Locals baffled as billionaire's £250m superyacht spends summer in little seaside town
Some residents are unhappy and say the giant yacht is completely out of place in their historic town.
Locals have labelled a superyacht owned by billionaire ex-Spurs owner Joe Lewis an "absolute eyesore" after it docked in their Devon town for nearly a month.
The colossal £250 million, 322ft Aviva, which doubles as the tycoon's floating home and office complete with a full-size padel tennis court, has been anchored in Dartmouth since early August.
The vessel made its journey from Troon, Scotland, arriving around August 5, marking one of the rare occasions it travelled UK waters since being seized by US courts for over a year as Mr Lewis faced "brazen" insider trading charges.
In April, the 87-year-old avoided prison time due to poor health but was hit with a $5million (£3.8million) fine and handed a three-year probation period.
However, the yacht's extended stay has ruffled feathers among Dartmouth residents, with Michael Rowland slamming the yacht as "an absolute eyesore" and Geraldine Wood deeming it "totally out of place in beautiful Dartmouth".
A lifelong local told The Sun: "I love this town and I wouldn't want to do it down but why does a billionaire want to stay here for the whole of August instead of the Caribbean or the Med?
"It's been raining constantly for the last few weeks. 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 harbour. 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."
Aviva was constructed in 2017 and can accommodate 16 people, boasting a top speed of 20 knots and an eco-friendly hybrid electric propulsion system.
Lewis began his career working for his father's catering business in London before selling it and relocating to the Bahamas to live as a tax exile.
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He ventured into currency trading in the 1980s and amassed a fortune betting against the pound during the 1992 crash, famously known as Black Wednesday.
According to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, the East End-born tycoon has an estimated wealth of £5.1 billion. It is reported that he owns an art collection valued at £1 billion.
In 1991, he purchased Tottenham Hotspur, which was transferred to the Lewis Family Trust in 2022.
