Billionaire ex-Premier League owner takes over small English town for weeks with his $300 million superyacht

  • Billionaire’s $300 million superyacht in harbor of small UK town
  • It’s been there since August
  • Locals weren’t happy about the 322-foot (98m) ‘eyesore’

 

Published on Nov 13, 2024 at 8:21 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Nov 14, 2024 at 4:04 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

Billionaire ex-Premier League owner, Joe Lewis, has docked his $300 million superyacht, Aviva, in the town of Dartmouth in Devon, UK, for several months.

Locals weren’t happy about the 322-foot (98m) ‘eyesore’.

It sparked complaints from residents of the picturesque town that it was ‘totally out of place’.

While it isn’t clear whether the former Tottenham Hotspur owner is aboard, it’s thought he may be there for a nearby regatta.

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The superyacht

Accommodating up to 16 people it features lavish amenities, including onyx and marble interiors and a padel tennis court.

It can also hit an impressive top speed of 20 knots and boasts an eco-friendly hybrid electric propulsion system – not unlike this 220-foot all-electric vessel that could become the first fuel-free superyacht.

The 322-foot custom vessel has been docked in the harbor of the sleepy town since August after arriving from Troon, Scotland around August 5.

Why is the billionaire there?

Irritated residents wonder why he chose that location over somewhere more tropical however, a local regatta could be the reason behind its extended stay.

One resident told The Sun: “I guess he’s here for the regatta that starts this week but who knows how long he’ll stay.

“It’s just a huge floating gin palace, miles bigger than anything else in the harbor. We’ve seen his crew come and go in a tender but I don’t know if he’s even onboard – nobody’s heard anything.”

@dudleys_cafe_dartmouth It's getting busy out there on the Dart as we welcome another superb superyacht on this drizzly morning. Aviva joins Elysian & Constance, these 3 superyachts combined are worth £363,000,000 It's nice to dream 😌 #superyacht #megayacht #billionaire #millionaire #dartmouthdevon #devon #exploredartmouth #riverdart #ifonly ♬ оригинальный звук – rvshishkin

It’s still unclear whether the entrepreneur worth $6.4billion is actually aboard.

Aviva had been absent from UK waters for over a year, as its owner faced insider trading charges in the US and was sentenced to three years probation and fined $5 million.

It’s not the only time that billionaire vessels have been spied in UK waters

This $360 million superyacht spotted on the River Thames is so big it dwarfs an entire football field.

It can be chartered from charter firm Cecil Wright & Partners for $3.3 million per week.

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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”