Cruise ship assists stranded skiff in Alaska near Zuckerberg’s $300M yacht
A small cruise ship came to the aid of a stranded boat in Southeast Alaska after a 21-foot skiff ran out of fuel between Petersburg and Juneau, while Zuckerberg’s nearby yacht was also in the area, according to Alaska Beacon, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The incident occurred Monday night, when the UnCruise Adventures vessel Wilderness Legacy diverted from its route after a request for assistance was broadcast. The cruise ship located the skiff, towed it into sheltered Farragut Bay and refueled it, according to UnCruise spokeswoman Sarah Scoltock. The skiff’s crew later confirmed they had safely reached Petersburg.
Michael Love, a passenger aboard the Wilderness Legacy, described the incident on social media and said the captain announced that Mark Zuckerberg’s 387-foot yacht Launchpad was closer but had not responded to the radio call.
However, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Exchange of Alaska said the skiff had not issued a distress call. Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Shannon Shepard said the Coast Guard heard the call for help shortly after 9:30 p.m. and determined at about 9:56 p.m. that the vessel was not in distress. A marine assistance request was then broadcast on the skiff’s behalf.
John Hollingsworth, chief operations officer of the Marine Exchange of Alaska, said the organization helped relay the request and was able to hail the Wilderness Legacy, which then provided assistance.
A spokesperson for Mark Zuckerberg later said that Zuckerberg and his family were not aboard the Launchpad at the time. The spokesperson added that the yacht’s crew received the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were monitoring, by which time the rescue operation was already underway.
We’re grateful all parties are safe, the spokesperson said.
The Wilderness Legacy’s assistance was the second case in two weeks in which a small cruise ship helped people in Southeast Alaska. On July 30, the National Geographic Quest helped a family reach safety after a humpback whale sank their sailboat in Glacier Bay National Park.
According to Alaska Beacon, UnCruise owner Dan Blanchard said such assistance is common enough that the incident did not initially come to his attention.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, had completed the purchase of a $170 million property in Miami’s Indian Creek community, setting a new price record for the county.