Florence Arthaud facts for kids
Arthaud in 2009
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "La petite fiancée de l'Atlantique" |
| Nationality | French |
| Born | 28 October 1957 Boulogne-Billancourt, France |
| Died | 9 March 2015 (aged 57) Villa Castelli, La Rioja, Argentina |
Florence Arthaud was a famous French sailor. She was born on October 28, 1957, in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. She sadly passed away on March 9, 2015, in Villa Castelli, Argentina.
Florence Arthaud made history in 1990. She became the first woman to win the famous Route du Rhum sailing race. This was a huge achievement in the world of sailing!
She died in a helicopter accident in Argentina. This happened while she was taking part in a TV show called Dropped. Other French athletes were also involved in the accident.
Contents
Biography
Early Life
Florence Arthaud grew up with a love for the sea. Her father, Jacques Arthaud, ran a publishing company. This company published books by famous sailors like Bernard Moitessier and Éric Tabarly.
Florence started sailing when she was very young. She learned with her brother, Jean-Marie, and her father. She improved her skills at the Antibes sailing club.
In 1974, when she was 17, Florence had a serious car accident. She was badly hurt and spent many months in the hospital. Her recovery took two years. During this time, she showed great strength. At 18, she sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. She did this with another French sailor, Jean-Claude Parisis.
Sailing Adventures
Florence Arthaud competed in the very first Route du Rhum race in 1978. She finished in 11th place. In 1986, during another race, she stopped to help a fellow sailor, Loïc Caradec. She found his boat capsized, but he was not there.
In August 1990, Florence set a new record. She sailed solo across the North Atlantic Ocean. She finished in 9 days, 21 hours, and 42 minutes. This beat the old record by almost two days!
Later that year, in November, she achieved her biggest win. She won the Route du Rhum race. She reached Pointe-à-Pitre after 14 days, 10 hours, and 10 minutes. After this amazing win, she found it hard to get money to build a new racing boat.
She also sailed in the 1989–90 Whitbread Round the World Race. This was a tough race around the world. In 1997, she won the Transpacific race with Bruno Peyron.
In 2010, it was 20 years since her big win in the Route du Rhum. Florence wanted to race again on a huge trimaran. But she could not find a sponsor to support her. She felt disappointed that she couldn't join the race.
A Close Call at Sea
On October 29, 2011, Florence had a scary moment. She fell off her boat in the middle of the night. This happened near Cap Corse. Luckily, she had a headlamp and a waterproof mobile phone with her.
She managed to call her mother, who then called Florence's brother. He quickly alerted the French Coast Guard (CROSS). About three and a half hours after her call, they found her. They used the location from her mobile phone. She was conscious but very cold. She was taken to a hospital in Bastia and was released the next day.
Personal Life
In 1993, Florence Arthaud became a mother to her daughter, Marie. Marie's father was Loïc Lingois, who was also a professional sailor. Florence married Éric Charpentier in 2005, but their marriage ended quickly. She was also a partner of the sailor Philippe Monnet.
In her book, published in 2009, Florence shared some of the challenges she faced. She talked about tough times and how sponsors stopped supporting her projects. She found help and comfort from an organization called 'The wheel turns'. This group helps famous people who are going through difficulties.
Other Projects
In 2014, Florence Arthaud joined the Sea Shepherd group. She took part in their "GrindStop" campaign. This campaign works against the hunting of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands.
Her autobiography, Un vent de liberté (A Wind of Freedom), was published in 2009. Before she passed away, Florence was planning a new sailing race. This race would be only for women. It was meant to happen in the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 2015.
The year before she died, Florence worked on another book. She wrote it with Jean-Louis Bachelet. The book was called Tonight, the Sea is Black (Cette nuit, la mer est noire). It was released by her father's publishing company shortly after her death in March 2015.
Death
On Monday, March 9, 2015, Florence Arthaud died in a helicopter crash. This happened in Argentina. She was filming a TV reality show called Dropped.
Nine other people also died in the accident. They included French swimmer Camille Muffat and boxer Alexis Vastine. The two Argentinian pilots and five French members of the TV show's production team also passed away.
Florence Arthaud was cremated as she wished. Some of her ashes are buried on the Île Sainte-Marguerite, near Cannes. The rest of her ashes were scattered at sea.
See also
In Spanish: Florence Arthaud para niños
- Isabelle Autissier
- Alain Colas
- Clarisse Crémer
- Michel Desjoyeaux
- Jean Le Cam
- Armel Le Cléac’h
- Bernard Moitessier
- Éric Tabarly
- Jean-Luc Van Den Heede
- Olivier de Kersauson
