Florence Arthaud

Florence Arthaud, (28 October 1957 – 9 March 2015) was a French sailor. In 1990, she became the first woman to win the Route du Rhum.

She died in a helicopter crash in the Argentine province of La Rioja while she was participating in the filming of the reality TV show, Dropped, along with other French athletes.

Biography

Youth

Florence Arthaud was the daughter of Jacques Arthaud, director of the Grenoble publishing house, Arthaud, during the 1970s, which published the memoirs of sailors Bernard Moitessier and Éric Tabarly. Arthaud started sailing at a very young age with her brother, Jean-Marie, and her father. She then sharpened her skills at the Antibes sailing club.

In 1974, at the age of seventeen, Arthaud was in a serious car accident, which resulted in a coma and paralysis. She was hospitalized for six months and her recovery took two years. During her recovery, she made her first crossing of the Atlantic at the age of eighteen with French navigator Jean-Claude Parisis.

Sailing career

Florence Arthaud raced in the first edition of Route du Rhum, which took place in 1978. She placed 11th. In 1986, she diverted from the race to try to assist Loïc Caradec, but found the catamaran Royale capsized and no trace of the sailor.

In August 1990, she tackled the record for a solo crossing of the North Atlantic, held by Bruno Peyron. She beat the record by almost two days, with a time of 9 days, 21 hours, and 42 minutes. In November of the same year, she won the Route du Rhum, reaching Pointe-à-Pitre in 14 days, 10 hours, and 10 minutes. However, following this exploit, she was unable to find funding to build a new trimaran, due to the real estate crisis from which her sponsor was suffering.