But who was Florence Arthaud, the little sweetheart of the Atlantic?

There are legends that never disappear. This is the case of the legend Florence Arthaud.

Whether you are walking in a port in Brittany or in Pointe-à-Pitre, its name continues to be whispered, like the promise of a great and beautiful escape.

I have to say it Florence Arthaud marked her era with a white stoneperforming some miracles on the seas which she often traveled alone.

Perhaps you know him for one or another of his records, but let us talk about a free and plural Florence, to which the splendid biopic Flodirected by Géraldine Danon and brought forward by Stéphane Caillard and Alexis Michalik, pays a flamboyant homage on November 1st at the cinema.

Florence Arthaud, navigator and more

Born in 1957 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Florence Arthaud rose to worldwide fame in the 1990s thanks to her impressive sporting career.

While her family opposed her ambitions as a sailor, Florence had only one obsession: peeling off the glossy paint from the bourgeois straitjacket to travel the seas, with disheveled hair and wind-red cheeks.

Thus, after a tragic car accident that cost her six months of hospitalization and two years of rehabilitation, Florence Arthaud managed to make her dream come true, against all odds.

Gifted, stubborn and above all passionate, Firenze distinguished himself very early in large-scale competitions. He notably participated in the first edition of the Route du Rhum – a single-handed transatlantic race, held every four years – in 1978, and placed 11th in the competition.

While she had no shame in her ranking, Florence redoubled her efforts to progress, both on her sailboat and in competition. Thus, in 1990, she entered her history by winning the Route du rum in just 14 days and 10 hours, effectively defeating all of her male colleagues.

She then became the first woman to win the race, and the only one to date. With this victory, Florence was able to affirm its status as a sportswoman, but also and above all as an icon…

Florence Arthaud, a free sportswoman, above all

If Florence Arthaud earned her status as a stellar sailor thanks to her victory in 1990, she was not content to achieve this feat alone.

In fact, the one who quickly established herself as a leading figure in navigation, effectively becoming France’s darling, he also won the Transpacific (a sailing race that connected Los Angeles to Honolulu) as Bruno Peyron’s teammate. He took part in numerous regattas alongside leading sailors, such as Olivier de Kersauson.

Described in the documentary Florence Arthaud – One day, one story as a woman who had a “horror of limitations,” Florence never backed down from obstacles.

And by “obstacle” I mean “misogyny”. The world of sailing, in fact, in the 80s and 90s, was essentially occupied by old sea dogs, men accustomed to the company of other men, who struggled to imagine that a woman could practice the same sport, with the same passion and the same talent. .

Stealing several victories from the old grunts clinging to their sailboats, and daring to proclaim its right to sail the seas, like any man, Florence organically established itself as the leader of a certain French feminism. The best way to help change the mentality regarding your sport and its practice by women.

Florence Arthaud’s precept was “freedom of choice and freedom of action” and she was able to valiantly ignore the hostility with which she was initially welcomed into the environment she desired, to listen only to her ambition.

From that moment on, his career was certainly flourishing, but also fraught with pitfalls…

Pains and glories of an extraordinary athlete

Although Florence Arthaud experienced the splendor of victories and fame, her journey was not without challenges.

In fact, in addition to the resounding success, Florence has also experienced its share of disappointments. The lovers first of all, because Florence was the lover of often selfish and macho sailors (Olivier de Kersauson and Jean-Claude Parisis in the lead), who struggled to support her ambitions, as Géraldine Danon superbly recounts in her biographical film, and then doctor.

In fact, the sailor had some health problems and had to fight against her demons, both at sea and on land. In particular he encountered alcohol problemswhich he did not hesitate to tell in his autobiography A wind of freedompublished by Arthaud editions.

Also for this reason, and while he was going through a painful period, the skipper also had his sponsors withdrawn and was no longer able to practice his sport, his profession, his passion.

However, until his tragic death in a helicopter crash in 2015, Florence never lost the title of “little sweetheart of the Atlantic”, nor the esteem of a public that continues to whisper his name in ports around the world .

What is certain is this Florence remains and will remain an icon of freedom and a model of independence for all those who dream of seas and oceans.

An icon that you can discover even more about thanks to Flothe stunning biopic inspired by his lifeNovember 1st at the cinema.