Novice need help with breathing

Hello, this is my first post in this forum. I am a 35 year old male with limited swimming experience and I am writing regarding a problem that has always been present in my swimming. I have always been a very active person and I am in very good physical shape. I am a runner as well as a cyclist. I have a very good aerobic ability and I usually run 5 miles each time, at least three times a week. I have a fat percentage of approximately 8%. When I was 19 years old I decided to start swimming. I joined a local public pool and tried to learn how to swim. The pool was 50 meters and I found it impossible to swim across it. The problem was only present when I swum the crowl style. In the backstroke or *** stroke I had no problem laping the pool back and forth. The reason i could not swim across in the crowl was that I could not figure out how to breathe without swallowing water. Therefore I tried to avoid taking many breaths and obviously I soon run out of breath. I was trying hard to find where my mistake was and I took advice from experienced swimmers but the problem still persisted. After about 3 months of trying I felt very discouraged and quit. Well, a couple of years ago, I was living in an apartment complex and we had a very small pool. I decided to give swimming a second try and I bought a book that explained how to swim correctly. This book became my bible, I litterally had memorized it and I was practicing at least five times a week for an hour or so every time. The breathing problem still persisted. I kept swallowing quarts of water every time and despite my determination, I again got discouraged with my inability to make progress in my breathing and after about five months of trying I again gave up. Finally a few months ago, I was introduced to an older fellow who is about 75 years old and is still an active swimmer. I soon learned that he had been swimming for more than 50 years many of them professionaly and has won countless competitions. He has also worked a s a swimming coach and in 1957 he had written and published a book on the technique of swimming. I explained my problem to him and he offered to help me out. I started practicing and the first thing that he pointed out to me was that I was very tense when I was swimming. He tried to persuade me that I need to relax. He said I was as stiff as a rock. Well, I did make progress in this field and now I am more relaxed although he still claims that I need to relax more. He said to me repeatedly that the reason my legs are not floating is because I am so stiff. Well, I try as hard as I can to relax my legs completely but the more I relax them the more they sink. I asked him wether the fact that my legs are so muscular as a result of my extensive cycling training as well as my very low body fat make them sink and he said that this has nothing to do with it and that it is only due to my stiffmess. Anyway, after the two nonths I have been training with him, I still have exactly the same breathing problem. I still drink quarts of water every time I swim. We use a 25 yard pool and I can barely make it across. I am very discouraged again, and have tried every possible position for breathing. I still can not figure it out. I feel ready to quit again, and he is trying hard to encourage me but I just feel that I am wasting my time. I would love to make swimming a part of my life but I can not keep my spirit high enough if I do not see any progress in my breathing. The problem is still as bad as when I first entered a pool. I know my posting is a bit long but only because I wanted to give you a thorough description of the problem. I assume that most people in this forum are more experienced swimmers than me and I would really benefit from your thoughts and suggestions on my problem. Thank you for any response.