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The daring getaway of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed a long, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the pitch black of night, according to the American man who claims to have commanded the mission.

A Perilous Nighttime Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the mission in a recent media appearance. It was perilous. It was terrifying,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting rough and moonless seas that simultaneously offered convenient cover for the escape.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the higher the waves, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He recalled meeting Machado out at sea after she departed from Venezuela, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 fearing persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Detailed Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an undisclosed location to catch a plane, in a mission planned just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, very hard to see, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he said, “She was very happy. She was very excited. She was very tired,” and noted about twenty-four people were actively participating within his organization.

Confirmation and Concealment

Spokespeople for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was responsible for the operation, which began on Tuesday. This account comes after earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave her safe house in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share specifics about the land operation, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the country.

Funding and American Role

He told media the mission was funded through “several benefactors” – with no US officials involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

He clarified, though, that his group did coordinate informally with the US military regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being targeted by airstrikes.

Future Plans and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though it is not clear how or when.

Stern indicated his group would not be involved in that operation, as it focuses exclusively on extracting individuals from countries, not bringing them back. “She must decide that for herself. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. Maria is truly inspirational,” he concluded.