Sailor safety
Launched in the 90s, the TPS wetsuit is used to protect sailors from sea misfortunes. But for certification reasons, Guy Cotten stopped marketing its wetsuit in 2017. This left the second-hand market as the only place to buy one.
"The TPS wetsuit is the strength of all skippers. We were thinking of relaunching production, as some models are over 20 years old, but it's a niche market; we only sell 50 to 100 pieces a year and the standard for certification costs ?30,000." explains Mr Bertholom, Guy Cotten's Managing Director.
A new and improved TPS combination
At the request of the racers, the equipment manufacturer has nevertheless decided to put its TPS back on the market. To do so, the company approached Louis Duc, wrecked on his Class40 in the 2019 Transat Jacques Vabre off the Azores.
"Having used it a short while ago, we got in touch with him to find out where we could work on improvements. The shape and threading remain the same, but we've added a few extra details." explains Mr Bertholom.
Here are the changes :
- A knife for cutting ends
- A strap on the hood to keep the beacon's antenna out of the water to ensure proper operation.
- Inside pocket for IDs or money
- An orange color to make it more visible to emergency services, as the old âeuros red and âeuros blue were not sufficiently recognizable.
- Thickness increased by half a millimetre.
A prototype validated by skippers
The prototype of this new suit was presented in July 2020 to some fifteen skippers, including François Gabart and Yves le Blévec, and validated by the ocean racing community. The director will also present this new version to Figarists on the Solo Guy Cotten.
While the TPS is mainly used by ocean racers, some long-distance cruisers also use it to secure their voyage.
The second-hand market still alive and kicking
"The old TPS is still up to standard, and it's possible to carry on as long as it's overhauled. You can still find them on the second-hand market", explains the director of the French establishment.
Before getting its wetsuit certified, Guy Cotten will first make sure it has a well-finished product. The company is currently looking for a laboratory to carry out the certification tests, and hopes to bring its new wetsuit to market in early 2021. The old model was sold for between ?700 and ?750; Guy Cottent is currently studying the new price of its TPS.
In anticipation of being able to replace all the old TPS suits, those of the competitors in the 2020 Vendée Globe will be inspected before the start of the single-handed round-the-world race.
