Secretary of State John Kerry is taking heat for unwinding at his exclusive retreat in Nantucket, Mass., amid the unrest in Egypt.
The State Department was forced to admit Friday that the country's lead diplomat did indeed spend time on his yacht Wednesday, after previously denying Kerry waded into the water the same day that the Egyptian president was ousted.
A CBS News producer tweeted Wednesday that Kerry was seen on his yacht, but the State Department slammed the suggestion saying, "Any report or tweet that he was on a boat is completely inaccurate."
Boston Herald Media
Kerry's yacht, Isabel, at the Nantucket Boat Basin docks in Nantucket Harbor.
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His spokesperson insisted he was "working all day" and was in touch with the President and State Department staff in D.C. and Egypt by phone.
Boston Herald Media
Kerry was spotted on Thursday walking down Federal St. on Nantucket Island to take part in the patriotic fun.
Now it seems Kerry was actually "briefly on his boat on Wednesday" between his frequent calls to state leaders.
Photos show the diplomat looking patriotic with bright red swimming trunks and a blue polo shirt as he relaxed and enjoyed taking in the sun on his boat in Nantucket Harbor a day later, on the Fourth of July.
PAUL J. RICHARDS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
John Kerry, with his wife in April, just returned back to the U.S. after a 12-day journey through the Middle East.
Several Massachusetts residents took to social media Thursday to dish on Kerry's activities out on the water.
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HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images
John Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, own a spacious retreat on the exclusive Nantucket Island in Massachusetts.
He celebrated the day with his family on Nantucket Sound, after arriving back in the U.S. on Wednesday after his 12-day trip to the Middle East.
Photos from the Boston Herald also show Kerry walking among the crowds on Nantucket's Federal St. on Thursday to take part in the festivities.
Kerry was believed to have spent the day with his two daughters, Alexandra and Vanessa.
Kerry and his second wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wealthy widow of John Heinz, own a spacious beachfront home on the island.
They also own a yacht, Isabel, that sits at the Nantucket Boat Basin.
