A British woman swam after a cruise ship off the Portuguese island of Madeira, thinking her husband left on it after they had argued, said London's
Daily Mail, and she had to be rescued by a passing fishing boat.
Susan Brown, 65, was rescued early Sunday after swimming about 1,600 feet after the ship Marco Polo. The couple had cut short their 32-day cruise and traveled to the Madeira Airport to fly home Saturday evening.
Brown became convinced her husband, Michael Brown, 69, returned to the Marco Polo after an argument and she took to the water after seeing the ship passing, said the Daily Mail. She swam for four hours before being picked up, suffering from severe hypothermia.
"She was very lucky to survive," said Funchal ports captain Felix Marques, according to
The Telegraph. "She was in the water for more than three hours and was suffering from the effects of hypothermia when she was rescued by fishermen who heard her cries for help."
Local authorities said they believe Brown jumped into the water near the airport when she saw the Marco Polo which had docked at Madeira Saturday morning and then set sail for Barbados about 8 p.m. when Brown likely spotted it, said The Telegraph.
Cruise & Maritime Voyages, the cruise operator, had offered the couple flight back home to Bristol, England, said The Telegraph, and Portuguese authorities said Michael Brown did fly back home alone and they would interview Brown on Tuesday.
"We have confirmation (Michael Brown) flew back to Britain on Saturday but are still trying to speak to him to see if he can clarify some of the events leading up to the incident involving his wife," Marques told the Daily Mail. "It's only a hypothesis but we think one of the reasons she may have been able to stay above water for so long was that her handbag kept her afloat."
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