内容摘要：Then he put his hat back on, buckled his seat belt and drove away, heading west on Route 60.

Then he put his hat back on, buckled his seat belt and drove away, heading west on Route 60.

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.

In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Oliver Widger’s Instagram account on Sunday, May 4, 2025, Widger talks to the camera somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as he and his cat, Phoenix, sail from Oregon to Hawaii. (Oliver Widger via AP)In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Oliver Widger’s Instagram account on Sunday, May 4, 2025, Widger talks to the camera somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as he and his cat, Phoenix, sail from Oregon to Hawaii. (Oliver Widger via AP)

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.For them, lying in a hospital bed was unbearable compared to standing alongside their brothers-in-arms to defend Ukraine. But they all agree on one thing — when the war ends, they won’t spend another day in uniform; joining the army was never their first choice.

Andrii Serhieiev, right, a soldier with Ukraine’s 53rd Brigade who lost a leg in combat, and another soldier install explosives near the front line in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)Andrii Serhieiev, right, a soldier with Ukraine’s 53rd Brigade who lost a leg in combat, and another soldier install explosives near the front line in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Rubliuk rejoined the special forces last spring as a senior sergeant in the Artan intelligence unit, training new soldiers and monitoring enemy drones. His rehabilitation began in late 2022, but he believes it never truly ends.Andrii Rubliuk, a senior sergeant with a Ukrainian intelligence unit who lost both arms and a leg in combat, looks at a tablet during military training near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)