A British traveler who tried to swim to CMV Marco Polo has been rescued by fishermen from the Atlantic. The 65-year-old woman was found clinging to her handbag and shivering 500 m out to sea.
The tourist had left ms Marco Polo with her husband in the port of Funchal (Portugal's Madeira region). But while he returned home, the woman returned to port and threw herself into the water, obviously trying to swim to the vessel.
She ran into trouble, swimming only half a kilometer before fishermen sailing nearby heard her screaming and came to aid. Captain Felix Marques, port boss, said that she was shivering from the cold and clutching a bag. The woman was taken to the local hospital by ambulance. Her condition is not serious. Her husband is traveling back to Funchal.
MS Marco Polo was due to dock in Lisbon yesterday morning, and ship's captain was informed of the incident.