Marks, whose tenure was clouded by a bourbon diversion scandal that engulfed the liquor commission and led to turnover in its upper-management ranks.

Kotek at the time said Prins would “correct the course of the commission and support the employees doing the work everyday.”

Prins has a long career in state government and held management positions at the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission and the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

Earlier this year, he was investigated by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services for leaving a work conference in Florida to attend the Orange Bowl.

An employee complained that Prins had potentially misused state resources on the trip; the investigation concluded that Prins paid for his own game ticket and rental car when he attended the high-stakes semifinal college football game between Notre Dame and Penn State.

He did not misuse state money, the investigator found, but the report noted that Prins drove to the game during work hours, later submitting a request for 4.5 hours of time off “after being notified of this investigation.”

Prins bought the ticket a week in advance but did not tell his boss about it until the morning of the game and then asked to skip out on the afternoon meetings at the conference, according to the investigation.

Prins said the allegation was “thoroughly investigated” and did not find wrongdoing.

Prins took over the leadership of the liquor commission after a 2022 human resources investigation concluded Marks and five other managers used their positions to access prized bourbon.

The managers bought highly sought-after bourbon that had been held in reserve, a supply known as safety stock, an internal investigation found.

The managers said they had the bottles sent to liquor stores, where they purchased it and that they kept it for themselves or gave the liquor as gifts, according to the investigation. All denied reselling the bottles, which are coveted on the secondary market.

— Noelle Crombie is an enterprise reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Reach her at 503-276-7184; ncrombie@oregonian.com

North Oregon coast travelers will get another beach option this spring.

Nehalem Bay State Park, which has been closed for more than six months, will reopen to the public May 23, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced Wednesday — though the campground will remain closed through June.

The oceanfront park in Manzanita closed Nov. 1, 2024 to install new water and electrical lines, add restroom and shower buildings, renovate nine campsites to improve accessibility, and repave and add traffic calming improvements to the park entry road.

Improvements were paid for by Oregon-issued GO Bonds, approved by the Oregon Legislature in 2021. The $50 million investment is earmarked for nine park projects across the state, including Silver Falls and Smith Rock state parks.

Day-use areas, including the boat ramp, south day-use parking area, the airport and the multi-use path east of the main entrance road will reopen May 23, the parks department said. The main entrance on Garey Street in Manzanita will also reopen that day.

The campground and the Horizon Street entrance is scheduled to reopen July 1 at the earliest, park officials said. Campground reservations will open for July and beyond in the next few weeks, available online at oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com.

–Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.

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