Meta CEO's yacht missed distress call from Alaskan skiff, spokesperson says
A spokesperson for Mark Zuckerberg explained that his yacht, the Launchpad, was on a different radio frequency and did not hear a Coast Guard call for help from a fuel-stranded skiff off Alaska, which was later assisted by a cruise ship.
A spokesperson for Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg told CBS News that his yacht, the Launchpad, was operating on a separate radio channel when a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel between Petersburg and Juneau and requested assistance. The Coast Guard’s call was not heard by the yacht, and by the time the crew reviewed the contact on the other frequency, a cruise ship named Wilderness Legacy had already begun towing the skiff to Farragut Bay.
The incident was first reported by the Alaska Beacon, which noted that the skiff’s distress call was made on August 8. A passenger on the Wilderness Legacy later posted on social media that the cruise ship’s captain announced the yacht had not responded, despite being closer to the skiff.
"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," the spokesperson said, adding that Zuckerberg and his family were not aboard the vessel at the time.
The spokesperson said all parties involved are safe and expressed gratitude for the assistance provided.