After leaving Sails Marina in Fort Lauderdale, the explorer superyacht The Big Blue began a year-long global cruise, with her owning family on board. Here and exclusive to SuperYacht World, her owners tell us what happened on the first leg of the journey 

The first thing we did en route to Panama was a fire and man-overboard drill. Since the boat had already stopped, it was a great opportunity to take it in turns to jump in and have a swim.

Even in the open ocean, there is always something to see. One dark and very starry night we went forward and looked over the side at the breaking bow wave. There, in the dark blue ocean, we watched in wonder at the neon green sparks of phosphorescence flying out each time the bow hit the water. During one of the days we spotted a pod of a dozen dolphins, and watched them play in front of our bulbous bow.

After a transit of the Panama Canal with pilots on board we were in the Pacific Ocean, for a five-day voyage to the humble island of Baltra at the edge of the Galapagos group. The Galapagos meant lots of fun, family things: tracking iguanas, watching sunsets over breath-taking landscapes and taking part in heart-pounding activities. Most days we were out early on a boat tours or went diving with sharks. Each island’s eco-system is slightly different from the next, and the children loved learning new things about the unique animals and birds that live here.

We’ll be bringing you more of The Big Blue’s global cruise very soon