Day 1876 (Thursday) 28th July 2022

It was super-hot again today and Huw had to go up to the big apartment to do some work and I did a little bit of shopping in town. There was another cruise ship in the bay so town was quite busy.

When I came home Badger was asleep in the shower tray…

This yacht has been in the bay for a couple of days and left this morning.

Huw used his App and found that it is called Motor Yacht Invictus and I Googled it…Invictus represents superyacht living at its very finest. With incredible volume over her six spacious decks, she easily gives the impression of a 75m yacht, offering more space, more light, more luxury and more fun.

Expansive deck spaces host a variety of exotic dining options, from breakfast on the sun deck, to lunch by the dip pool and a five-star gourmet dinner for 22 guests at the impressive owner's deck dining table. Charter guests can make the most of the sun deck with its barbecue, jacuzzi and extensive sun loungers offering pure, uninterrupted relaxation.

This yacht's outstanding interior volume is enhanced by exotic woods, rare Italian marbles and Art Deco fixtures, while large picture windows throughout afford magnificent views. The owner's full beam master suite, with his and her bathrooms and study, has wrap-around windows looking over a private terrace and out to sea. Six individually designed guest cabins - four doubles and two twins - can be found on the main deck, plus two further double cabins on the lower deck.

On board Invictus entertainment is key, with a bar on every deck, a bespoke Lalique bar on the owner's level and a piano in the high-ceilinged main salon. The movie theatre recreates the full cinema experience with raised stadium seating for 14 people, reclining armchairs and a huge screen. 

A spacious beach club offers easy access to the yacht's vast inventory of tenders and watertoys and, for those wanting a more conventional workout, there is also a fully equipped gym. Invictus is wheelchair accessible and has an elevator linking the main, owner's and bridge decks.

Key features

Award winning!

Additional owner’s deck

Huge volume; innovative and exceptionally well-planned layout, luxurious furnishings and gorgeous appointments

Lavish cinema theatre, raised stadium armchair seating

Fabulous guest accommodations in 9 cabins

Magnificent master suite boasting panoramic views, his and hers en suites, office and lounge, plus private “breakfast deck”

Sensational “uber cool” Parisian nightclub-style sky lounge

Substantial tenders 

…you can enjoy all this for a mere $550,000

When Huw came home he told me that one of the guests staying in the big apartment knows the owner of this yacht so he Googled him and found this..

Los Angeles real estate legend John Aaroe retires.

This isn’t the first time Los Angeles real estate icon and business visionary John Aaroe, known for his top-notch client service and magic touch in boosting agent productivity, has pledged to retire in his decades-long, lucrative professional run.

In 1998, he sold his brokerage business John Aaroe & Associates to Prudential California, but it seems he couldn’t stay away from the industry, and passion drove him back into the thick of it. 

Turns out he had another 20 years in him, but today marks his official exit.

Most recently, Aaroe served as the CEO of Los Angeles-based John Aaroe Group (JAG), which he founded in 2009 after a gig as regional director with Prudential. He led JAG, a 450-agent company, to $2.5 billion in sales volume in 2016.

A Southern California native, Aaroe launched his career in 1975 and became a top producer at Jon Douglas, a big player real estate brokerage in the ’70s.

Aaroe established Jon Douglas’s luxury estates division and turned it into the largest seller of multimillion dollar homes in the U.S. with over $1.5 billion a year in sales. (Coldwell Banker bought Jon Douglas in 1997.)

John Aaroe

Aaroe has served an array of high-profile clientele over his career, from “politicians, captains of industry, entertainment superstars and an international who’s who of high net-worth individuals,” according to an online bio.

Aaroe also led the company’s merger with Pacific Union International in December last year. Pacific Union CEO Mark McLaughlin will assume leadership of the Beverly Hills firm in partnership with an existing executive team at JAG, including general counsel Sam Kraemer; CMO Heidi Hockenberry; and VP and regional manager, Gus Ruelas.

In his email to JAG associates and staff this morning, McLaughlin said: “It has truly been an honour and privilege to work with such a major icon, a visionary who created one of the most respected brands in L.A. real estate.

“When the Los Angeles Business Journal honoured John last month among its Los Angeles 500: The Most Influential People in Los Angeles, it was just the latest of countless accolades he’s received throughout his career.

Most of the tourists off the cruise ship were British which reminded me of an entertaining article I found a few days ago on Quora Digest written be James Talon

As Brits, what things do we do while abroad that instantly identify us as British tourists?

I think there are two types of British tourists. The first type are sadly easily identifiable for all of the wrong reasons, these are luckily the minority, but sadly the ones that are that the rest of us are judged by. The second are the ones that you would only notice by some little quirks. These are of course generalisations and some slightly tongue in cheek:

• We will be the ones being knocked over by quiet electric cars we didn’t see coming from the direction we didn’t look in.

• We will be the ones sitting on the drivers lap when getting into a taxi.

• We will be the ones forming orderly queues and tutting at the queue jumpers.

• We’ll be the ones with a ‘large’ beer. Having confused the local bar tender by asking for a pint.

• We’ll be the only ones drinking alcohol at that time in the morning. Well, it’s past the yard arm somewhere in the world…

• We will look happy when spirits (alcohol) are being free poured into our drinks, instead of the bar tender using a measure….

• We’ll be the ones putting up our hands and apologising when bumping into someone or being bumped into.

• In warmer climes we’ll be the ones in shorts and T-Shirts when the locals are in jumpers/jackets and long trousers. Generally as long as the temperature is above 10 degrees C it’s shorts weather whilst on holiday.

• We will also look British by the way we dress. Most nationalities have something about their fashion that gives them away.

• Some Brits can be quite pale, some may even look blue…..

• If there’s a pink glow coming from the beach, that’s coming from the overcooked Brit.

• We’re the ones sat at the roundabout trying to work out what is happening and which way to go around it.

• We have the same look when using public transport - there’s just chaos and no queue to join. We will also be wondering how this country operates without order.

• We’re the ones explaining the nuances of - British Isles, UK, Great Britain, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Eire, Wales and Scotland.

• Some Brits will be shouting loudly to try to be understood as shouting loudly bypasses the language barrier.

• We refer to home as Blighty but most aren’t sure why. (It’s from a Hindi word for foreigner).

• We’re the ones holding the door open, and British males believe the expression “ladies first.”