Ambassadors
COUSIN® ambassadors embody the group’s values and play a major role in the development of our product ranges. Much more than just technical partners, their involvement strengthens our ties with the field and our constant quest for innovation. We strongly support their diverse backgrounds and achievements.
Thomas RUYANT – IMOCA
An iconic skipper in ocean racing, Thomas Ruyant has made a name for himself in IMOCA with his performances and innovative approach.
Winner of the Route du Rhum and the Transat Jacques Vabre in Class40, he completed the Vendée Globe 2020 and 2024 with remarkable rankings. In the meantime, he won the Route du Rhum 2022.
The skipper, a native of northern France like COUSIN® and a loyal ambassador, will embark on the Ocean Race for the second time in 2025 as part of the TR Racing team, reinforcing a collaborative and technological vision of performance.
Thomas Ruyant contributes to the evolution of our products at the pace of the biggest competitions.
©Pierre Bouras
JULIEN IRILLI – PARAGLIDING AND MOUNTAIN CLIMBING
Julien Irilli is a mountaineer and mountain guide renowned for his technical skills on mixed terrain, snow, and ice.
A specialist in bivouac flying, he combines rapid ascents with paragliding descents. For his expeditions, he chooses to use COUSIN® products, which are reliable and lightweight, perfectly suited to his performance and safety requirements.
With his extensive experience at high altitude, he embodies a modern, precise and autonomous approach to high-level mountaineering.
© Florent Pedrini
TANGUY LE TURQUAIS – OCEAN 50
Tanguy Le Turquais, skipper of Lazare, combines sporting achievements with a commitment to solidarity. With a promising track record, including several victories in transatlantic races and a notable participation in the Route du Rhum, he sails on state-of-the-art IMOCA boats and completed the 2020 and 2024 Vendée Globe races using COUSIN® ropes that combine strength and lightness.
Sailing under the colors of the Lazare association, which is dedicated to social inclusion, COUSIN® shares with Tanguy and this association the values of solidarity and the ambition to take on ever more ambitious projects at sea and on land.
Tanguy and his team can now be found in Ocean Fifty, conquering the new Transat’ Café l’Or 2025.
© Coline Béal
CARLO GALLAVRESI – PARAGLIDER
A committed mountaineer and mountain guide, specializing in technical routes at high altitude and large mixed faces.
With solid experience in the Alps and internationally, he operates in demanding environments where reliability and lightweight equipment are essential. As a user of COUSIN® ropes, he benefits from high-performance equipment that is adapted to the constraints of challenging terrain.
TOM GORON – FIGARO
A 19-year-old French skipper, Tom is a rising star in ocean racing. Having grown up sailing since childhood, he distinguished himself in the 29er classes, quickly becoming French and then European champion.
He then made his debut on the Figaro circuit with impressive performances in elite events: Top 5 in the Solo Guy Cotten 2025, winner of the Solo Maître Coq 2025 and a strong rookie competitor in the Solitaire Paprec 2024 and 2025.
Now skipper of the Dubreuil group, he has ambitious goals that will require the best equipment. COUSIN® is proud to be able to equip his various boats.
He is an athlete to watch in the coming years at the biggest sailing competitions.
VICTOR LOURDEL – FREERIDER AND MOUNTAINEER
A French mountaineer and steep slope skier, he trained in the field after a career in freeriding. A former high-level competitor, he now favors a committed, aesthetic, and responsible approach to alpinism.
Currently training to become a mountain guide, he combines field practice with content creation and teaching.
As a COUSIN® ambassador, he embodies a demanding, technical, and conscious generation, driven by exploration and precision in the mountains.
© Jordan Manoukian
NICOLAS D’ESTAIS – IMOCA
The happy skipper of the Café Joyeux sailboat, he is actively preparing for the 2028 Vendée Globe.
After a successful transition to ocean racing, he has distinguished himself in Class40 with several high-level performances.
Driven by values of inclusion and social commitment, he champions a positive impact project alongside Café Joyeux, a socially responsible catering company that employs people with disabilities.
A rigorous and thoughtful sailor, this COUSIN® ambassador embodies a demanding sailing style, but also a sport that is resolutely focused on meaning and community.
© Serge Arnal
PACHAMAMA – A DUO OF MOUNTAINEERS
Two seasoned adventurers, skiers and mountaineers, who are equally at home on rock and ice in the mountains.
Marion and Manon have been traveling the world and tackling the most perilous peaks with COUSIN® equipment for several years.
They are demanding and indispensable ambassadors for developing our new ranges and putting them to the test.
PAUL COUSIN – MINI TO FIGARO
A young skipper from Normandy, Paul is establishing himself as a promising talent in French sailing.
Currently competing in the Mini 6.50 class, he is a three-time winner of the Plastimo Lorient Mini and a strong competitor on the series circuit, combining technical rigor with a passion for ocean racing.
Trained at the Lorient Grand Large center, he is actively preparing for the 2025 Mini Transat, with the highest sporting ambitions in the discipline.
COUSIN® is proud to equip this new generation of precise and determined sailors who value quality, safety, and performance in navigation.
© Vincent Olivaud
ROPE RESCUE TEAM 76
French rope rescue firefighter group based in the Seine Maritime department.
Active in the world’s biggest climbing competitions, using COUSIN® ropes.
Ranked in the top 5 and 10 in the last two international editions of Grimpday. They are now setting themselves the challenge of competing in Grimpday China in 2025 and Grimpday Namur in 2026.
They are excellent ambassadors for the COUSIN® professional verticality and rescue range.
LAURENT BOURGUES – OCEAN 50
This experienced sailor now skippers the Ocean Fifty trimaran Mon Bonnet Rose, a project committed to the fight against cancer that will be on the starting line of the Trasat’ Café l’Or 2025.
With a strong background as former technical director of the Gitana Team, skipper in Figaro, and collaborator on numerous IMOCA and Ultim campaigns, he combines technical expertise, seamanship, and complex project management skills.
Based in Lorient, he is known for his rigor, his human commitment, and his sustainable vision of ocean racing. As a COUSIN® partner, he promotes innovative, high-performance, and reliable textile solutions for his sailing adventures.
ANATOLE FACON – CLASS 40
A professional Class40 skipper, renowned for his solo performances and his ability to push the limits on demanding boats.
At 25 years old, he holds several major Class40 records:
– Solo North Atlantic: 2024
– Marseille–Carthage: 40h32 in 2025
On Good Morning Pouce, he relies on COUSIN® technical ropes, which he chooses for their reliability, mechanical strength, and ability to withstand demanding sailing conditions.
A demanding ambassador, Anatole actively contributes to field feedback on the products used: halyards, sheets, safety maneuvers, running rigging.
Yannick Lefèbvre – OLYMPIC SAILING 49ER
Belgian skipper specializing in the Olympic 49er dinghy, one of the most demanding classes in terms of maneuverability, rigging tension, and equipment responsiveness. He has represented Belgium at the Olympic Games since 2016 with his teammate Jan Heuninck.
He optimizes every element of his boat for pure performance, particularly the running rigging, which is subject to highly dynamic cyclic loads. As a COUSIN® partner, Yannick provides expert field feedback on high-performance ropes, particularly on abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, and aging under stress.
© Sailing Energy
LOMANE VALADE AND JULIEN BUNEL – olympiC SAILING 470
Lomane, runner-up in the 2024 Junior World Championships in the 470 class, won several national titles in the Optimist class before making her mark on the junior 470 circuit.
Julien joined the French Olympic Youth Team in the 470 class after a solid career in the 420 class. Together, they are building a campaign firmly focused on Los Angeles 2028.
They test and validate COUSIN® ropes in demanding rigging conditions, between dynamic loads, fine sail tension, and millimeter-precise adjustments to the dinghy.
SARAH JANIN AND IBAN CORNIC – OLYMPIC SAILING 470
Trained in 2024 at the Pôle France Voile in Marseille, Sarah Jannin and Iban Cornic sail in the mixed 470 class, an Olympic class that is particularly demanding in terms of fine tuning and optimizing running rigging.
Committed to preparing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, they use COUSIN® ropes with characteristics suited to the specific constraints of the 470: low elongation under dynamic load, resistance to chafing on miniature winches, and dimensional stability essential for precise control of the boom, downhaul, and spinnaker pole.
Working closely with COUSIN®, Sarah and Iban are involved in field testing the halyards and sheets used in competition, contributing to the development of products designed for high-level dinghy sailing.