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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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Inside Joe Manchin’s Yacht He Insured for $700,000

Joe Manchin’s boat , Almost Heaven, has drawn a lot of attention in the media in recent weeks. The Washington boat of the Democratic senator from West Virginia is said to be a rustic political getaway where you’ll find beer and pizza but no pretensions. You’re more likely to see shirts and shorts in the laid-back atmosphere of Almost Heaven than suits and ties. So, when did the senator buy the vessel ? How much did it cost for insurance ? Was the boat always like it is now?

Technically, Joe Manchin’s Almost Heaven is a yacht

While Manchin’s craft doesn’t sound like a yacht , it very much is. According to a 2004 article in the Washington Post , the vessel is a custom-built 65-by-20-foot, three-story hull. There are 1,500 square feet of air-conditioned interior living space with more amenities than you’d find in most condos.

The craft features an open, light-filled living room and dining area with a granite dining table. There’s enough space to entertain as many as 50 people on the vessel. Meanwhile, its kitchen was described as having a full-size electric stove, granite countertops, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, two dishwashers, and a trash compactor. It also boasts a good amount of cabinet and drawer storage space.

The house boat/yacht is insured for $700,000

The media describes it these days as a rustic houseboat. Once touted as a $700,000 luxury yacht in a 2018 Republican attack ad, Manchin’s own office reported that the used vessel was acquired for $220,000, according to the Daily Poster .

According to PolitiFact , the documentation was a 2014 memorandum of sale that listed the sale price for the boat as $220,000. The document showed that the boat was purchased from M&T Bank and National Liquidators brokered the deal.

When independent experts were asked to account for the difference between the two dollar amounts, they could not provide an explanation. It was likely the result of someone eager to sell the craft, and it was later insured at the boat’s original market value of $700,000.

Docked as a home on the Potomac River

Manchin’s home on the Potomac River has become a popular and critical destination in Washington lately. It’s reportedly been the site of core group negotiations on the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was just signed into law by President Biden in November. 

Manchin, according to TIME , wasn’t enthusiastic about buying real estate in Washington with its higher cost of living. The boat, which is anchored about eight miles south of the Capitol, is where he stays three nights or so a week when the Senate is in session. Manchin thinks the craft provides a setting to foster bipartisanship among lawmakers who arrive and don’t know anyone else there.

Manchin regularly invites Senators from both sides of the aisle out for cruises in the evening. Manchin told TIME that it’s surprising what people find they have in common. He named current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York a fan of the boat, claiming he likes the boat’s ambiance. 

With his self-appointed task of trying to restore civility in a time of growing political division in Washington, Manchin’s yacht likely can’t carry enough beer or Merlot to get that job done. The conservative senator is a practitioner of an older form of politics. Manchin is admittedly frustrated at times but not ready to give up just yet. Manchin is a fan of results that aren’t easy to come by in Washington. Almost Heaven then serves as a means of escape for the senator when things get particularly stressful as they so often do.

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Tina Pavlik

Tina Pavlik began as a contributing writer for Endgame360 in 2018. She has over 20 years of publishing experience and has written content for MotorBiscuit, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, and Sportscasting. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Virginia Tech.

Tina grew up surrounded by cars. Her father was an auto mechanic, her uncle owned a body shop, and all three of them dragged race for years. She covers everything from electric vehicles to van life. She has also worked as an extra in several movies and shows like Halloween (2018), The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021), Homeland (Showtime), Banshee (Cinemax), and Vice Principals (HBO). Further, Tina works part-time as an extras casting assistant for Tona Dahlquist Casting.

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Joe Lewis’ $250 million superyacht, ranked among the world’s 25-most valuable, sets sail after he pays US fine

Joe Lewis’ superyacht is on the move again after spending most of the past year holed up in a Mediterranean port while the British billionaire faced insider-trading charges in the US.

His 322-foot (98-meter) Aviva — which he put up as collateral for bail —  has traveled more than 400 nautical miles from Malta to cities along Albania’s coast as well as the Greek island of Zakynthos since  he was sentenced  April 4 to three years probation, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

After departing Zakynthos earlier this week, the Tavistock Group founder’s yacht was near Kalamata in southern Greece on Thursday morning local time, the data show. It’s the most the roughly $250 million vessel has traveled in about seven months, though it’s unclear if Lewis is on board.

Lewis, 87, pledged his yacht along with his private jet to secure his release following his arrest in July. A few months later, Aviva docked until April 5 in the Maltese capital of Valletta, where it can cost as much as €750 ($800) a night to moor vessels that exceed 75 meters.

Lewis, who was scheduled to have eye surgery in London recently, was prohibited from setting foot on the yacht that has long served as part-residence, part-office while awaiting trial. He was only allowed on board after paying a $5 million fine after sentencing, which he settled soon after the verdict in Manhattan.

A representative for Lewis, who has a net worth of about $7.3 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, declined to comment.

Lewis, whose global empire includes five-star hotels, private lenders and enclaves for the wealthy, launched Aviva in 2017. It includes eight guest suites, a helipad, padel tennis court, spa and a cinema. It ranked among the world’s 25-most valuable superyachts shortly after its launch, alongside those owned by Middle Eastern royals.

The yacht has also displayed works from Lewis’ private art collection, which is valued at more than $1 billion and includes pieces by Picasso, Freud, Klimt and Degas.

Events that authorities say took place on the yacht were a key piece of evidence that prosecutors used against him. 

At dinner one night in September 2019, the billionaire received favorable news about Mirati Therapeutics Inc., an oncology company where he was a major investor, leading him to pass along the tip to a host of people, including the pilots of his private jet, according to US regulators.

Those pilots — Bryan “Marty” Waugh and Patrick O’Connor — were also charged with trading on inside information. O’Connor pleaded guilty to securities fraud and conspiracy and is due to be sentenced in May, while Waugh is fighting the charges.

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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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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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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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NEW BALLS, PLEASE

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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Fact-check: Does Joe Manchin have a $700,000 Luxury Yacht?

A screenshot from a National Republican Senatorial Committee ad against Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Credit: NRSC

The National Republican Senatorial Committee — the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm — didn’t hold back in a campaign ad aimed at Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

The ad, released in early August, charged that “West Virginia Joe” had transformed himself into “Washington Joe.” And a key exhibit for this argument was a pricey boat he owned.

Manchin owns a “$700,000 D.C. luxury yacht,” the ad said, illustrating the claim with a photograph showing a docked vessel.

pic.twitter.com/GNwdXbFCM4 — The Senate Majority (@NRSC) August 7, 2018

Is this accurate? We took a closer look.

Manchin’s campaign does not dispute that he owns a boat, “Almost Heaven,” saying it is where Manchin has typically lived when in Washington and not back home in West Virginia.

In fact, the boat is hardly a secret. It has been written about periodically before; articles often mention sessions he’s held on the boat with other lawmakers to negotiate legislation and strategy.

In 2014, for instance,  Time magazine  wrote that both “Almost Heaven” and Manchin’s previous vessel, the “Black Tie,” serve as “a kind of floating incubator of that tenderest of Washington flowers in the first decades of the 21st century: bipartisanship.”

To back up its assertion, the NRSC provided PolitiFact with a document labeled “ general index or abstract of title continuation sheet No. 1 ,” the cost of the vessel was listed $700,000.

Manchin’s campaign instead offered a different document with a lower dollar figure.

That document, a  memorandum of sale  from 2014, said the purchase price for the vessel was $220,000. The document says that Manchin purchased the boat from M&T Bank, with National Liquidators as the broker of the sale.

Independent experts we contacted were unable to explain the difference in the two dollar figures, beyond speculating that the vessel was purchased from a seller eager to get rid of it and later insured at the boat’s market value.

According to  Boats.com , any vessel “over 40 feet long almost always qualifies” as a yacht. By the length standard alone, that would qualify “Almost Heaven” as a yacht: The vessel, built in 2001, is 65 feet long, according to  Coast Guard documents  provided to PolitiFact by the NRSC.

Whether it’s a “luxury” vessel, however, is in the eye of the beholder.

According to the  Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology , the word “yacht … connotes elegance and expense.” Boats.com adds, “Just as a cocky walk would never be mistaken for a limping shuffle, yacht attitude is the net result of a combination of factors that are easy to spot as a group but hard to quantify individually.”

The vessel is listed as “recreational” on documents. However, a less confrontational — but similarly accurate — description could be “houseboat,” since it is Manchin’s residence in Washington.

The NRSC said that Manchin has a “$700,000 D.C. luxury yacht.”

There’s no dispute that Manchin has a boat docked in Washington, D.C. Its 40-foot length would generally qualify it as a yacht, but since Manchin lives there when he is in town, it could be just as easily described as a houseboat. The vessel was purchased for much less, but it appears to be insured for $700,000. Whether it qualifies as a “luxury” vessel is a matter of opinion.

The information we’ve found backs up elements of both the NRSC’s original assertion and Manchin’s counterargument, so we rate it Half True.

Joseph Kennedy, Kenna Richards, Douglas Soule

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by Joseph Kennedy, Kenna Richards, Douglas Soule, 100 Days in Appalachia October 5, 2018

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This is a screenshot from a National Republican Senatorial Committee ad against Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

Does Joe Manchin have a $700,000 luxury yacht?

The National Republican Senatorial Committee -- the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm -- didn’t hold back in a campaign ad aimed at Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

The ad, released in early August, charged that "West Virginia Joe" had transformed himself into "Washington Joe." And a key exhibit for this argument was a pricey boat he owned.

Manchin owns a "$700,000 D.C. luxury yacht," the ad said, illustrating the claim with a photograph showing a docked vessel.

pic.twitter.com/GNwdXbFCM4 — The Senate Majority (@NRSC) August 7, 2018

Is this accurate? We took a closer look.

Manchin’s campaign does not dispute that he owns a boat, "Almost Heaven," saying it is where Manchin has typically lived when in Washington and not back home in West Virginia.

In fact, the boat is hardly a secret. It has been written about periodically before; articles often mention sessions he’s held on the boat with other lawmakers to negotiate legislation and strategy.

In 2014, for instance, Time magazine wrote that both "Almost Heaven" and Manchin’s previous vessel, the "Black Tie," serve as "a kind of floating incubator of that tenderest of Washington flowers in the first decades of the 21st century: bipartisanship."

To back up its assertion, the NRSC provided PolitiFact with a document labeled " general index or abstract of title continuation sheet No. 1 ," the cost of the vessel was listed $700,000.

Featured Fact-check

Manchin’s campaign instead offered a different document with a lower dollar figure.

That document, a memorandum of sale from 2014, said the purchase price for the vessel was $220,000. The document says that Manchin purchased the boat from M&T Bank, with National Liquidators as the broker of the sale.

Independent experts we contacted were unable to explain the difference in the two dollar figures, beyond speculating that the vessel was purchased from a seller eager to get rid of it and later insured at the boat’s market value.

According to Boats.com , any vessel "over 40 feet long almost always qualifies" as a yacht. By the length standard alone, that would qualify "Almost Heaven" as a yacht: The vessel, built in 2001, is 65 feet long, according to Coast Guard documents provided to PolitiFact by the NRSC.

Whether it’s a "luxury" vessel, however, is in the eye of the beholder.

According to the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology , the word "yacht ... connotes elegance and expense." Boats.com adds, "Just as a cocky walk would never be mistaken for a limping shuffle, yacht attitude is the net result of a combination of factors that are easy to spot as a group but hard to quantify individually."

The vessel is listed as "recreational" on documents. However, a less confrontational -- but similarly accurate -- description could be "houseboat," since it is Manchin’s residence in Washington.

The NRSC said that Manchin has a "$700,000 D.C. luxury yacht."

There’s no dispute that Manchin has a boat docked in Washington, D.C. Its 40-foot length would generally qualify it as a yacht, but since Manchin lives there when he is in town, it could be just as easily described as a houseboat. The vessel was purchased for much less, but it appears to be insured for $700,000. Whether it qualifies as a "luxury" vessel is a matter of opinion.

The information we’ve found backs up elements of both the NRSC’s original assertion and Manchin’s counterargument, so we rate it Half True.

Read About Our Process

The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter

Our Sources

National Republican Senatorial Committee, tweet , Aug. 7, 2018

Boats.com, " When is a Boat Also a Yacht? " Aug. 22, 2018  

Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology, " Definitions of: Boat, Yacht, Small Craft, and Related Terms ," Aug. 28, 2018

Time magazine, " Joe Manchin: The Outlier ," Aug. 25, 2018

West Virginia Secretary of State, website , accessed Aug. 28, 2018

Email interview with Bob Salera, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Aug. 29, 2018

Email interview with Jonathan Kott, spokesman for Joe Manchin, Aug. 29, 2018

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Joe Manchin leans over deck of his yacht to tell protesters why he’ll oppose funding healthcare expansion

West virginia senator confronted by kayaking protesters in dc, article bookmarked.

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Democratic senator Joe Manchin had an awkward exchange with protesters from the deck of his yacht this week as his party was forced to delay voting on two infrastructure bills because he has opposed parts of the legislation.

From his $250,000 boat named “Almost Heaven” on the Potomac River in DC, the centrist from West Virginia explained why he opposed a major part of the bill championed by progressives - the expansion of Medicare to include dental and vision care, and hearing aids .

“We will get to that eventually, but right now we can’t even take care...it’s going to go broke in 2026,” he said of the medicare trust fund. “Let us fix and repair that first.”

Mr Manchin’s words were booed by activists who had reached the senator in a small fleet of kayaks to urge him to support various aspects of the reconciliation bill.

Democrats hope to pass the bill on a party line basis and sign into law using a budget measure to avoid expected unified opposition from Republicans.

“This is our one chance right now to pass this legislation,” one protester told the senator, pointing out that Republicans are widely projected to win control of at least one chamber of Congress next year.

The Independent contacted Mr Manchin’s office to inquire about whether the image of him appearing onboard an expensive houseboat clashes with his demand that Democrats slash roughly $2trillion worth of programs from the $3.5tn reconciliation bill.

Mr Manchin is opposed to the expansion of Medicare. He told the protesters that it will be unable to fully cover health insurance costs by 2026 unless action is taken by Congress to increase revenues or cut spending.

Democrats reset the deadline for the passage of their two infrastructure bills to 31 October on Saturday after Mr Manchin and Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema indicated they both opposed the reconciliation bill at its current size, triggering a threat from dozens of House members to vote against the bipartisan infrastructure compromise bill unless the Senate first passed the $3.5 tn package and sent it to the House.

Progressives have seethed at the two conservative members of their party’s Senate caucus in recent days over their opposition to the $3.5tn number and publicly vowed to seek out and fund primary challengers to the pair, though Ms Sinema and Mr Manchin are not up for reelection until 2024.

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The Truth About Joe Manchin’s Floating Mansion

Before corporate media began framing the senator’s houseboat as a homey hideaway, they described the vessel very differently.

West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin’s Washington boat, the Almost Heaven, has become a media darling, a place that corporate news outlets describe as a folksy political hideaway filled with pizza, beer, and unpretentious vibes. As a recent Washington Post puff piece put it, the vessel, which has become a key meeting place of beltway VIPs, is “somewhere between a trawler and a yacht” and “a place for Hawaiian shirts and shorts… instead of suits and ties.”

But before Manchin purchased it in 2013, the Post described this vessel very differently.

Find out how it did so and much more in today’s Midday Poster below.

TODAY’S QUOTE:

“A catastrophic failure of U.S. journalism and politics is that something like Biden's 10-year, $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill is not called a $350 billion annual bill… but the Pentagon's budget, which will exceed $7.5 trillion over a decade, is called a $750 billion annual bill” —  Northwestern University Journalism Professor Steven Thrasher

TODAY’S READS:

• Newsom Slammed for Issuing 138 Oil Permits as California Cleanup Continues
• For-Profit Charter Schools Help Private Investors Exploit Public Education
• The Corporate State Of Delaware
• Major Unions Are Undermining The Progressive Strategy On Reconciliation
• Why Energy Companies See Riches In The California Desert
• Looming Restart of Student Loan Repayment Infuriates Borrowers

TODAY’S STAT:

A new Public Citizen report found that Americans spent $101 billion on the 20 top-selling drugs in 2020, roughly twice what the rest of the world spent on the same medicines. “The U.S. is one of the only high-income countries not to negotiate the price of drugs,” noted the report. “Granting Medicare the authority to push back against pharmaceutical company profiteering would mean an end to decades of overpaying for medicines and would save the U.S. billions of dollars.”

TODAY’S SCOOP:

As corporate West Virginian Democrat Joe Manchin leans into his role as one of his party’s most craven spoilers , Almost Heaven, the 65-by-20-foot boat he lives in on the Potomac when he’s in Washington has become a star.

A recent Washington Post puff piece declared, “Washington’s hottest club is Joe Manchin’s houseboat,” and went on to describe it as “a crucial destination for members of Official Washington” and the site of core group dealings on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tested positive for COVID-19 after a weekend cruise on the vessel, and a recent video captured Manchin lecturing on the importance of fiscal responsibility to a group of protesters who had kayaked up to the boat to demand he support a reconciliation bill that makes a transformative investment in the lives of most Americans.

Recent corporate media descriptions of Almost Heaven have framed it as a quirky, homey houseboat. The Washington Post story described it as “somewhere between a trawler and a yacht” and “a place for Hawaiian shirts and shorts (Manchin’s go-to boat attire) instead of suits and ties, where senators dine on pizza from Harris Teeter or pasta platters from Nostra Cocina.” A 2014 Time magazine piece agreed, depicting it as an informal space of pizza, beer, and the occasional merlot. And a June New Yorker Manchin profile said “it resembles a small ferry” that “provides an offshore venue for the kind of casual evening that Manchin considers vital to politics.”

Most of these articles mention that while a 2018 Republican attack ad called the vessel a “$700,000 D.C. luxury yacht,” Manchin’s office reported he bought it used for $220,000.

But before Manchin purchased the vessel in 2013, corporate media described it very differently. According to a 2004 Washington Post article on the boat, then called the Jennifer Anne, “You could call it a houseboat, but that would be like calling Air Force One a plane.”

The rest of the piece reads like a Robin Leach voiceover from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous : “The 1,500 square feet of interior living space embrace 3 1/2 bedrooms (including a 14-by-20-foot master suite), 3 1/2 bathrooms, and a bright and open living/dining area (complete with a granite dining table) where the DeLanceys have comfortably entertained as many as 50 people to watch a Blue Angels air show or the colorful start of major yacht races on the bay.”

And that anecdote about how Manchin only spent $220,000 on the vessel? He clearly knew he had scored a good deal on the ship, since he has it insured at a market value of $700,000.

Such misleading descriptions of Manchin’s floating mansion are par for the course for the corporate media, which has long mischaracterized the coal baron from West Virginia. Take how the Time piece on the Almost Heaven described the senator, who has now stalled the Biden administration’s $3.5 trillion social safety net legislation amid false platitudes about the risks of “moving towards an entitlement mentality.” According to that article, Manchin has “a bias toward action rather than rhetoric.”

TODAY’S FLASHBACK:

In 1995, the United States government dropped a requirement for pharmaceutical companies to set “reasonable” prices for new drugs they create with the help of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. The clause’s elimination recently allowed COVID vaccine manufacturers that received upwards of $10 billion in taxpayer funding to avoid offering fair prices for their drugs.

Now Merck is charging the U.S. government $712 per five-day course for a promising new COVID-19 treatment that costs only $17.74 to make. The company used NIH and Department of Defense funding to create Molnupiravir, the drug that is now being sold at 40 times the price of production. As soon as the medication receives FDA emergency use authorization, Merck will receive $1.2 billion from the government to supply 1.7 million courses of the drug at the $712 price.

TODAY’S CLICKS:

• ULTRAWEALTHY DODGED ESTATE TAX THROUGH SPECIAL TRUSTS: A new ProPublica report shows more than half of the Forbes 100 members, including the Koch Brothers and former Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, have used special trusts to pass down their fortunes to heirs without paying estate taxes. These tax loopholes, created by Congress decades ago, have potentially cost the U.S. Treasury $100 billion over the past 13 years.
• TV AND FILM CREW MEMBERS GET GREEN LIGHT TO STRIKE: The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents film, TV, and other entertainment workers, voted overwhelmingly on Monday to authorize a strike, marking the first potential nationwide industry strike in the 150,000-member union’s 128-year history. “This vote is about the quality of life as well as the health and safety of those who work in the film and television industry,” said IATSE International President Matthew Loeb. The move towards a strike is a response to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ failure to work with the union to address excessive working hours and unlivable wages , issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER STEVEN DONZIGER FACES PRISON TIME: Human rights and environmental justice attorney Steven Donziger was sentenced on Friday to six months in federal prison for “criminal contempt” as part of Chevron’s long legal vendetta against him . Donziger had spent decades fighting, and in 2013, winning, a landmark case against Chevron for polluting the Ecuadorian rainforest. “I have been attacked and demonized for years by Chevron in retaliation for helping Indigenous peoples in Ecuador try to do something to save their cultures, their lives, and our planet in the face of massive oil pollution,” said Donziger during his sentencing hearing. A day later, the same judge who charged him ordered Indigenous Amazonians to pay Chevron’s steep legal fees.
• STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL QUITS OVER BIDEN IMMIGRATION POLICY: Harold Koh, a top State Department official, is leaving the Biden administration over the president’s use of Title 42, a public health policy implemented by Trump, to expel migrants from the southern border. “I believe this Administration’s current implementation of the Title 42 authority continues to violate our legal obligation not to expel or return (“refouler”) individuals who fear persecution, death, or torture, especially migrants fleeing from Haiti,” noted Koh in his exit memo. Last month, U.S. Special Envoy to Haiti Daniel Foote also left the administration in response to its decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees and undocumented immigrants.
• MOST PENTAGON SPENDING WENT TO PRIVATE CONTRACTORS: Security Policy Reform Institute co-founder Stephen Semler found that over half (54 percent) of the $15 trillion Congress gave the Pentagon since 2001 made its way to the private sector. The analysis, which builds upon a Costs of War Project report , further found that the top five military contractors received $2.2 trillion of the $8 trillion the Pentagon spent on private sector contracts between 2001 and 2021.

TODAY’S OWN:

If it becomes clear that the only way to influence a congressperson is by giving them money, then people without money are going to bother them in the bathroom. That's the deal. — Cody Johnston (@drmistercody) October 3, 2021

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Minnesota Twins | Seven memorable moments in Joe Mauer’s Hall of…

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Subscriber only, minnesota twins | seven memorable moments in joe mauer’s hall of fame career, joe mauer will be inducted into the national baseball hall of fame on sunday.

Mauer would reward the Twins for their decision both on the field, where he became one of the game’s best catchers, and off it, where he remained humble and grounded in his St. Paul roots even as he put up Hall of Fame numbers.

With Mauer set to become the seventh Twin inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown, here’s a look at seven of No. 7’s most memorable moments.

The man most responsible for making sure that Mauer ended up in a Twins uniform, sadly, was not around to see him make it to the Hall of Fame.

That would be the late Mike Radcliff, the legendary scout whose fingerprints have been all over the Twins for decades. Radcliff ran the Twins’ scouting department at the time, and he was the first one to clue then-general manager Terry Ryan in on the kid from St. Paul.

“It seems to me (Mauer) might’ve been 16 and (Radcliff) said, ‘Well, there’s a player right down the road you’re going to have to be knowledgeable about,” Ryan said earlier this year.

The Twins scouted Mauer heavily, attending not only his baseball games, but also his basketball and football games to see what kind of competitor he was, what kind of teammate he was and how he handled himself in all different kinds of situations.

While pitcher Mark Prior was talked about as a potential No. 1 pick in the draft, Ryan said it was ultimately Radcliff’s call. And on June 5, 2001, Radcliff, Ryan and co. made Mauer a Twin, setting into motion a career spent just miles away from home.

“Obviously I had my say and I was in the room and I’m the general manager, but Mike ultimately had the final say and he said, ‘We’re going to take Mauer,’” Ryan said.

After being the top pick years earlier, Joe Mauer’s debut, which came on April 5, 2004, was highly anticipated. At the start of the season, Mauer was regarded as the top overall prospect in the sport after skipping over Triple-A on his way to the majors, Twins fans were eager to watch the hometown kid in action.

Mauer didn’t disappoint.

He finished the day with a pair of singles and a pair of walks, scoring two runs in the Twins’ 7-4 win.

The injury bug would come for him the very next day, when hurt his knee, requiring surgery. He wound up playing in just 35 games that rookie season, but there were clear glimpses of his immense talent and what was to come.

“I had a chance to see Joe a little bit in high school and then development through the minor leagues when I was in player development. And just that innate ability to slow the game down in a way that you would love to see your young hitters learn, he seemed to have it from day one,” said Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, who served as Mauer’s Twins manager for four years.

The 2009 season

It’s not just one moment, but who could forget Mauer’s 2009 season ?

Mauer missed the entire first month because of inflammation in his sacroiliac joint, which connects the spine to the pelvis. But in his very first at-bat of the season, he hit a home run. And then he never stopped hitting.

“I still maintain that that 2009 season was the most remarkable season I’ve ever watched a player have,” Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter said.

Mauer finished that season hitting .365 with a .444 on-base percentage and a .587 slugging percentage. He led the majors in batting average and on-base percentage and was first in the American League in slugging percentage and OPS.

RELATED: Was Mauer’s 2009 the best season a catcher ever had?

He finished the year with a career-high 191 hits, 28 home runs and 96 runs batted in.

For his efforts, he was named the American League Most Valuable Player, marking the first time since 1999 that a catcher had won the award. And just for good measure, he was given both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award after the best season of his career.

Mauer signs extension

Coming off of his MVP season, Mauer signed a deal that would ensure he would wear a Twins uniform for the rest of his career.

Mauer was due to become a free agent after the 2010 season and could have commanded top dollar from larger market teams. But instead, he made the decision to stay home.

He inked an eight-year, $184 million extension in March 2010, in Fort Myers, Fla., with his family looking on. It was the most money the Twins had ever given out to a player, surpassed only recently when the Twins committed $200 million to shortstop Carlos Correa.

“For me, it was important to be at home, playing in front of my family and friends,” Mauer said. “I always was thankful and enjoyed putting on the Twins uniform and wanted to do that my entire career, and thankful the Pohlad family gave me that opportunity.”

The concussion

There’s no telling how the rest of Mauer’s career would have played out if not for that fateful day.

It was Aug. 19, 2013 and Mauer, behind the plate, took a foul tip from New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis off his mask. Mauer finished the game, but his days as a catcher were suddenly over.

It would be his last game behind the plate until the final game of his career. HIs career-altering concussion forced him to first base, where he spent the final five seasons.

Giving up catching, he has said plenty of times, wasn’t easy. But it was the decision he had to make for his long-term health and for his family.

Mauer was still plenty productive post-injury, though he never quite reached the levels offensively from earlier in his career. It’s easy to wonder what would have happened if he had never suffered the injury.

Concussion symptoms that came up after a 2018 injury ultimately led to him hanging it up after that season, writing in a retirement letter to Twins fans that his “desire to play is outweighed by the possibility of another injury.”

The last game

As Mauer emerged from the Twins’ dugout in the ninth inning on Sept. 30, 2018, suited in catcher’s gear for the first time in a game since 2013, the Target Field crowd immediately rose to its feet, roaring in appreciation.

Upon reaching home plate, Mauer took off his helmet and tipped it to the crowd, the emotions on his face evident.

Twins staff members had come up with a plan to let Mauer have one last moment behind the plate , and the Twins had called over to the Chicago White Sox, their opponent that day, to make sure they were on board, as well.

RELATED: Inside the decision to let Mauer catch in his last game.

“When they brought it up, I started to kind of cry,” Mauer said last week. “It was just very emotional.”

It was also very fitting.

Mauer caught one pitch from veteran reliever Matt Belisle. White Sox infielder Yoán Moncada took it as a ball. He then stood up, shared a long embrace with Belisle and walked off the field for the last time, receiving another ovation from the adoring crowd.

“To have one last image of a Hall of Fame catcher playing his last time for his hometown team walking off with the catcher’s gear on, I think it was the perfect ending,” longtime teammate Justin Morneau said.

Hall of Fame induction

This one hasn’t happened yet. But on Sunday, Mauer will take his rightful place in Cooperstown, immortalized forever as one of the game’s greatest.

Mauer earned his entry by receiving 76.1 percent of the vote from eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, just topping the requisite 75 percent necessary for entry.

“The Hall of Fame, since day one, has welcomed me with open arms, and my family and (I’m) just so grateful for that and to be here and to take this weekend in,” Mauer said.

He certainly won’t be taking it in alone.

Hordes of Twins fans have made the trip to celebrate the local legend, along with hundreds of Mauer’s friends, family members and former teammates.

“It’s been great,” he said. “First couple days (in Cooperstown), a lot of … nervousness …  but as teammates, family and friends have started rolling in, I’m starting to relax a little bit. I’m sure the emotions are going to start ramping up again here (Sunday).”

“From St. Paul to the Hall”: the Pioneer Press chronicled the careers of Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Joe Mauer, and we’ve compiled the best of our coverage into a new hardcover book that celebrates the legendary baseball legacy of Minnesota’s capital city. Order your copy of “From St. Paul to the Hall.”

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• Meet John Sobrato, Sobrato Organization

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Chairman, sobrato development companies and joint venture board member.

By Duffy Jennings | Published: October 2009

On a polished credenza in John A. Sobrato’s corner office in Cupertino sits a scale model of his 147-foot yacht, the only item on the eight-foot-long sideboard. The modern white craft’s long sleek lines and pointed bow make it easy to imagine the boat cruising on the high seas, destined for exotic ports, Sobrato at the helm.

But that’s not much of a stretch. John Sobrato has been the captain of his own ship for more than fifty years, ever since he began selling homes while he was an underclassman at Santa Clara University. Today he pilots a family real estate development organization now known as much for its philanthropic work in Silicon Valley as for its vast property holdings.

A charter member of Joint Venture and a longtime board member, Sobrato feels strongly about the organization’s regional education programs, and has contributed both time and dollars to the Alliance for Teaching initiative that works to develop, recognize and reward teachers in Silicon Valley.

“That’s what we really need in this valley,” he says. “Teachers are the most important asset we have, and our education system in this state is failing them and our students. Colleen Wilcox is doing a great job with that program.”

Joe Parisi, CEO of Therma and a fellow Joint Venture board member who has been Sobrato’s friend for some forty years, says Sobrato is “always fair-minded, very generous, easy to get along with and very community-oriented.”

“John is probably the most organized person I know,” Parisi says. “He is so focused on whatever he is doing. He can get more done is less time than anybody.”

Sobrato, now 70, was born in San Francisco, the only child of Ann and John M. Sobrato. His father had emigrated from Italy after working as a chef for the American army during World War II. Starting as a dishwasher, the elder Sobrato eventually saved enough to open his own place, which became renowned as John’s Rendezvous in North Beach.

“John’s Rendezvous and Bimbo’s were the two most popular places in town,” Sobrato said. “My father’s restaurant was Herb Caen’s favorite place to go. I worked there sometimes, but my father told me not to go into the restaurant business. It was so hard.”

The family moved to Atherton when John was two, but he was only twelve when his father died of cancer in 1952. With a young son to support, Ann Sobrato took English classes, sold the restaurant and went into real estate on the Peninsula.

Young John went to Bellarmine Prep then enrolled at Santa Clara as an engineering major. “But I quickly found out I wasn’t cut out for it,” he says, “and I switched to business.” That turned out to be an understatement. By his junior year, he was working three days a week selling modest homes in Palo Alto.

“I thought real estate would be interesting,” he says. “Back then, three-bedroom, one-bath homes cost around $20,000. With ten percent down, almost anyone could afford to buy a house.”

John graduated from Santa Clara in 1960, the same year he married his wife, Sue, whom he met at a wedding at the Palo Alto Elks Club. They will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary next year.

After graduating from Santa Clara, Sobrato founded Midtown Realty, specializing in the resale of popular Eichler homes, and then expanded into commercial real estate, working with his mother and partner Carl Berg. In 1974, he sold Midtown Realty to concentrate on the commercial development of properties in the rapidly emerging high technology industry.

Sobrato has been responsible for the development and construction of more than 250 office and R&D facilities totaling in excess of 15 million square feet. Today the Sobrato Development Companies owns a portfolio of properties encompassing eight million square feet and 7500 apartments in California, Oregon and Washington without institutional partners.

The portfolio includes the corporate headquarters of Apple Computer, Netflix, BEA, Siebel Systems, EMC, NVIDIA and Verisign as well as buildings housing offices for Yahoo!, the County of Santa Clara and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

In 1998, Sobrato created the Sobrato Family Foundation to provide philanthropic support to non-profit organizations and projects. Nearly forty-five non-profit service providers receive rent-free office space in two of Sobrato’s office parks in Milpitas and San Jose. Since 2000, the year Ann Sobrato died, the family has donated nine buildings and 124 acres of land valued at $312 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

“My mother was the one who started the family on the concept of giving back to the community,” says Sobrato. “She was a pink lady at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Menlo Park and volunteered in many other community activities.”

In 2007 the Society of Fundraising Professionals recognized the Sobrato Foundation as the Foundation of the Year from a field of 175 international foundations..

John and Sue Sobrato have three children, John Michael, Sheri and Lisa, and seven grandchildren. John Michael, a 1983 graduate of Santa Clara University, is now the CEO of the family business.

John A. Sobrato is a member of many business, education, civic and community boards and foundations, and has received numerous honors and awards for his contributions to Silicon Valley’s business and non-profit communities.

John comes to the office weekly and travels frequently up and down the Pacific Coast for business, but in spite of his busy schedule, he plays tennis three or four days a week and finds time to ski – on both water and snow.

“I love to be active,” he says, looking fit and tanned. “I had a heart attack when I was 37 and it changed my life. I lost 50 pounds, quit smoking and got in shape.”

When he’s not working, you can find him and Sue spending time with family and traveling.

“We take the boat all over the world,” he says, nodding towards the model. “I love that boat. We spend a lot of time on it, sailing everywhere.”

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Joe Biden Quits US Presidential Race Highlights: Kamala Harris says 'will do everything' to defeat Trump as Biden quits race

Updates end

All updates to this blog have ended. 

Kamala Harris secures minimum delegates

Kamala Harris secures over a quarter of the delegates needed to win the Democratic presidential nomination

Biden website fundraises for Harris

Joe Biden’s campaign website, which had been unchanged for hours after his announcement that he was dropping his reelection bid, now points to a fundraising page for Harris’ campaign, highlighting Biden’s endorsement of her to be his successor.

Harris’ campaign URL, which has pointed to Biden’s since she was named his running mate in 2020, points to the same fundraising page.

Harris could become first Black woman to be President

Kamala Harris is the first woman, Black person or person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president. If she becomes the Democratic nominee and defeats Republican candidate Donald Trump in November, she would be the first woman to serve as president.

Democrats promise ‘orderly process’ to replace Biden

Shortly after Biden announced Sunday that he would drop his reelection campaign, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison had a message: There would be no automatic coronation for his replacement.

“In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Harrison said in a statement. “This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.“

Donations for Kamala Harris

ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising platform, announced it had collected $46.7 million as of 9 pm. ET from small-dollar donations for Vice President Harris’ campaign.

The Biden campaign and affiliated groups previously had about $96 million in cash on hand. The Republican National Convention, by contrast, reported a campaign fund of $102 million in June.

US presidential race: Key Democratic governors back Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris has received endorsements from a handful of key Democratic governors, including some who have been floated as possible Vice President picks or presidential candidates themselves.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said that “she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump” and promised to campaign on Harris’ behalf. Cooper and Harris both served as former state attorneys general for North Carolina and California, respectively.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom , a fellow Californian and prominent Biden surrogate, said that “no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that “the best path forward for the Democratic Party is to quickly unite” around Harris.

Source: Associated Press  

Joe Biden quits race: Antony Blinken says Biden restored US leadership around the world

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Joe Biden delivered historic accomplishments as President as he commented on Biden's decision to drop his re-election bid.

"It has been — and remains —the honour of my life to work for POTUS for the past twenty-two years. He has restored US leadership around the world and delivered historic accomplishments as President. I look forward to building on that record with him over the next six months," Blinken tweeted. 

Joe Biden quit race after analysing poll data: Sources

US President Joe Biden changed his mind and decided to quit the race after an agonising 48 hours poring over polling data which showed his path to victory was closing, two sources told news agency Reuters. 

After digesting the poll data, though, Biden changed his mind and gathered his senior White House and campaign team for a call shortly before 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, moments before making his announcement public in a letter to all Americans, sources said.

US election: Democratic Party state chairs endorse Harris, says sources

State heads of the Democratic Party has reportedly endorsed Kamala Harris as the party's nominee for the 2024 race, news agency Reuters reported, citing sources. 

Joe Biden drops out: Kamala Harris owns failures, says JD Vance

Donald Trump's Vice President pick JD Vance criticised Kamala Harris as Joe Biden endorsed her for the presidential race.  He said Harris owns failures and "she lied for nearly four years about Biden's mental capacity". 

"Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way. Over the last four years she co-signed Biden's open border and green scam policies that drove up the cost of housing and groceries. She owns all of these failures, and she lied for nearly four years about Biden's mental capacity--saddling the nation with a president who can't do the job. President Trump and I are ready to save America, whoever's at the top of the Democrat ticket. Bring it on," Vance said.

US presidential election: Ukraine's Zelenskyy says he respects Biden's 'tough but strong' decision

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that he respected US President Joe Biden's "tough but strong" decision to end his re-election campaign.

"Ukraine is grateful to President Biden for his unwavering support for Ukraine's fight for freedom, which, along with strong bipartisan support in the United States, has been and continues to be critical," Zelenskiy tweeted.

"Many strong decisions have been made in recent years and they will be remembered as bold steps taken by President Biden in response to challenging times. And we respect today's tough but strong decision," he said. 

US presidential race: Harris camp calls delegates to lock in support before Democratic convention

US Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign officials, allies, and supporters have started making calls to secure the support of delegates for her nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August, multiple sources told news agency Reuters.  "A lot of people are working on it right now," a source familiar with the matter said. "She has made clear she will work to earn their support," the source said.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris spoke before announcement

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke multiple times earlier Sunday ahead of the president’s announcement, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the calls.

Donald Trump's all-out attack: 'Crooked' Biden is 'not fit to serve'

Former US President and candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, Donald Trump, launched an all-out attack against Joe Biden. He said, "Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was!"

"He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement. All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t - And now, look what he’s done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists. We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. Make America great again," Trump posted on social media.

US presidential race: Biden guided by his love for his country, says Justin Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reacting to Joe Biden's decision to end his campaign, said that Biden's actions are "guided by his love for his country". 

"I’ve known President Biden for years. He’s a great man, and everything he does is guided by his love for his country. As President, he is a partner to Canadians — and a true friend. To President Biden and the First Lady: thank you," Trudeau said. 

US presidential race: Kamala Harris says will do everything to defeat Trump

Kamala Harris said that she was honoured to have Joe Biden's endorsement as the Democratic nominee for the presidential race and asserted, “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party - and unite our nation - to defeat Donald Trump”. She said her intention is to "earn and win the nomination". 

I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. If you’re with me, add a donation right now. https://t.co/xpPDkCRhoZ — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 21, 2024

Joe Biden bows out: British PM says Biden made decision in best interest of Americans

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Joe Biden would have made the decision to quit the race in the best interest of Americans. 

"I respect President Biden's decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency," Starmer said in a statement.

"I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people."

US Presidential election: Obama praises Biden, says party will create process for 'outstanding nominee' to emerge

Former US president Barack Obama praised Joe Biden for his 'outstanding track record' as the President. In a detailed statement, Obama called Biden a "patriot of the highest order" and listed his achievements and said, "This outstanding track record gave President Biden every right to run for re-election and finish the job he started".

However, Obama refrained from endorsing Harris as the Democratic nominee for President.

He said, "Joe understands better than anyone the stakes in this election — how everything he has fought for throughout his life, and everything that the Democratic Party stands for, will be at risk if we allow Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans control of Congress."

The former President also wrote in his statement that Biden has "never backed down from a fight".

"For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life. But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America. It’s a testament to Joe Biden’s love of country — and a historic example of a genuine public servant once again putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own that future generations of leaders will do well to follow," he said.

On further steps of the Democratic Party, he said "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges."

Click here to read the full statement by Obama

US presidential election: Bill Clinton and Hilary Clinton endorse Kamala Harris

Former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominee for the 2024 race. 

In a statement, the Clintons said, "President Biden has capped his extraordinary career of service with a Presidency that has lifted America out of an unprecedented pandemic, created millions of new jobs, rebuilt a battered economy".  They added, that they were "honoured to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her.  

Mauer forged his career on keeping composure when jousting with opposing pitchers. Where many sped up the game, Mauer slowed it down to something manageable. And he did so for most of the most important moment of his life Sunday as he entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The pressure was amplified by an estimated crowd of 28,000 that mostly were Twins fans wearing various styles of Mauer gear. One fan even wore Joe Mauer sideburns from a 2006 giveaway. Mauer strode to the podium to receive his Hall of Fame ring and hear MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred read from his new plaque. The phrase "precise lefthanded swing" summed up what fans watched from him for 15 seasons as he accumulated 2,123 career hits while winning three American League batting titles.

Mauer then proceeded to blow past the request to keep his speech around 10 minutes long. But part of that was because he paused for applause 22 times.

It took about 40 seconds for the first round of applause, when he spoke about his roots and the remarkable feat of being one of four St. Paul natives who lived within a 3½-mile radius of each other and now have plaques in Cooperstown.

He choked up near the three-minute mark, when he spoke about his grandfather, Jake Mauer Sr., standing next to the television while watching him play, mimicking his swing. He provided some insight into his hitting approach, crediting former Cretin-Derham Hall coach Jim O'Neill for teaching him patience.

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For the most part, Mauer remained composed. He was thorough. He achieved his goal of conveying how he felt about the many people who contributed to his journey.

"It wasn't as easy as Joe made it look like," fellow inductee Adrian Beltré said when asked about his speech.

Was it as easy as Beltré thought it was, Joe?

"No. No chance," Mauer said. "It was tough. It was a lot of emotions leading up to this. It was very emotional getting the call.

"Back home, a lot of people know I lost my dad recently and my grandpa in the last few years, both grandpas. They were able to watch my whole career, and I think they were with me today making sure that I could articulate the speech that I had, and I knew they were here, and it was definitely a lot harder than what Adrian says."

Twins fans Samantha and Jon Trebesch drove up from the Tampa, Fla., area for the ceremony. She's from the Twin Cities, he's from Duluth and they met as teachers at Princeton High School. Now living in Florida for seven years, they made plans to attend the ceremony the day after the voting results were announced in January.

"We found out very early on that we both like baseball," Samantha said. "And a lot of our first dates were watching the Twins on TV."

That suggests that the impasse between Diamond Sports , the parent company of Bally Sports Network, and Comcast might be keeping some Twins fans from falling in love with each other.

It didn't matter to them on Sunday, as Samantha and Jon brought their two children and asked the grandparents, Chuck Sell and Liz Leitch-Sell, to drive over from South Haven, Minn., to play with and watch the children while they attended the ceremony.

South Haven is near Annandale. The drive from Annandale is 18 hours. Someone from Annandale overheard the conversation and confirmed the travel time.

It shows how the state of Minnesota was well-represented here Sunday.

"I think Mauer's speech just showed his humility," Samantha said. "He showed exactly why we all love him and why two of every three fans here, I swear, were Minnesotan."

They weren't the only ones to travel in from afar. Former Twins coach Gene Glynn drove in from Waseca. And the funniest travel story came from former Twins pitcher J.D. Durbin, who goes back to rookie ball with Mauer. Now living in Gilbert, Ariz., he decided on Thursday to attend the ceremony, flew to the Twin Cities, caught a flight to Syracuse on Sunday morning and rode into Cooperstown just in time.

"I spent the night in the Minneapolis airport," said Durbin, who was nicknamed the "Real Deal" during his playing days and made four appearances for the Twins in 2004.

So fans and former teammates arrived from all directions and in various modes of transportation as the book on Mauer's career was closed shut on Sunday. The only catcher with three batting titles. The AL MVP in 2009. The first player born in the 1980s and first who began his career in the 2000′s to reach baseball's Valhalla. The fifth Minnesotan.

And he did it while TwinsFest took place in Cooperstown.

Well played, Mauer.

La Velle E. Neal III is a sports columnist for the Star Tribune who previously covered the Twins for more than 20 years.

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Live updates, jill biden shows support with heart emoji for husband joe after dropping out of race.

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Jill Biden showed her love for her husband, Joe, after he announced that he was suspending his campaign for reelection.

The first lady shared a heart emoji and reposted Biden’s message announcing that he was not seeking reelection.

Jill had been her husband’s biggest supporter for his re-election bid, with the first lady declaring earlier this month that she was “all in” on the campaign. 

“For all the talk out there about this race, Joe has made it clear that he’s all in,” Jill said during a rally in North Carolina on July 8. 

“That’s the decision that he’s made, and just as he has always supported my career, I am all in too,” the English professor said.   

💕 https://t.co/VN2rZpyhVX — Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) July 21, 2024

The comments came just a week after Biden’s disastrous performance at the presidential debate last month, which ended when she appeared to be  helping her husband off stage , drawing further ridicule from the GOP. 

Jill’s ex-husband, Bill Stevenson , was among those who slammed Jill for encouraging Biden to stay in the race despite the debate performance.

Following her post with the heart emoji, Jill reposted Biden’s message endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.  

The Biden’s granddaughter also took to X to issue a statement on the president’s decision to suspend his campaign, saying she is “proud” of her “Pop.”

“I’m nothing but proud today of my Pop, our President, Joe Biden, who has served our country with every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction,” Naomi wrote. 

“Our world is better today in so many ways thanks to him,” she added. “To the Americans who have always had his back, keep the faith. He will always have ours.”