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Robert Hamaty is the Founder and Managing Director of Tortuga Rum Company, Ltd., the largest Duty-Free and retail liquor business in Grand Cayman. He and his wife Carlene started the business in 1984 while both working for Cayman Airways. They introduced the first Cayman Islands rums to appeal to the growing tourist and cruise passenger business. A few years later they opened the first Tortuga Duty-Free liquor store. Carlene (nee Jackson) from Savannah began using Tortuga Gold Rum in her family’s generations old rum cake recipe. Introduced commercially in 1987, the Tortuga Rum Cake became an instant hit. Tortuga Rum Cakes now are the # 1 export of the Cayman Islands and shipped to over 70 countries worldwide.

Born in Savanna-La-Mar, Jamaica on 12 February 1948 to father Munair Hamaty (custous of the parish of Westmoreland) and mother Tatiana (nee Shoucair),  Capt. Hamaty admits that his early start in aviation was due to his late father who in 1962 bought a Cessna 172 and became a private pilot, Capt. Hamaty was 14 at the time. He earned his commercial pilot license at the age 17 and soon after began flying DC-8s for Air Jamaica as a First /officer. At age 24, he was promoted to a DC-9 Captain, the youngest ever for passenger jet aircraft. By age 25, Robert was a DC-8 Captain flying the Trans-Atlantic route from Kingston to London. He joined Cayman Airways as a captain in 1978 and became the chief pilot in 1982. Even with his growing Tortuga Rum Co Ltd., business he continued to fly for the airline until 1991 when illness forced his retirement after logging 17,500 flying hours. In 1996 Mr. Hamaty was in heart failure and underwent a heart transplant in Miami, Florida.

He was educated at Jamaica College (1958-1964) and the Embry Riddle Aeronautical Institute, Daytona Beach, Florida (1965-1966). He has two grown children, son Basil, a Captain for Cayman Airways and his daughter, Monique Simmonds. She and her husband Marcus run the Tortuga international Rum Cake Company, handling worldwide distribution, mail order, food service and online sales in Miami, Florida.                             

Among his many honors and accolades, Mr. Hamaty was named 2001 Caribbean Entrepreneur of the Year, recognized for his roles in hospitality  and manufacturing and innovative business strategy” in creating a unique success story. He was appointed by the Cayman Islands ministry of tourism chairman of the Port Improvement and Beautification Committee from 2001 to 2004. He is a founding member and Chairman the Cayman Association for the Advancement of Cruise Tourism (ACT). He served as the Jamaican Honorary Consul for the Cayman Islands for 16 years, and he and his wife Carlene were recognized in 2008 with the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Culinary Excellence” at the Jamaica Observer Food Awards. In 2010 the Jamaican government awarded him honors (Order of Distinction). In 2012 he received a  Medal of Honor Commander  Mr. Hamaty is also a founding and Honorary lifetime member of both the Jamaican Airline Pilots Association (JALPA) and the Cayman Islands Airlines Pilots Association (CALPA). Hobbies include pleasure boating fishing skeet shooting and collecting antiques.