This Music Teacher Is Making a Solo Trip Across the Pacific Ocean in a 27-Foot Sailboat

A former music teacher has set off on a 4,000-mile voyage across the ocean. Armed with just the supplies he could fit aboard his 27-foot boat, a man who calls himself the "Sailing Songbird" is documenting his trip across the Pacific Ocean for his 892,000 followers as he travels from Seattle to Cabo.

So far, it's been smooth sailing for the Sailing Songbird, who introduced himself as Luke in one of his videos. That doesn't mean there haven't been plenty of adventures to be had on the high seas. Look at what I mean and find out why Luke has embarked on this year-long adventure.

In one of the pinned posts on the @sailing_songbird's account, Luke details exactly how he ended up in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no company except the passing birds and sea creatures. Luke has always wanted to sail the world, so in 2023, he purchased his boat — the aptly named The Little Songbird — which he says needed seven months of work to get it ready for the trip.

Then, in October 2023, he says he finished the boat, pushing off from Seattle and setting his sails towards Mexico. As of June, he's crossed the equator and has 2,000 miles left on his planned 4,000-mile trip. To kill some of that time, Luke has been living up to his Sailing Songbird name, and he has been filming videos of himself singing as he captains his boat, garnering quite a fanbase online.

As you probably can imagine, there's not much to see out in the middle of the ocean for most of the trip. That's why it's extremely impressive that Luke has been able to capture the attention of nearly a million people with his exploits, which include some amazing footage of him encountering wild marine life.

For example, on day 27 of his trip, Luke posted a video of himself caught in the middle of a storm on the ocean. But the churning sea and dark skies weren't the most impressive part of his clip, instead, it was the massive school of what he believed to be porpoises that swam alongside his boat for a portion of the trip. But, upon checking the comments, I discovered that they were pilot whales instead. How cool!

The whales weren't the only cool thing Luke had seen, either. There have been gorgeous clips of Mahi swimming up to his boat, plenty of encounters with birds — which appear to enjoy taking refuge on the bow of the Little Songbird during their long flights across the ocean — and of course, there's the great vastness of the ocean itself.

As Luke notes in many of his videos, there's something awe-inspiring and disorienting about being that far away from land, with nothing but water as far as the eye can see. Hopefully, Luke's trip continues to be as smooth sailing as it has been so far, and he will reach his destination by the end of the year as planned.