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The daring getaway of political leader María Corina Machado entailed a long, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the dead of night, as detailed by the American man who says he led the operation.

The Perilous Nighttime Voyage

Bryan Stern, who leads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the operation in a newly published interview. It was perilous. It was terrifying,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing rough and moonless seas that also provided convenient cover for the flight.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” Stern said.

He recalled meeting Machado out at sea after she departed from the country, where she had been in hiding for over a year due to fear of persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Escape Plan

Machado embarked on his boat for a half-day journey to an undisclosed location to board a flight, in a mission orchestrated just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, some cloud coverage, very hard to see, boats have no lights. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he commented, “She was very happy. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” and noted about two dozen people were actively participating within his organization.

Verification and Disguise

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was behind the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This account comes after earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to flee her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge specifics about the land operation, referencing his organization's ongoing operations in the region.

Financing and US Involvement

He told media the mission was funded through “a few generous donors” – with no US officials involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, at least not that I know of,” Stern asserted.

He said, however, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the American armed forces regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Admiration

Machado said she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has announced plans to go back, though the specifics remain uncertain how or when.

Stern said his group would play no part in that operation, as it worked only on extracting individuals from countries, not bringing them back. “She must decide that and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.