Alberto
Torruella, an 80-yr-old retired attorney and businessman and former sugar cane
farmer, lives on a beach in Puerto Rico. And he comes from an interesting
background: “Initially our business was
sugar, but my great-grandfather started producing rum. After Prohibition, we
set up a distillery and went into the rum business, which was kind of a
secondary business at the time.” Alberto’s “secondary business” became the
Serralles Distillery, the maker of Don Q Rum - and not only the largest
producer of rum in Puerto Rico, but the second largest producer of quality rums
in the United States.
After he retired
last year, Alberto was “… looking for
something to keep me busy. I get the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog and saw your
golf cart there and I looked Neoteric up. I didn’t contact Hammacher Schlemmer
because I didn’t want to go through an intermediary; I wanted to go to the
source.”
Alberto
wanted a hovercraft to fly him over the beach and sea, but he also had business
in mind: “Ten years ago we went into the
hotel business; we purchased a hotel and added a golf course. And I thought it
would help the golf course. Puerto Rico has 12 or 13 golf courses – lots of
competition for attracting golfers – so we can offer rides.”
Before he
purchased his HoverGolf Cart, Alberto (left) completed a hovercraft pilot and
maintenance course in November at Hovercraft Training Centers “to see how it works out,
whether I can handle it.” …
Even
though Alberto is a pilot and has vast experience operating motorcycles and
boats, his training course was his first experience on a hovercraft – and he
particularly enjoyed the unique features of the Neoteric craft – such as
reverse thrust, which allows the craft to fly backwards, brake and hover in
place: “It was very enjoyable – and different.
I used to drive motorcycles so I’m used to speed and crazy things – but not
this crazy! I mean, you’re going 30 mph and all of a sudden you can spin and go
backwards! Being able to fly backwards, etc. – it adds to the fun!”
Alberto is
eager to introduce his hovercraft to Puerto Rico: “You can use a hovercraft in Puerto Rico all year round. I think Puerto
Rico would be a good market for your hovercraft because we have good weather
all year round and we have lots of areas where it could be used.”
As all you
Hoosiers know, the weather in Indiana is not quite as good. But that doesn’t
stop Neoteric or our hovercraft! Here are photos of Neoteric President Chris
Fitzgerald conducting performance testing on Alberto’s craft in January on the
icy Wabash River …
Want to take a ride in a hovercraft? Take a Test Flight!
