The crew of a yacht owned by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg did not hear a radio call for maritime assistance from a small skiff that had run out of fuel off the coast of Alaska, according to a spokesperson for the tech executive. By the time the yacht's crew was aware of the situation, another nearby vessel had already provided assistance.
The incident occurred last week when the skiff issued a call for help through the U.S. Coast Guard. A small cruise ship, the Wilderness Legacy, towed the skiff to Farragut Bay in Southeast Alaska and refueled it. The Alaska Beacon reported that Michael Love, a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy, stated on Bluesky that the yacht, named Launchpad, was closer to the skiff but did not respond to the call. Love indicated that passengers on his ship booed when the captain announced Zuckerberg's yacht had not responded.
The spokesperson told the Alaska Beacon via email on Sunday that the Launchpad's crew did not initially hear the distress call. The spokesperson also noted that Zuckerberg and his family were not on board at the time of the incident. According to the spokesperson, the yacht's crew learned of the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel than the one they were monitoring. By the time they reviewed the communication, the assistance from the Wilderness Legacy was already underway. The spokesperson added, "We’re grateful all parties are safe."