$250M Megayacht 'Aviva' Is on the Move Again As Billionaire Owner Shakes Off Legal Trouble

As of earlier this month, Joe Lewis, a business magnate, philanthropist, and the owner of the Tottenham Hotspurs FC, is also a man guilty of insider trading. Formal accusations were brought against him last summer in the United States, resulting in Lewis using his megayacht and his private jet as collateral to secure a bond.

In fact, prosecutors demanded that these two were offered as collateral, since they were considered the scene where many acts of insider trading took place.

(A very) long story short, Lewis used his connections and his influence to tip associates, employees, and family members about which stock to buy. He even loaned them money, helping them make hundreds of thousands in profit. Since Lewis, who resides primarily in Hawaii, used his megayacht for many of these meetings, as well as his private jet, prosecutors demanded that it be offered as collateral for his bond.

Lewis pleaded guilty and expressed a desire to make amends.

In early April 2024, the judge showed leniency towards the 87-year-old businessman, who had shown up in court in ill health and visibly frail and sentenced him to three years probation and a $5 million fine. His investment firm was fined an additional $44 million. Lewis was initially facing between 18 and 24 months in prison, but his attorney argued that imprisonment could have potentially catastrophic consequences on his frail client.

Now that this legal kerfuffle is over with and Lewis has paid the fines, his megayacht and private jet are no longer held in custody. So, for the first time in seven months, Aviva is on the move again, first sailing to Zakynthos in Greece earlier this week and then moving on to Kalamata, in the south of the peninsula.

No word if Lewis is onboard, but seeing how he had the megayacht built specifically so it could double as a long-term residence at sea – in the most literal sense, it's not just a way of saying – it's probably a safe bet to assume that he is.

Aviva, a megayacht built around a whimsical request

Aviva doesn't make headlines as much as its bigger, more expensive, and way flashier counterparts from other shipyards, but that's not to say it's not a head-turner.

If anything, Aviva is even more impressive than those, if only you consider the fact that its entire build happened around a whimsical request: Lewis, who is a passionate player of padel tennis, wanted a vessel that had one. The vessel also had to be innovative and it had to be built ASAP. The latter makes sense: once you hit 80s, there's only so much more delaying you can do.

Abeking & Rasmussen, which boasts experience in military vessels as well, was chosen for the project, while Reymond Langton handled the exterior design and Rodiek the interiors. Construction was completed in a record 3 years, but it was particularly challenging because the padel tennis court had to be brought inside, into the hull, which effectively meant they built the ship around it.

Estimated at $250 million, Aviva is 322 feet (98 meters) long, has an interior volume of 4,966 GT, and can accommodate 16 guests and 25 crew. Power comes from twin MTU engines of 2,880kW each, which take the vessel to a top speed of 20.3 knots (23.3 mph/37.5 kph) and a cruising speed of 16.5 knots (19 mph/30.5 kph). Electric motors kick in at night for noiseless and smooth operation at 11 knots (12.6 mph/20.3 kph), while the patented hull offers smooth traveling even in the roughest of seas.

Aviva carries amenities that put it in the megayacht category besides its size and price tag: a secret indoor movie theater and an outdoor cinema, the mandatory pool and jacuzzi, several bars, an expandable beach club, packed garages that render it ideal for multi-generational use, a helipad, and the reportedly outrageous interiors.

That last part is only hearsay because Aviva was never shown to the public or trade publications like other vessels its size have been. Lewis built it as his home away from home, spending several months in a row onboard, dividing his time between pleasure and business, so it was never offered for charter – and so he never had a reason to publicize it in any way.

But rumor has it that, besides featuring the most incredible custom furniture and surprise elements like secret doors and even entire secret rooms, Aviva also carries a chunk of Lewis' private art collection. The entire collection is estimated at well over $1 billion and includes works from Picasso, Klimt, Degas, and Freud, and it is believed that some pieces from this collection also call Aviva their home.

Aviva is more than a gorgeous and high-performance luxury floating home. It's also a floating art gallery where no admittance is possible for the regular Joe.