NEW LONDON -- There's a new way to leave New London Harbor and people are defying gravity to do it.
Tom Murray, a former Wall Street banker, has brought his love of hovercraft to Connecticut. In May, Murray began Blackbird Hovercraft Charters, running two Vanair Vanguard crafts to stops in Rhode Island, Long Island and all over Connecticut.
Murray said, "I've always been fascinated with the hovercraft and researched it over several years and thought it would be a great type of transportation in and around Long Island Sound."
Murray explained that the hovercraft, a staple of transportation in Europe, operates more like a helicopter than boat.
"We're not sailing, we're flying," he said. "It flies 18 inches off the water, can go on land, ice, any flat surface."
Murray said he's seen a good deal of business for the golfing set headed to Fishers Island, which is about a 20 minute ride from New London. He also mentioned that his bright yellow 42-foot hovercrafts offers quality of life by saving passengers time on crowded ferries or traffic filled highways.
"You have a really efficient, exciting way to travel and it's something unique."
To find out more about Blackbird Hovercraft Charters click here.
