She called herself a " water baby" and said that over the years, she was " happiest between the wave".
Among the four other men who successfully crossed after that , none was faster than 16 hour 33 minutes.
The people in a boat who were supposed to look after her thought she might be unconscious in the water.
Her trainer following in a support boat became so concerned by unfavorable winds and her obvious exhaustion that he called to her" trudy, you must come out! The swimmer lifted her head from the choppy water.