An Oregon man who quit his job to set sail with his cat arrives to cheering fans in Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — 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.

Oliver Widger, who also was 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 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.

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.

He 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. He said he thinks his story, which made national news, resonated with people.

“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,” 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.”

Green presented Widger with a proclamation. 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, 29, 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.

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.

Oliver Widger, (back of boat) a 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. (AP Photo/Michelle Bir)

Governor Josh Green presents a proclamation to Oliver Widger, 29-year-old Oregon man who sailed from Oregon to Hawai'i, on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Waikiki, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Michelle Bir)

Oliver Widger, 29-year-old Oregon man who sailed from Oregon to Hawai, arrives at the Waikiki Yacht Club, on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Waikiki, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Michelle Bir)

Oliver Widger, 29-year-old Oregon man who sailed from Oregon to Hawai, arrives at the Waikiki Yacht Club, on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Waikiki, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Michelle Bir)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Nick Castellanos hit a tying, two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning and Manny Machado delivered a sacrifice fly in the 10th to rally the San Diego Padres past the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Sunday.

Walker Buehler pitched six solid innings for the Padres, who earned a split of the four-game series and pulled into a tie with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL West.

Jordan Walker launched a two-run homer for St. Louis in the fourth. Kyle Leahy allowed only two hits in five shutout innings.

Xander Bogaerts singled against Cardinals closer Riley O'Brien leading off the ninth. O’Brien struck out the next two batters and got ahead 0-2 on Castellanos, who then worked the count full and drove the ninth pitch he saw, a 98 mph sinker, to left field for his second home run in his first season with San Diego.

Adrian Morejon (3-1) retired pinch-hitter José Fermín on a popup with two on to end the top of the 10th.

In the bottom half, the Padres loaded the bases against Gordon Graceffo (2-1) on an intentional walk to Jackson Merrill and a free pass to Fernando Tatis Jr. that moved automatic runner Ramón Laureano to third.

St. Louis brought in Fermín from left field to form a five-man infield, and Machado hit a 299-foot fly to right. Laureano scored with a headfirst slide ahead of Walker’s one-hop throw.

Cardinals: RHP Andre Pallante (3-3, 4.34 ERA) starts Tuesday’s series opener against the Athletics.

Padres: RHP Matt Waldron (1-1, 7.71) pitches Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

San Diego Padres' Nick Castellanos, center, is doused by teammate Gavin Sheets after the Padres defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in a baseball game Sunday, May 10, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Nick Castellanos, left, slides in to score from third base off a walk off sacrifice fly by Manny Machado as St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pagés waits for the throw during the tenth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 10, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado watches his walk off sacrifice fly during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, May 10, 2026, in San Diego. San Diego Padres' Nick Castellanos scored from third base on the play. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Jordan Walker celebrates his two-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Sunday, May 10, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Nick Castellanos, right, celebrates his two-run home run with teammate Xander Bogaerts (2) during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, May 10, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Nick Castellanos hits a two-run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, May 10, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Nick Castellanos celebrates his two-run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, May 10, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)