Published Articles and Press Releases >

Thorne Widgery client - Tortuga Covers Limited
Published: Business Direction May/June 2009

A Business with “bags” of potential

In 2004, while staying out in Grand Cayman, Herefordshire born inventor Robert Hill lost many of his belongings due to the flooding caused by Hurricane Ivan. As I’m sure you can imagine, this was truly a traumatic experience, and, from that moment on, it was clear to Rob that he needed something to protect him from a similar experience, should he ever find his home under the threat of flood again.

Rob scoured the market to find a product to help him protect his precious possessions such as TVs, sofas and the like, from the effects flood water but could not find anything that he felt fitted the bill and so, in the end, he decided to develop his own. In 2007 he formed Tortuga Covers Ltd and, shortly after that, Rob’s waterproof flood protection system was born.

Rob’s invention is a robust, waterproof bag which is made from material strong enough to stand up to the sort of treatment that Rob’s home suffered during Hurricane Ivan.

But it’s not just the strength of the material that makes the bag unique. The bag is constructed with a large high tech waterproof zip, born out of spacesuit technology and a clever “pressure venting system”.

The large zip makes it easy to put large objects into the bag very quickly. The bag can then be tethered to fixings on the ground (or alternatively something heavy) and then, as the floodwaters rise, the pressure regulating valves gradually release air from the bag to prevent damage to the contents. This means that the bag is less likely to tear free from its moorings and this in turn means that the bag wont float around bashing into things or worse still, float away completely in floodwater. Even if the bag is fully submerged, the valves are “one way” only and so the contents still remain dry.

The Tortuga Flood Protection System is available in four different sizes. Offering a range of protection from computers and household goods, up to family sized cars! Even though the material from which the bag is made is tough stuff, it’s also flexible and durable enough to fold easily into its own carry bag. The largest car sized bag can be easily carried by one person making it quick to set up in an emergency.

Last year, Insurance Companies estimated that the cost of flood damage in the UK alone was somewhere in the region of £1.6 billion so, even though the system was designed with “hurricanes” in mind, particularly for the US market – it’s easy to see why Rob’s invention is attracting growing interest right here in the UK.

Hull City Council have been quick to recognise the potential of the flood protection system and have already placed an order for 120 bags for their waterfront accommodation and Rob is already speaking to other councils who are expressing interest in the system.

What is also becoming clear is the increasing number of applications that the Flood Protection System could be used for. From businesses that are looking at their own disaster recovery plans to charities or aid groups that are looking to help others where flooding is prominent. In fact any situation where there is a risk of water damage and where things need to be kept dry – Rob’s system may provide the solution.

A grateful Rob attributes a lot of his progress to Thorne Widgery, the accountants and business advisors that he chose to work with, shortly after setting up Tortuga Covers Ltd in 2007.

Whilst he was more than happy that Thorne Widgery could “do the accounts”, Rob explains what really influenced his decision to chose Thorne Widgery was the focus that they gave to his business aspirations and their obvious desire to help him succeed with Tortuga, particularly through the involvement of Andy Edwards, Thorne Widgery’s Business Development Specialist.

When asked if Thorne Widgery have delivered on their promises – Rob’s response – “absolutely!”