Zuckerberg spokesperson says his yacht did not hear call for maritime assist

A spokesperson for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's yacht claimed that the vessel did not receive a radio call for maritime assistance from a small skiff that ran out of fuel off the coast of Alaska. By the time the yacht acknowledged the call, a nearby ship had already provided aid, according to the Alaska Beacon. The Alaska Beacon reported that the skiff had signaled for help through the U.S. Coast Guard last week, and a nearby cruise ship, the Wilderness Legacy, towed it to Farragut Bay in Southeast Alaska for refueling.

Despite being closer, Zuckerberg's yacht, named Launchpad, had not responded to the call. A passenger on the Wilderness Legacy, Michael Love, reported to Bluesky on August 5 that their boat had rescued the stranded vessel after the Coast Guard radioed Zuckerberg's yacht, which was closer, and they repeatedly declined to respond.

The spokesperson later confirmed to the Alaska Beacon via email on Sunday that Zuckerberg's yacht did not initially hear the call for assistance. "Mark and his family were not on board at the time of the incident," the email stated. "As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe."