Did Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht really leave a stranded boater in the cold waters off Alaska? Not exactly — but his crew did miss a distress call last week, and a nearby cruise ship stepped in instead.
A small skiff ran out of fuel off the coast of Alaska and radioed the U.S. Coast Guard for help, according to the Alaska Beacon. The Wilderness Legacy, a small cruise ship, towed the skiff into Farragut Bay in Southeast Alaska and refueled it. Maritime law requires every ship to respond to a distress call unless doing so would put its own vessel at risk.
Mr. Zuckerberg’s yacht, Launchpad, was closer to the skiff but did not respond. Michael Love, a passenger aboard the Wilderness Legacy, wrote on Bluesky on Aug. 5 that the Coast Guard “radioed Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht — which was closer — and they repeatedly refused to respond.” Mr. Love said there was “near unanimous booing” when the captain announced what had happened.
A Meta spokesperson told the Alaska Beacon that Launchpad’s crew did not initially hear the call. Mr. Zuckerberg and his family were not aboard at the time, the spokesperson said. By the time the crew noticed the Coast Guard’s contact on a different radio channel, the rescue was already underway.
“We’re grateful all parties are safe,” the spokesperson said.
Read more:
• Zuckerberg spokesperson says his yacht did not hear call for maritime assist
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