A British holidaymaker has been rescued from the Atlantic after apparently trying to swim to her cruise liner when it left port without her.
Susan Brown, 65, was pulled from the ice-cold waters in the early hours of Sunday with severe hypothermia after more than four hours swimming a third of a mile out to sea in the hope of making it to her ship, the Marco Polo.
She is thought to have jumped into the water from beside Madeira Airport after believing her husband Michael - with whom she had argued - had got back on board when she lost sight of him.
The pair had cut short a 32 day tour from West Indies on day 28 - with cruise operator Cruise & Maritime Voyages offering them flights out of the Portuguese island to fly back to Bristol on Saturday evening.
However, it appears that after losing her husband some time before boarding the jet home, Mrs Brown became convinced he had returned to the vessel.When the ship then passed the coastal runway, she is said to have taken to the water to make chase....
Gripping her handbag the entire time, Mrs Brown made it more than 1,600ft before struggling. according to local reports.
Susan Brown, 65, was pulled from the ice-cold waters in the early hours of Sunday with severe hypothermia after more than four hours swimming a third of a mile out to sea in the hope of making it to her ship, the Marco Polo.
She is thought to have jumped into the water from beside Madeira Airport after believing her husband Michael - with whom she had argued - had got back on board when she lost sight of him.
The pair had cut short a 32 day tour from West Indies on day 28 - with cruise operator Cruise & Maritime Voyages offering them flights out of the Portuguese island to fly back to Bristol on Saturday evening.
However, it appears that after losing her husband some time before boarding the jet home, Mrs Brown became convinced he had returned to the vessel.When the ship then passed the coastal runway, she is said to have taken to the water to make chase....
Gripping her handbag the entire time, Mrs Brown made it more than 1,600ft before struggling. according to local reports.
Her life was eventually saved by passing fishermen who heard her panicked screams for help shortly after midnight.
From a sun soaked café in Santa Cruz, brothers Leonardo and Carlos Correia and fellow fisherman Marildo Freitas claimed that they were the ones who had rescued Mrs Brown and said she was just half an hour from death when they pulled her from the chilly water.
Daily Mail
From a sun soaked café in Santa Cruz, brothers Leonardo and Carlos Correia and fellow fisherman Marildo Freitas claimed that they were the ones who had rescued Mrs Brown and said she was just half an hour from death when they pulled her from the chilly water.
‘I just saw her pale white face bobbing in the water,’ Marildo told MailOnline.‘She was barely conscious – she’s lucky to be alive – I don’t think she would have lasted another 30 minutes.’Police have confirmed her husband, 69-year-old Michael, did not return to the Marco Polo. The cruise company today stated that he had taken his flight back to Bristol and is now home.It is not yet known if he now plans on returning to the island to visit his wife.
Daily Mail
