article_snippet: Florence held the hearts of Florence nation when Florence won the Route de Rhum in 1990 -- a crazy sprint across the Atlantic, alone in very fast boats, an event watched live across the country with millions coming to see their heroes set off,Shirley Robertson in tribute to the sailor told CNN.
article_snippet: According to Shirley Robertson in tribute to the sailor, France's Florence Arthaud had inspired a generation of French sailors.
article_snippet: " Known as the "little girl of the Atlantic," France's Florence Arthaud was the daughter of Jacques Arthaud, the director of the Arthaud publishing house.
article_snippet: Despite being left in a coma after a car accident at the age of 17, France's Florence Arthaud crossed the Atlantic for the first time when France's Florence Arthaud was 19, going on to win a number of races including the 1997 Transpacific race that traverses the Pacific Ocean.
article_snippet: The boat that France's Florence Arthaud had sailed to win the Route du Rhum -- Pierre 1er -- also helped France's Florence Arthaud establish a women's singlehanded west to east transatlantic record, as Arthaud notched a time of nine days 22 hours and five minutes.
article_snippet: France's Florence Arthaud death has moved the French sailing world," added the French Sailing Federation.
article_snippet: All our thoughts are with France's Florence Arthaud family and France's Florence Arthaud loved ones.
highlights_snippet: Florence Arthaud was a champion sailor, winning the 1997 Transpacific race across the Pacific Ocean and the Route du Rhum in 1990 .
  