Pioneer French woman sailor killed in helicopter crash in remote Argentina

PARIS (AP) — Florence Arthaud — a pioneer in woman’s sailing —  was killed when two helicopters filming a European reality show crashed in a remote part of Argentina. She was 57. Arthaud was one of 10 people killed when the helicopters apparently collided in the air March 9 near Villa Castelli in La Rioja province, about 730 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. The dead also included French Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Camille Muffat and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine. In 1990, Arthaud became the first woman to win the famed Route du Rhum race — a trans- Atlantic single-handed yacht race — at the helm of her trimaran Pierre 1er in record time. Her success made her an overnight star and she won the Champion of Champions award given each year by the French sports daily L’Equipe. Arthaud’s victory in the famed race between Brittany and the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe paved the way for other women to follow in her footsteps, with the likes of Ellen McArthur, Isabelle Autissier and Karine Fauconnier finding inspiration in her feat. During her Route du Rhum victory, Arthaud overcame difficult sea conditions, a faulty radio and a defective automatic pilot to beat a fleet of male sailors....