Zuckerberg yacht crew missed radio call to assist stranded Alaska boat

Zuckerberg yacht crew missed radio call to assist stranded Alaska boat

The crew of a superyacht owned by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg did not hear a radio request for maritime assistance from a small boat that ran out of fuel off the coast of Alaska, according to a spokesperson for the executive.

The incident occurred last week between Juneau and the fishing community of Petersburg. A 21-foot skiff called the U.S. Coast Guard for help just after 9:30 p.m. On Monday, August 4. By 9:56 p.m., the Coast Guard determined the vessel was not in distress and issued a marine assistance request broadcast on its behalf, according to Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Shannon Shepard.

While the 387-foot yacht known as Launchpad was the closest vessel to the stranded skiff, it did not respond to the call. Instead, a small cruise ship operated by UnCruise Adventures, the Wilderness Legacy, answered the request. The cruise ship towed the skiff into Farragut Bay and refueled it.

The lack of response from the superyacht sparked a reaction among passengers on the Wilderness Legacy. Michael Love, a New York City software developer traveling with his son, posted on the social media platform Bluesky on August 5 that the ship's captain announced Zuckerberg's yacht had been closer and failed to answer the radio call.

"Our boat rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg's yacht — which was closer — and they repeatedly refused to respond. (There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this),"

Michael Love, passenger, via Bluesky

Vessel tracking data cited by the Alaska Beacon indicates that the Launchpad slowed to a halt in the same area while the Wilderness Legacy steamed past it to reach the skiff.

A spokesperson for Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, addressed the incident in an email sent Sunday. The spokesperson stated that Zuckerberg and his family were not on board the yacht when the event occurred. The spokesperson explained that the crew was operating on a different radio channel and did not initially hear the call.

"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,"

Spokesperson for Mark Zuckerberg, via email to the Alaska Beacon

The situation led to online debate among social media users, who argued that the crew of the Launchpad had violated international rules requiring the closest vessel to aid a ship in distress. However, the Alaska Beacon clarified that the situation did not reach the level of a formal distress call, based on statements from the Marine Exchange of Alaska and the Coast Guard.

Dan Blanchard, the owner of UnCruise Adventures, told the Alaska Beacon that the detour by the Wilderness Legacy did not immediately come to his attention, as helping other vessels is a common occurrence. Captain Sean Manske later contacted the skiff's crew the following morning and confirmed they had arrived in Petersburg without further incident.

The Launchpad was built in 2024 and has an estimated cost of $300 million, according to YachtWorld. The vessel can accommodate up to 24 guests.