joe lewis yacht tennis court

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Aviva: Inside the 98.4m Abeking & Rasmussen flagship yacht

The owner of Aviva challenged his design team to build a yacht around a padel tennis court — and 98m, 4,966GT and a mere three years later, she was launched.

She’s big — let’s get that out of the way. At 98.4 metres,  Aviva  became the 46th longest yacht in the world when she was delivered by  Abeking & Rasmussen  in 2017, and there are very few boats of her length that can match her for volume.

Her 17.24 metre beam is so generous that the designers pulled in the bridge deck superstructure to add side decks — improving crew circulation and refining the profile — because “we just didn’t need that much beam”.

They were right: spaces on board are magnificently expansive, from guest suites the size of the master suite on a 50 metre to an owner’s wardrobe that is, designer Andrew Langton notes quite seriously, “bigger than my house in France”. The fact that scale sits fairly low down on the list of Aviva ’s extraordinary features speaks to the imagination and belief-beggaring ambition of this project.

Aviva is the third yacht of her name delivered to owner Joe Lewis, British businessman and major shareholder in Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The first, a 62 metre Winch design, was built at Feadship in the Netherlands; the second, a 68 metre Reymond Langton design , at Abeking & Rasmussen on the banks of the Weser river in Lemwerder, near Bremen.

For his grandest project yet Lewis returned to Abeking. “They were, surprisingly, much less conservative than other people. Maybe it’s because of the military stuff they do,” says Toby Silverton, head of design on the project, working with Reymond Langton, and who was also involved in Lewis’s two previous projects.

The yard’s biggest project had been 82.48 metre Secret and to take on Aviva it extended its build shed to accommodate yachts of up to 125 metres — a bold move into a larger size category. And its courage didn’t end there.

“Build a big yacht around a padel tennis court was the main brief, I guess,” says the yard’s project manager Andreas Hering, with admirable understatement. “In three years.”

• How 74.5m Abeking & Rasmussen Elandess sprang from a blank sheet of paper

A project of this size might easily take five years, even if the yard already had a shed big enough for the purpose. And this was a highly unusual project. Design was accelerated too: the complex interior was penned in six months, when they would have liked a year; and the exterior in just one month, when it might more comfortably have taken six.

Knowing that makes Aviva ’s elegant profile even more impressive. “There was a lot of work to [visually] break up the mass, using facets,” says Langton. “We also tried to keep the lines long, so the sheer line is very long and jumps up forward with a clean line.”

They also minimised the details that act as size references, to disguise the scale. Rub rails are eliminated, stanchions replaced with glass, crew quarters windows are grouped to create long lines of glazing and even the anchor pocket has been elongated and disguised, lest a little square of gleaming stainless gives the game away.

Some upright elements of the silver superstructure were also picked out in a darker shade. “They disappear a bit, which makes the slope of the boat more raked,” says Langton.

The long bow adds to the effect, but the aesthetic is the beneficiary of a practical decision: this boat will roam far and the long covered bow makes it likely to survive the kind of rogue waves that have battered a few cruise ships over the years.

“I talked to the captain of the QE2 who went through a wave, and what happens is all the wheelhouse windows smash, they had four foot of water, you then lose all your instruments and they had no ability to control the boat, communicate or navigate,” says Silverton.

To strengthen Aviva he added extra watertight doors and armoured the two forward VIP cabins and superyacht wheelhouse so that they could be sealed off to save the boat. “You can lose everything on the bridge and you can still navigate and control the boat from the engine room,” he says.

Apart from safety, the main aim of the naval architecture was stability. Before the build of Lewis’s second Aviva , Silverton had been frustrated by a lack of data on how rolling motion affects passengers, so he put 36 people in a motion simulator for three days.

“There’s two things: one is the period of roll and the second is the way it rolls,” he says. “The typical roll period of the 62 metre would be around 7.5-7.8 seconds, one of two roll periods people were particularly upset by. And we found that if it was a soft stop and then a soft movement away again, people were much more tolerant of it.”

The design of the second boat addressed those concerns and the new Aviva ’s hull — patent pending — is an evolution of that. It has a nipped in “waist” which bulges back out below the waterline. This both slows and softens the roll. Her near-vertical bow and narrow sailing boat-like stern (which helps reduce pitching) also aid efficiency.

So much so that they were able to go down two engine sizes from the original spec (she has two MTU 16V4000 M73Ls, which put out 2,880kW each) and still hit 20.3 knots in sea trials. Silverton notes that she runs most comfortably at a zippy 16.5 knots, despite an official cruising speed of 14 knots.

Supplementary electric motors offer smooth manoeuvring and silent 11 knot running at night, while extra solidity comes from MAGLift stabilisers aft and one pair of fin stabilisers forward.

But it is the padel tennis court that lies literally and metaphorically at the heart of this project. This high intensity squash-tennis hybrid is a daily routine for Lewis and his explorations with his previous yachts had been limited to destinations with courts.

“The original idea I had was to put it on the aft end main deck and have folding panels and sliding walls,” says Langton. “It never even entered my head to put it inside, because it’s so big.”

Not only would putting the court at the back have made for a profile that Langton likens to a pick-up truck, but Silverton notes that the court would not have been playable at main-deck level. “You’re way above the roll centre, so it’s moving sideways – humans can’t cope with sideways movement of the ground,” says Silverton. “So we looked at putting it as low down as possible.”

Achieving such a large area in that position was an engineering feat but the results are spectacular. Its dimensions short-circuit spatial understanding — it seems impossible that this towering 6.65 metre tall space could be accommodated in Aviva ’s profile.

But it is, and it functions beautifully. “We’re running along at 19 knots, white horses everywhere, and they’re downstairs playing padel having no idea that there’s any sea at all,” says Silverton.

This sort of intelligent ambition has transformed every space on board into something special. “The owner has been in many businesses – hospitality, hotels – so he really understands how spaces work,” says Silverton.

Apart from strategically placed pantries and concealed crew entrances, there are three massive dumb waiters, a lower deck entrance for loading supplies, a dedicated crew galley and much more. The final GA was version 57.

On the more glamorous side of this equation, the upper saloon is a highly functional family room that’s comfortable, bright and airy. The sofas are extra squashy, and there’s a games table as well as a sculptural Bogányi piano.

The head height is 2.6 metres and nine metres of openable full-height windows run along each side of the room – with balconies. Rather than the usual glass, doors to the aft deck are leather clad, making the room feel more private. In fine weather, with those doors open, glass panels slide out to surround the aft deck dining area, creating one long, protected inside/outside space.

Designing such a huge area without pillars for support was a challenge and the corners are, says Hering, packed with extra structure. “Also, in the ceiling, all the girders are very thick because the unsupported length is just enormous.”

In contrast to this space, the main saloon below is a glamorous introduction to Aviva , up the sweeping superyacht staircase from the swim platform and inside to take in starry pieces from the owner’s art collection from a round of sunken seating. Adding a dash of intrigue there’s a secret cinema forward of the space, behind a hidden door.

The master suite is in the nose of the main deck rather than higher up, for extra stability. It stretches from a full-beam cabin to a massive bathroom centred with a monolithic Corian bathtub (there’s a spa just aft of the cabin for even more serious pampering), to a wardrobe-cum-dressing room of spectacular scale and glamour, inspired by Chanel boutiques.

But while some spaces are grand in scale, others are decidedly intimate. Rather than a dining saloon, there are two art-filled “bistros” on board for cosy meals, and many other small dining areas elsewhere. The owner’s bridge deck office is also modestly proportioned, with a conference room next door for larger meetings.

In terms of interior style, the owner’s brief was for something revolutionary. “He didn’t want anything to be symmetrical, it had to be curvy or organic,” says Langton. “He wanted it to be very different. No wood, nothing traditional.”

From the furniture and fittings to walls and overheads, there is barely a straight line on this boat. That was no mean feat for Abeking & Rasmussen’s outfitter Rodiek, which, as well as building most of the yacht’s bespoke furniture in organic forms, produced undulating wall panels from high density CNC-milled foam. “Five or ten years ago this was only used to do models or moulds for the car industry. It is very expensive,” says Langton.

It is, however, perfect for creating curves. “For this boat we decided to use a lot of new materials, even for the base materials, because of the big curved ceiling spaces,” says Hilmar Westermeyer, COO of Rodiek, who had to buy a new CNC milling machine for the project. Rodiek works only for Abeking & Rasmussen (and vice versa) in a symbiotic relationship.

In terms of the interior styling, the ethos was love it or lose it — at least visually. “This door disappears when it is closed and becomes part of the wall,” says Langton in one of the forward VIPs, swinging it to the latch, where its undulations perfectly meet those on the wall. “You either make a door a feature, make it beautiful, or you make it disappear.” The same goes for handles: those on wardrobes are invisible, but ones used on cabin doors are gnarled and textural, incorporated into a cracked bronze plate “like desert clay”.

“Because we’ve not used any wood, basically the whole interior is a mixture of leather and lacquer, it’s really almost tailored.” Take the artfully stitched cream leather of window frames, or the iridescent shot silk that runs down the broad main deck corridor, printed with a bespoke cartographical motif.

A neutral palette is enriched with precious materials: sunset-toned onyx, vanilla marble, shagreen, shimmering leathers. There are glossy panels dripping with resin and acrylic by Alex Turco in the lobby, and panels of velvet mottled with gold, by Sabina Fay Braxton, above guest beds. Staircases are works of art; one with floating treads like turbine blades, another a leather and glass form that spirals up from the floor.

This interior — where, as Langton puts it, almost every surface has “richness and form” – melts into the deck spaces via visual tricks: organic patterns in the Esthec decking that continue in the interior carpets; or the bar that is half in the main saloon and half on the aft deck, a mirror image joining the two spaces.

The superyacht sundeck is the exterior equivalent of the upper saloon — a comfortable family lounge. This massive space, with sunshine yellow upholstery, runs from a shaded central area for dining, with a projector for movie nights, to an aft sunbathing area with sunpads (with a wedge shape to sit as well as lie) and another forward around a spa pool, set low against a glass windbreak for spectacular views.

This forward end is a cosy space like so many on board. It’s that understanding of usable, enjoyable spaces, of human scale, human comfort and passions that makes Aviva a truly grand design. Those 98 metres just help pack it all on board.

First published in the April 2018 edition of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.

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Take a look at Joe Lewis’s stunning $250 million superyacht, Aviva, which the Tottenham owner used to bail himself out of trouble. The billionaire loved padel tennis so much that he actually built this 279 feet long vessel around a padel tennis court.

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The first yacht to house a  full-sized 

Padel tennis court.

98M SUPERYACHT- 'AVIVA' 

Joe Lewis, the British billionaire, Chairman of Tavistock Group and the 5th richest man in the UK, commissioned this stunning superyacht which was launched in January 2017. She is believed to be valued at US$250 million! That’s £204,225,000.00 GBP!  

When Joe’s not at his home in the Bahamas, where Tavistock Group is based, he will be enjoying the luxury on board this 98-metre (322 ft) vessel. He says it’s his ‘home away from home’ and spends much of the year on board, using it as a floating office, wherever in the world it might be. 

At the time, Aviva was the largest creation designed by Reymond Langton. It was built by Abeking & Rasmussen who had to create a special system and pontoon in order to launch the super structure, 33 months after signing the contract. 

Her hybrid drive system is a special feature whereby using just electric power, and not the main engines, she can cruise at 11 knots. With an eco-friendly system that requires less engine output and reduced fuel consumption, she can reach a max speed of 20 knots. 

She sleeps 16 guests in 8 cabins and accommodates a crew of 25 over 12 cabins. 

TENNIS COURT

  Although you won’t see Aviva in the first half of the ‘top 100 largest yachts in the world’, she is the first yacht to house a full-sized padel tennis court. The indoor court stretches across a 10 metre width, 20 metre length, and 6.65 metre height. It’s hard to imagine a space like this inside any type of yacht, but with her 5000 gross tonnage of interior volume, the size of the court didn’t have to be compromised. 

 Joe plays the sport with his guests or his crew members, who are also encouraged to use the ‘sports hall’ for football and other exercise activities when the net is removed. Not only that, but there is a small lounging area for spectators, hidden behind a protective net. 

Aviva’s tenders are launched through her side doors, and she also boasts a ‘beach club’ area created by a swimming platform that opens up onto the ocean.  

This year Forbes valued Joe Lewis at £4.358 Billion

  The 82-year-old owner has an impressive portfolio after starting his career at the age of 15, joining his father’s catering company in London. He made his initial wealth from the sale of that company in 1979, then switched his residency to the Bahamas and moved into currency trading. He now has investments in over 200 businesses and is a Tottenham Hotspur FC major shareholder.  

FOURTH YACHT

  Prior to his 98-meter flagship, Joe owned 3 other yachts. His first was a 62-meter Feadship in 1998, called Lady Aviva. However, this caught fire later, in the Red Sea, and was eventually salvaged by Dennis Washington, who transformed the yacht, renaming her Attessa III. Joe’s second yacht was the 60-meter Oceanco, named Alfa Four, which was built in 2004. She is now known as Sea Pearl. In 2007, Joe took delivery of a 68-meter Aviva, also built by Abeking & Rasmussen. 

Joe must like his toys as we are also aware that he owns a private jet worth US$30 million (£24,504,600.00 GBP). The Embraer Legacy 600, which seats 12 passengers, has a registration that refers to Tottenham Hotspurs FC and reads; ‘G-THFC’. 

 Aviva was recently moored at Keppel Bay in Singapore, where we managed to get a few shots of her in all her glory! 

The blue innovative steel hull design really stands out in the crowd.  

  For more Motor Yacht News, click the link below.

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This 321-Foot Superyacht Was Allegedly Used as a Secret Venue for Insider Trading, According to a Lawsuit

The securities and exchange commission claims billionaire joe lewis shared insider information while aboard the outlandish vessel., tori latham, tori latham's most recent stories.

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British billionaire Joe Lewis—the owner of the Tottenham Hotspurs—has become embroiled in an insider trading case. But there’s a surprising side character in the saga: Lewis’s superyacht , Aviva .

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Brought by the U.S. government, the suit alleges that Lewis used his connections to gain access to sensitive intel. He then shared that info with his employees, friends, and lovers so they could benefit financially. At a hearing on Wednesday, Lewis pleaded not guilty; his lawyers didn’t respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment on Thursday.

In one example of such alleged activities, Lewis learned that the oncology company Mirati Therapeutics—in which he owned a stake—had received positive results for a cancer drug. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission complaint, that info was shared over Aviva ’s dining table. Lewis then told several associates to buy stock in the company, and when those shares rose following the public reveal of the cancer-drug results, Lewis’s friends and employees sold their shares for a handsome profit.

With a current net worth of $6.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Lewis was able to snap up Aviva in 2017. At the time, it was one of the 25 most valuable superyachts in the world , and the 51 st largest yacht. Since Lewis was charged this week, the vessel has left the Bahamas, and early Thursday it was heading away from the U.S. toward Bermuda, according to vessel data cited by Bloomberg.

For his part, Lewis can no longer board the superyacht: He used the ship and his private jet as collateral for a $300 million bail package on Wednesday. So it’s bon voyage to Aviva for now.

Tori Latham is a digital staff writer at Robb Report. She was previously a copy editor at The Atlantic, and has written for publications including The Cut and The Hollywood Reporter. When not…

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A British billionaire's giant yacht is anchored near Fort Lee

Jill Bobrow likes big boats. As an editor at large for Yachts International magazine, she has toured some of the largest yachts in the world, including the Jubilee, a 330-foot, $300-million mega-yacht complete with a big-screen cinema and on-board helicopter hangar.

“Cinemas are becoming de rigeur on yachts of this size,” said Bobrow, who has attended the Monaco Yacht Show each of the last 25 years.

Despite all her experience, sometimes a really big yacht still catches Bobrow by surprise. This happened last Friday, as Bobrow was riding a northbound train from Manhattan. Out the window she spotted a massive boat, a true leviathan, sitting in the oddest location: in the Hudson River, north of the George Washington Bridge, just a few dozen yards from the New Jersey shore.

“I said, ‘Oh my God, that was a really huge yacht,’” Bobrow said. “Seeing something that big in a place like that, it definitely caught my eye.”

Story continues below gallery.

It’s true, the borough of Fort Lee, New Jersey, is not a common destination for mega-yachts or the mega-rich who buy them. Yet for at least the last 10 days, the borough played the role of unwitting host to the Aviva, a 322-foot yacht built as a floating office building and gymnasium for Joe Lewis, a British investor with an estimated net worth of $5.1 billion, according to Forbes magazine. (By June 5, the Aviva had sailed to its next, unknown destination.)

Chief among the Aviva’s many superlatives: A secret cinema located behind a hidden door and a full-sized, indoor paddle tennis court.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a paddle tennis court on a yacht,” said Bobrow, whose magazine this year rated the Aviva as the 50th largest yacht in the world. “It’s staggering.”

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Viewed from the shoreline in Palisades Interstate Park on Thursday, the Aviva seemed less than staggering. Maybe it was the rain, which spittled from the sky, or the location, so close to New York City, where the skyline itself functions as a jewel box of ostentatious wealth. Everyone who saw it was surprised to find this giant yacht sitting here, displacing 5,000 tons of gray Hudson River water.

None were impressed.

“When I saw it I was like, ‘Boy, who would dock a thing like that here?’” said Khristine Botezan, 46, who grew up in Teaneck and now lives in Orlando, Florida. “A paddle tennis court? A hidden cinema? That’s not something I’m interested in getting invited to.”

“My first thought is I wouldn’t want to be the one who has to clean it,” said Tim Platt, who was visiting the park from Brooklyn.

Thursday’s onlookers may be alone in their disdain. Everywhere else the Aviva docks, it seems to cause a sensation. The yacht’s arrival last May off the coast of Cornwall, in southwestern England, was documented in a story and photo gallery in the UK’s Daily Mail; earlier this  month, it moored at the city marina in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, attracting reporters from the city’s daily paper and alternative news weekly.   

“For people in New Jersey to see a boat like this off our coast, it’s an unusual thing,” said Kim Kavin, a contributing editor with Yachting magazine and Yachts International who lives in Long Valley, Morris County. “Go check it out. It’s awe-inspiring when you see them.”

A tennis court in the middle of the ocean

Seen from Ross Dock, along the shore in Palisades Interstate Park, the Aviva certainly is imposing. The typical yacht resembles a baroque layer cake with a pointy white nose. The Aviva’s superstructure was designed with streamlined balconies and tinted windows arranged in long, unbroken lines to disguise its massive girth, according to statements by Abeking & Rasmussen, the German boatyard that built it.

All those white balconies and decks are offset by the Aviva’s gray-blue bow, which drops in a straight line to the water, giving it the face of a bulldog.

“It looks very powerful,” Bobrow said.

The look is backed up by two diesel engines capable of generating a combined 7,724 horsepower. That’s enough power to push the Aviva to a top speed of 23 knots, or about 26 miles an hour.

And with its specially designed hull, which flares like a bulbous waist at the waterline, the Aviva is remarkably stable. To nail the shape, Toby Silverton, the Aviva’s lead designer, paid 36 people to spend three days in a motion simulator, recreating the rolling waves created by gales and tropical depressions.

The result is a boat stable enough for its billionaire owner to play a game of paddle tennis in the middle of the ocean.

“We’re running along at 19 knots,” Silverton told Boat magazine this year, “and they’re downstairs playing having no idea that there’s any sea at all.”

For his part, Lewis takes a broader view of his big toy’s capabilities. He built his father’s catering business into the Tavistock Group, which invests in a range of industries including real estate, oil and gas and the Tottenham Hotspur soccer team.

In addition to an indoor tennis court, Lewis demanded that his yacht be comfortable, and remain in constant communication with his business empire

“Aviva is more than an office,” he told a blogger with Bond Technology Management a few years ago, before the latest Aviva — his third and biggest yacht with the same name — was delivered. “It is also my home for much of the year. So for me, it is relaxing working from home, wherever Aviva may be in the world.”

Lewis's company and the yacht's manufacturer did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

Riding north from Manhattan, Bobrow’s train was moving too quickly for her to get a good look at the Aviva, she said. Unlike the people of Fort Lee, who barely seemed to notice one of the world’s most technologically advanced yachts lollygagging at their doorstep, Bobrow hopes to see it up-close someday, maybe even get a tour.

“I go where there are yachts,” she said.

In the meantime, she seems quite content to have missed the Aviva for a train ride home.

“I live in beautiful Vermont,” Bobrow said, “where I have a kayak.”

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AVIVA Yacht – Unique $250 M Superyacht

Delivered in 2017, the AVIVA superyacht is a striking sight with its length of 98.4 meters (322.83 ft), ranking it high on the list of largest yachts worldwide .

Built by the renowned German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen, AVIVA has been a standout in the world of luxury yachts since its inception, winning the Motor Yacht of the Year award at the World Superyacht Awards in 2018.

AVIVA Yacht

Mr. Lewis started his early entrepreneurial life by currency trading, enabling him to have a more thorough insight into the business world.

Making him one of the wealthiest people on the earth with an accumulated net worth of over 4.5 billion pounds; enabled him to buy many luxury cars and Aviva yacht, the 250-million-dollar beast.

AVIVA was built by the boat building company Abeking & Rasmussen , situated in Lower Saxony. Abeking & Rasmussen is a company aimed at engineering yachts, naval vessels, and cruise ships.

They were also responsible for building AVIVA’s sisters Elandess , Cloudbreak, and Excellence.

Reymond Langton Design was responsible for designing this gorgeous yacht. They are an award-winning company that prides itself on its creativity and passion with well over a decade of experience in the superyacht designing industry.

They were also responsible for creating the Serene superyacht and Nobiskrug yacht  Mogambo.

AVIVA Yacht Exterior

AVIVA’s exterior displays a sleek and modern all-blue design, distinctive among today’s superyachts. Notable outdoor facilities include a Jacuzzi, a large swimming pool, a helipad, and a spacious sundeck for relaxation and entertainment.

The yacht also boasts a collection of water toys, including jet skis, sea bobs, and inflatable slides for guests to enjoy.

AVIVA Yacht Interior

Designed by Reymond Langton Design in collaboration with Toby Silverton, AVIVA’s interior offers a contemporary and luxurious aesthetic. The yacht can accommodate up to 16 guests in eight state-of-the-art suites, complemented by a crew of 35.

The owner’s suite, located on the upper deck, features an office, private lounge, and a large en suite bathroom. The remaining guest cabins, consisting of two VIP suites and five double cabins, can be found on the main deck, each outfitted with en suite facilities.

AVIVA’s standout feature is a full-size padel tennis court, located in the lower deck. The yacht also features a beach club, a spa, a gym, a swimming pool, and an elevator connecting all the decks.

Similar to her sister yachts, she is also made of steel and has a solid superstructure made out of aluminum.

Powering this 98-meter-long superyacht are twin diesel-electric MTU engines capable of outputting 3,862 horsepower.

Along with her 364,705-litre fuel tanks, she can run comfortably at a speed of 14 knots and reach a max speed of 20 knots.

AVIVA can now comfortably accommodate 16 guests and carry up to 35 crew members after being refitted twice since its launch.

AVIVA Yacht Price

The estimated cost of AVIVA was around US $150 million. The annual running costs are estimated to be between US $12 to 15 million, based on usage.

AVIVA is not currently for sale or available for charter.

AVIVA yacht in Gibraltar

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Joe Lewis’ company paying pilots’ legal fees, court hearing on hold until January

Joe Lewis must wait until at least January for his next court hearing for allegedly “orchestrating a brazen insider trading scheme” that involved passing non-public information to his girlfriend and two private pilots.

The British billionaire, who founded Tottenham Hotspur ’s controlling company ENIC Sports Inc, was indicted in July.

He pleaded not guilty to all 16 counts of securities fraud in a Manhattan federal court on July 25 and his bail was set at $300million, secured against his 98-metre super yacht and aircraft.

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Lewis, 86, is not due back in court until the new year. The case lagged after it emerged Lewis’ firm Tavistock Financial LLC had paid the legal fees for the billionaire’s two pilots, Patrick O’Connor and Bryan Waugh. Both pilots have pleaded not guilty to seven counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy

O’Connor, 66, and Waugh, 64, appeared before Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for a “Curcio” hearing at the 500 Pearl Street courthouse in Manhattan on Monday morning.

A Curcio hearing is typical in a U.S. criminal trial where conflicts of interest may arise. In this instance, legal fees for the pilots’ attorneys are being paid for by Tavistock Financial LLC, which is controlled by their co-defendant Lewis. The pilots are also employed by Tavistock Aviation Inc., an affiliation of that entity.

Though both pilots initially paid for their own lawyers for two or three months, Tavistock later took over those legal fees, the pilots and their attorneys said in court. The company reimbursed each pilot for those initial fees, they said, and their legal fees will continue to be paid by the firm.

The judge highlighted the risks associated with this type of pay arrangement, and specified how an attorney being paid for by a co-defendant puts the pilots at “heightened risk that your lawyers may not be acting solely in your interests”.

O’Connor and Waugh each told Clarke they understood the risks and waived their rights to “conflict-free” counsel.

According to court records, federal prosecutors have until early November to conclude discovery – the process by which both parties obtain evidence and information from each other. The next status conference in the matter involving the pilots is set for January 10. Lewis is not due in court until then at the earliest.

The U.S. government alleges that between 2013 and 2021, Lewis violated securities laws through inside trading and submitting false and misleading filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which enforces the law against market manipulation.

They accuse him of using inside information about companies in order to tip off friends and associates, including “his personal pilots, personal assistants, romantic partners”, so that they could profit from the information by trading securities in advance of disclosure to the public.

It is claimed Lewis and his employees, romantic partners and friends were able to “collectively make millions of dollars by insider trading” in the stocks of four companies: Solid Biosciences, Mirati Therapeutics, Australian Agricultural Company, and BCTG Acquisition Corporation.

Lewis is also alleged to have “conspired with others to defraud Mirati Therapeutics, the investing public, and the SEC” by “amassing beneficial ownership” of more than 20 per cent of the oncology company and “hiding” that “undisclosed ownership”.

Lewis’ lawyer David M. Zornow said in a statement to Bloomberg in July: “The government has made an egregious error in judgment in charging Mr. Lewis, an 86-year-old man of impeccable integrity and prodigious accomplishment.

“Mr. Lewis has come to the U.S. voluntarily to answer these ill-conceived charges, and we will defend him vigorously in court.”

Tottenham have declined to comment on the criminal charges against Lewis given he “ceased to be a person with significant control” of the club on October 5, 2022.

A club spokesperson said in July: “The owner of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is ENIC, with majority control held by a family discretionary trust of which Mr Joseph Lewis is not a beneficiary. The trust is managed by two independent professional trustees on behalf of its beneficiaries.

“This is a U.S. legal matter unconnected with the club and as such have no comment.”

Joe Lewis charged with insider trading: Full details and what it means for Tottenham Hotspur

(Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Inside Tottenham owner Joe Lewis' £113m superyacht: Luxurious private haven features a full-sized tennis court, a floating office, PRICELESS art work and can carry 35 crew members... as billionaire is indicted in the US

• Tottenham owner Joe Lewis has been indicted in the US for insider trading 
• The billionaire spends most of the year on board his luxurious superyacht, Aviva 
• His vessel, worth £113million, holds a large tennis court and numerous amenities 

By Daniel Davis For Mailonline

Published: 11:15 EDT, 26 July 2023 | Updated: 13:57 EDT, 26 July 2023

View comments

Tottenham owner Joe Lewis is seldom seen at Spurs matches, instead preferring to enjoy a life of luxury floating through the Caribbean on his luxury yacht.

Lewis, a self-made billionaire from the East End of London, is a reclusive businessman who resides primarily in the Bahamas aboard his £113m boat, Aviva.

According to the Forbes Rich List, he holds an estimated fortune of £4.3bn, allowing him to make full use of his riches and invest in a number of flashy amenities. 

One of these, his superyacht, is believed to be his home for most of the year and has been referred to as his private office. 

When he is not working, Lewis is able to use a full-sized tennis court below decks, as well as a pool, gym and a spacious sundeck.

Yesterday, however, the reclusive 86-year-old was thrust into the spotlight in the US after being indicted for 'brazen' insider trading . Federal prosecutors have alleged that he had passed on inside information 'to compensate employees'.

Joe Lewis' incredible £113million superyacht is one of his most treasured possessions 

The incredible yacht features ultra-modern design and sleek interiors throughout

The rear view of the boat displays its enormity spread over five above-water floors

There are workout facilities on board and also a tennis court on the inside 

Tottenham's British billionaire owner Lewis has been indicted in the United States

Lewis, founder of investment firm The Tavistock Group, faces more than a dozen charges, though his lawyers have said they plan to defend him 'vigorously' and he has handed himself in to the authorities in Manhatten.

The next steps of the unfolding legal bombshell are uncertain, but at least for now, Lewis or his associates are expected to continue making use of his seaworthy haven.

Aviva, crafted by Abeking and Rasmussen and designed by Reymond Langton, was built in 2007 and is 323ft in size. It can host up to 16 people and 35 crew members, and in sea trials reached an impressive 20 knots (23mph). 

The standout feature is the state-of-the-art tennis court, located in the lower deck. The room is 20 metres long and the yacht was effectively designed around it. 

Elsewhere, the owner's suite on the upper deck features an office, private lounge and a large en-suite bathroom.  The remaining guest cabins, made up of two VIP suites and five more double cabins, are also completed with en suite facilities.

Lewis' yacht also contains a beach club, a gym, a swimming pool and a spa, with an elevator making for easy access to each of the decks. 

Furthermore, there is thought to be a 'secret' cinema on board and tucked out of sight, as well as a piano and large salon with sprawling windows and balconies. 

The behemoth serves effectively as a floating office for the 86-year-old Lewis

The panoramic view from the control room offers the captain a full range of vision

Lewis is seen here in his younger years while moored at Fife in Scotland 

There is intense security on board and with good reason, with plenty of art to protect

The boat carries part of Lewis' sizeable art collection, made of genuine originals, too.

It  is understood to have a priceless work by British painter Francis Bacon on a wall on its lower deck. And his collection also includes works by Degas, Lucian Freud, Klimt, Modigliani, Matisse and Picasso. 

Aviva is made from steel and an aluminium superstructure, with the yacht powered by twin diesel-electric engines with an output of 3,862 horsepower. 

Once spotted moored on the Thames, Aviva has been refitted twice since launch.

In May 2013, Spurs' players embarked on a trip to the Bahamas and were welcomed on board the sleek vessel, leaving Michael Dawson, their former captain, stunned.

'I had never met him before, so it was nice to go over there and a great experience,' Dawson said, reflecting on his experience on Aviva.

'What a really nice guy. And that yacht is unreal! But he's just a normal guy.

'You could chat to him about anything. He tunes into all the games, he loves it.

'We just sat there chatting. He made us feel so welcome over there. It was relaxed. A lot of team-bonding together.'

On Lewis' indictment, a statement from Tottenham read: 'This is a legal matter unconnected with the club and as such we have no comment.'

In a dramatic statement delivered by video, US Attorney Damian Williams said: 'My office, the Southern District of New York has indicted Joe Lewis, the British billionaire, for orchestrating a brazen insider trading scheme.

Aviva was crafted by Abeking and Rasmussen and designed by Reymond Langton

Tottenham players have been on board previously when Lewis decides to entertain

Aviva was effectively built around the state of the art tennis court on board

There are myriad options for anyone on board to relax, including by the rear of the yacht

There is a beach club, swimming pool and spa on board the Aviva, worth more than £113m

The yacht is vast and can reach speeds of up to 23mph in full flight if required

'We allege that for years Joe Lewis abused his access to corporate boardrooms and repeatedly provided inside information to his romantic partners, his personal assistants, his private pilots and his friends.

'Those folks then traded on that inside information and made millions of dollars on the stock market because - thanks to Lewis - those bets were a sure thing.'

Williams then added: 'Now, none of this was necessary. Joe Lewis is a wealthy man. But as we allege he used inside information as a way to compensate his employees or shower gifts on his friends and lovers. It is classic corporate corruption. 

'It's cheating and it's against the law. That's why Joe Lewis has been indicted and will face justice here in the Southern District of New York.'

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Inside Tottenham owner Joe ‘The Boxer’ Lewis’ £5bn fortune from yacht to Picassos as he faces insider trading charges

• Katie Davis
• Published : 18:15, 26 Jul 2023
• Updated : 15:38, 28 Jul 2023

HAVING built up a fortune worth £5billion, it comes as little surprise Joe Lewis has a taste for the finer things in life.

But the Spurs chief, 86, has had to leave his floating palace in the Bahamas and head to the US to face allegations of orchestrating a "brazen" insider trading scheme.

Lewis forked out £22million in 2001 to buy a controlling stake in Tottenham Hotspur from Lord Sugar.

Overall, Lewis is worth $6.1billion (£4.7billion), according to Forbes magazine.

But the self-made billionaire has also found plenty else to splash the cash on over the years, having made his fortune largely through foreign exchange and investment.

After quitting school at the age of 15, he went to work for his dad's catering company.

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One of the organisation's restaurants included a fancy dress-themed eatery in London called the Northumberland Grand, while Lewis also gave Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock founder Robert Earl his first job.

Lewis managed a super club called The Talk of the Town - where the likes of Frank Sinatra performed - in the 1960s, and granted girl group The Nolans their first live show.

He then got a taste for business and took over the firm - turning it into a string of restaurants before flogging it in 1979 for a whopping £30million.

Lewis used his cash influx to invest in currency trading and was subbed The Boxer in a nod to his wild success and power in the investment ring.

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One particular investment on Black Wednesday in September 1992 helped elevate him to uber-rich status, as he successfully bet on the Pound crashing out of the European Exchange Rate as Britain tried to align it with other Euro countries.

He became a billionaire overnight, and the financial magic trick worked again years later with a big short against the Mexican peso.

Along the way, Lewis founded Bahamas-based investment firm Tavistock Group - which he has propelled into one of the most dominant private equity firms in the world. 

But it's not been all work and no play for Lewis, who has spent eye-watering sums on luxury items.

Lewis, who was born in London, spends most of his days in the Bahamas as a tax exile.

He set to Tavistock Group there in a bid to escape UK tax laws.

And his superyacht worth £190million , which can house up to 16 guests, is fully equipped for the Caribbean lifestyle.

Aviva's exterior relaxation area features a circular set of lounging pads on the sun deck, as well as smaller lounging pads towards the yacht's bridge.

A cool swimming platform can also open up into the sea, which means you can have your own beach area with Aviva's tenders coming out of side doors.

It even has a speedboat and jet skis on board, and measures up as the 46th longest yacht in the world with a full-size indoor tennis court - the first ever installed on a yacht.

German-built Aviva took three years to complete, and can reach a top speed of 20 knots.

It can also be used to entertain, just as it was when he invited the Spurs team on board in 2013 during their tour of the Bahamas.

But it's not just a place for relaxing, as Lewis also uses it as a floating office.

He previously said: "Communication and information are critical to me.

"To be effective, I need reliable phones and internet, these have improved much over the past few years, but, it is too expensive, too slow and not consistently reliable.

"Aviva is more than an office; it is also my home for much of the year. So for me, it is relaxing working from home, wherever Aviva may be in the world."

Aviva is also home to much of Lewis' vast private art collections - one of the most expensive in the world.

It features original works by celebrated artists Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Francis Bacon, as well as sculptures by Moore, Degas and Botero.

His collection is reported to be worth a staggering $1billion (£777million).

Last year, Lewis made history by selling David Hockney's 1972 piece, 'Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Tool Figures)'.

Having owned the piece since 1995, Lewis auctioned it off for £70.3million - setting a new record for artwork by a living artist.

On his superyacht, Lewis has Francis Bacon’s “Triptych 1974 - 1977” displayed in golden frames - understood to be worth around £70million.

Meanwhile, Lewis also sold off his stunning Windermere mansion in 2020.

Sitting in a sprawling six-acre complex, the Georgian estate boasts views of Lake Bessie.

It has a private driveway adorned with lush plants and trees, and giving the home and secluded vibe.

The mansion itself is filled with ornate details - and includes a large stone patio with a pool in the middle.

In the study, a gold chandelier hangs from ceiling while a fireplace brings the room together.

Lewis also bought a huge stake in Tottenham Hotspur back in 2001.

His family members are part of a trust that owns 70 per cent of ENIC – the company that owns 86.5 per cent of Spurs.

The majority stake in the club , adding up to 86.58 per cent of the total shareholding, is owned by ENIC Sports Inc, registered in the Bahamas.

Until October,  Lewis held 70.12 per cent of the ENIC stake , although the investment was through the Lewis Family Trusts.

But on October 5 2022, Lewis ceased to be a “person of significant control” and no longer has an active role.

His stake was split between two associates, Miami born Bryan Glinton, a Bahamas-based longstanding legal adviser to Lewis’ Tavistock group, and British-born asset manager Katie Booth.

Under the formal transfer of shares, the pair now have the powers previously held by Lewis including the “right to appoint and remove directors with control over the trustees of a trust”.

The remaining 29.88 per cent of the ENIC stake is held by Daniel Levy “and certain members of his family”, again, via a discretionary trust.

That leaves 13.42 per cent owned by “small shareholders” - fans rather than companies.

It comes as Lewis surrendered to the US authorities in Manhattan on Wednesday.

US Attorney Damian Williams has accused the Spurs chief of "classic corporate corruption" by orchestrating a "brazen" insider trading scheme.

He claims the British billionaire shared confidential information with his romantic partners, personal assistants, private pilots and pals.

The tips enabled Lewis' associates to reap millions of dollars in profit, prosecutors said.

Mr Williams said: "Now, none of this was necessary. Joe Lewis is a wealthy man.

"But as we allege, he used inside information as a way to compensate his employees or to shower gifts on his friends and lovers.

"That's classic corporate corruption. It's cheating, and it's against the law. Laws that apply to everyone, no matter who you are.

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"That's why Joe Lewis has been indicted and will face justice here in the Southern District of New York."

But Lewis' lawyer David Zornow said prosecutors "made an egregious error" in charging him and said his client had come to the US voluntarily to defend himself against the charges.

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Tottenham billionaire owner Joe Lewis has an amazing £113m superyacht, which features a full sized tennis court

• Published : 7:22 ET, Sep 16 2022
• Updated : 10:31 ET, Sep 16 2022
• Published : Invalid Date,

WHEN you have an estimated wealth of around £4.3billion, you aren't going to skimp on boys' toys.

And billionaire Spurs owner Joe Lewis is testament to that fact - owning an astonishing £113million superyacht which measures 321-feet long.

The East End-born businessman is believed to live on board the Aviva, once spotted docked on the Thames, which has been referred to as his mobile office.

Better still, it has everything an 85-year-old would need in terms of amenities, including the very first full-size indoor tennis court ever installed on a yacht.

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Lewis does not need to  be on dry land to get his tennis fix.

After all, he has an incredible tennis court built into the Aviva - the first of its kind - that he and his guests can play on.

At 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, the court area goes up to 6.65 metres high.

And it's not just for tennis, as the yacht's designer Reymond Langton explained.

"It is not only a lifestyle change for the owner but also for the crew as this is also the largest gym of any yacht," the British design studio told Yacht Harbour .

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"The crew is encouraged to play with the owner and guests and when the court is not in use for padel (tennis), the net can be removed and the crew plays football and use other exercise equipment in the space.

"It is after all a sports hall."

A MOBILE OFFICE

Lewis, who made his millions in currency trading after running several restaurants and nightclubs from the 1960s, spends most of the year on his boat.

For the Spurs boss, it's not just a place where he can enjoy a luxurious life, the Aviva is perfect for working remotely.

"Communication and information are critical to me." Lewis said in an interview with regards to his requirements for his floating office.

"To be effective, I need reliable phones and internet, these have improved much over the past few years, but, it is too expensive, too slow and not consistently reliable.

"Aviva is more than an office; it is also my home for much of the year. So for me, it is relaxing working from home, wherever Aviva may be in the world."

It can also be used to entertain, just as it was when he invited the Spurs team on board in 2013 during their tour of the Bahamas.

Then-skipper Michael Dawson said: "I had never met him before, so it was nice to go over there and a great experience.

“What a really nice guy. And that yacht is unreal! But he’s just a normal guy. You could chat to him about anything. He tunes into all the games, he loves it. We just sat there chatting. He made us feel so welcome over there. It was relaxed. A lot of team-bonding together."

BAHAMAS-READY

It's mostly in the Bahamas where Lewis - among the richest men in the UK - spends his days as a tax exile.

And the Aviva, which can house up to 16 guests, is fully equipped for the Caribbean lifestyle.

The exterior relaxation area features a circular set of lounging pads on the sun deck, as well as smaller lounging pads towards the yacht's bridge.

A cool swimming platform can also open up into the sea, that means you can have your own beach area with Aviva's tenders coming out of side doors.

Talking about boys' toys, the superyacht even has a speedboat and jet skis on board.

PERFORMANCE

The German-built Aviva, the 46th longest yacht in the world, took three years to complete.

And it's certainly not lacking in spec, either.

Powered by an eco-friendly drive system, it can reach a top speed of 20 knots.

The unique hull design that comes together with an electric propulsions system means that less fuel is used.

Unbelievably, the Aviva can cruise at 11 knots purely on electric power only.

Now, where can we get one?

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Tottenham hotspur owner joe lewis posts $300m bond with help of superyacht, private plane in insider trading case.

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That’s a boatload of money.

British Billionaire and Tottenham Hotspur soccer club owner Joe Lewis is putting up his superyacht and private plane to secure a $300 million bond so he can walk free after he was arrested on insider trading charges .

Lewis, 86, surrendered to federal authorities in New York on Wednesday morning on charges he gave inside information to a slew of people in his life — including romantic partners, friends, personal assistants and even private pilots — who made millions by using his tips on the stock market.

Lewis later appeared in Manhattan federal court wearing a grey suit, white shirt and black tie and told the judge he pleaded “not guilty.”

He was released on a $300 million bond that will be secured by his yacht, called “AVIVA,” and his personal plane.

AVIVA is a $250 million superyacht that was built in 2017 and is one of the largest yachts in the world at 322 feet in length, according to Yachtbible.com .

Lewis must keep the FBI abreast of the movements of his yacht, and he is only allowed to use his plane to travel to court appearances, according to the agreed-upon bail conditions.

The soccer club owner — who is worth $6.1 billion, according to Forbes — cannot go abroad and his US travel is limited to parts of New York and Florida.

Lewis, who founded the investment firm Tavistock Group, was hit with a 19-count indictment on charges of securities fraud and conspiracy.

The feds say that from 2019 through 2021 Lewis shared confidential intel about companies including Mirati Therapeutics, Solid Biosciences and Australian Agricultural Co.

He also allegedly conspired to defraud Mirati, the US Securities and Exchange Commission and investors from 2013 through 2018 by hiding his over 20% stake in Mirati — a cancer therapy company, according to the indictment.

The billionaire then lent his own money so that people could invest the cash based on his tips — including in October 2019 when Lewis wired $1 million to two pilots so they could buy shares of Mirati, prosecutors claim.

“Boss lent Marty and I $500,000 each for this,” the indictment alleges one of the pilots said in a text to a friend.

The aviator went on to say, “the Boss has inside info” because “otherwise why would he make us invest,” the court papers allege.

The two pilots paid the money back after the stock spiked by 16.7% when Mirati announced a successful clinical trial, prosecutors claim.

“The government has made an egregious error in judgment in charging Mr. Lewis, an 86-year-old man of impeccable integrity and prodigious accomplishment,” defense attorney David Zornow said in a statement Wednesday.

“Mr. Lewis has come to the US voluntarily to answer these ill-conceived charges, and we will defend him vigorously in court.”

The pilots, Patrick O’Connor and Bryan Waugh, were also charged in the case. They pleaded not guilty at the Wednesday arraignment and were each released on a $250,000 bond.

Attorneys for Waugh didn’t return requests for comment Wednesday. O’Connor’s lawyers declined to comment.

Lewis is due back in court on Sept. 5.

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Ambassador Walter Stoessel , a keen player and lover of the game, had introduced platform tennis to both Moscow and Warsaw, and had courts built in both capitals.

The Warsaw Chapter of the APTA sent the association a report on an inter-embassy tournament played on April 26 and 27 between them and a team from Moscow that included Stoessel, the American Ambassador in Moscow.

The Moscow Chapter claimed the title of Champions of the Eastern Hemisphere based on their triumph in the tournament, in which they won eight of the contests.

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Tennis courts near Marriott Royal Aurora? - Moscow Forum

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Tennis courts near Marriott Royal Aurora?

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We will be spending 5 days at the Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel. I am hoping there is a tennis club nearby. Are there any tennis courts or a tennis club in the area? Thanks.

Don't hold your breath though. You will be in an older densely built up part of town where land and rents are sky high. I wonder who would put a tennis court there...

The joys of Google...maybe start here. Compiled by ex-pats...

Of course I have already used Google!

Sorry, did not mean to be snide! To Vladchan's point, right in downtown area not good chances, but your instincts to search for clubs is perfect!

Hope they upgraded Chaika - this place has been around a v long time.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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