British locals weren't happy when a billionaire's $300,000,000 superyacht took over their small town for weeks

British locals weren’t too happy when a billionaire’s $300,000,000 superyacht took over their small town for weeks.

Billionaire Joe Lewis, who is the former owner of soccer team Tottenham Hotspur FC, moored his superyacht in the town of Dartmouth in Devon.

The 322-foot boat sat there for weeks, leaving locals equally frustrated and baffled.

It dominated the landscape and attracted a whole lot of attention – and questions.

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Why had this billionaire’s $300,000,000 superyacht moored in this town?

The yacht, known as Aviva, was part office and part residence for the billionaire.

It arrived at Dartmouth after sailing down from Troon in Scotland and moored on the Devonshire coast in August 2024.

To say it stood out like a sore thumb in the small town would be an understatement almost as large as the Aviva.

Many speculated that the Aviva had arrived for a local regatta, but that didn’t do much to put irritated locals at ease.

“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,” one resident told UK paper The Sun.

Taking a closer look at the Aviva, the boat that caused a stir with locals

Accommodating up to 16 people, the Aviva 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.

It’s easy to see why this garnered so much attention.

After all, boats of such a stature get a lot of eyeballs on them.

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

And who could forget the time that the owner of Aston Martin came through a Dutch village in his gigantic yacht?

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