Zuckerberg's Yacht Missed Alaska Rescue Call, Crew Says
A yacht owned by Mark Zuckerberg didn't hear a Coast Guard assist call; another ship helped the stranded skiff.
A small skiff that ran out of fuel off the coast of Alaska was rescued by a nearby cruise ship after a yacht owned by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg failed to hear the initial distress call, according to a spokesperson for Zuckerberg.
The skiff's crew had contacted the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance last week. The Coast Guard then radioed nearby vessels, including Zuckerberg's yacht, the Launchpad, which was closer to the skiff. However, the yacht's crew did not respond because they were monitoring a different radio channel, the spokesperson said.
By the time the Launchpad's crew reviewed the Coast Guard's message, the small cruise ship Wilderness Legacy had already towed the skiff to Farragut Bay in Southeast Alaska and refueled it.
A passenger on the Wilderness Legacy, Michael Love, posted on Bluesky on Aug. 5 that his ship had rescued the stranded vessel. He noted that the captain announced the rescue after the Coast Guard had tried to reach Zuckerberg's yacht, which was closer, and that the announcement drew near-unanimous booing from passengers.
The spokesperson said Zuckerberg and his family were not on board the Launchpad at the time of the incident. The spokesperson also noted that the Coast Guard had confirmed the boat was not in distress, and expressed gratitude that all parties were safe.