{"id":39380,"date":"2026-08-11T21:49:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=39380"},"modified":"2026-08-11T21:49:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:49:43","slug":"zuckerberg-defends-crew-of-his-300m-superyacht-accused-of-snubbing-a-stranded-boat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=39380","title":{"rendered":"Zuckerberg defends crew of his $300M superyacht accused of snubbing a stranded boat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p>Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg is defending the crew of his $300 million superyacht over accusations that they \u201crefused\u201d to help a stranded boat \u2014 claiming they were just tuned in to the wrong radio channel.<\/p>\n<p>The billionaire\u2019s 387-foot leviathan, Launchpad, was the closest to a 21-foot skiff that ran out of fuel in Alaska on Aug. 3 \u2014 but sat by as a much smaller and older tour steamboat, the Wilderness Legacy, passed it to finally help.<\/p>\n<p>A New York tourist claimed in an online post that their tour boat had to help \u201cafter the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s yacht \u2014 which was closer \u2014 and they repeatedly refused to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this,\u201d\u00a0the tourist, Michael Love, wrote on Bluesky.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"40284344\"><br \/>\n\t<default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><default:path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/default:svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.49926794;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"40284344\" width=\"885\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Marc Zuckerberg's yacht &quot;The Launchpad&quot; is seen on Thursday, December 19, 2024, in Raiatea, French Polynesia. (Getty Images AsiaPac)\" class=\"wp-image-40284344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 8640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=300,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=768,512&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=1024,683&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=1536,1024&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1536w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=200,133&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=231,154&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=322,215&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=662,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 662w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=90,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 90w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=1200,800&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=1038,692&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1038w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=87,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/chief-executive-officer-meta-platforms-136993685.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\"\/><figcaption>\u201cThe Launchpad\u201d did not respond to a boat\u2019s distress call off of Alaska on Aug. 3. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>However, Zuckerberg\u2019s team denies his crew heard the call for help, even though it was made over the default emergency radio frequency all boats are expected to monitor.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cAs 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,\u201d Zuckerberg\u2019s spokesman Brian Baker said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re grateful all parties are safe,\u201d said Baker, who noted that the Meta CEO and his wife were not on the yacht at the time.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"40284324\"><br \/>\n\t<default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><default:path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/default:svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.49926794;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"40284324\" width=\"885\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)\" class=\"wp-image-40284324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 5075w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=300,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=768,512&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=1024,683&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=1536,1024&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=2048,1365&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 2048w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=231,154&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=322,215&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=662,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 662w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=90,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 90w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=1200,800&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=1038,692&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1038w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=87,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/mark-zuckerberg-talks-orion-ar-136996231.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\"\/><figcaption>Zuckerberg and his family were not on board the yacht at the time. <span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When a ship puts out a distress call, all vessels in the area are obligated by law to respond as long as doing so would not put their own ship at risk. <\/p>\n<p>However, as the call was a request for help \u2014 not distress \u2014 the legal obligation to help did not apply, maritime law expert Ian Ralby noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the difference between calling AAA and 911. You need an ambulance on site, that\u2019s a distress call. You need somebody to give you a jump or to tow your car, you call AAA,\u201d said Ralby, who is president of the nonprofit Auxilium Worldwide that focuses on promoting sustainable development and ocean governance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoth concerning, both needing assistance, but the legal obligations to respond are very different,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Ralby noted it\u2019s strange that the Launchpad crew missed the call for help because it is common practice for ships to always be monitoring channel 16 on their radios\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Retired Coast Guard Captain Aaron C. Davenport, who spent three decades in the military branch, also said that running out of gas isn\u2019t considered an emergency, and the Launchpad was \u201cunder no obligation whatsoever to assist them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cIs it that common courtesy to help other mariners out? Yes, because someday you\u2019re going to need assistance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlaska is a remote place so it could easily go from non-emergency to emergency and very quickly,\u201d said Davenport.<\/p>\n<p><em>With Post Wires<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg is defending the crew of his $300 million superyacht over accusations that they \u201crefused\u201d to help a stranded boat \u2014 claiming they were just tuned in to the wrong radio channel. The billionaire\u2019s 387-foot leviathan, Launchpad, was the closest to a 21-foot skiff that ran out of fuel in Alaska on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/137078124.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}