Brady’s yachting adventures take the form of his prized $6million vessel named Viva la Vida, having recently upgraded from the Wajer 55 seen at Tampa Bay’s waterside Super Bowl parade in 2020. Brady threw the Lombardi trophy from the back of his yacht in what was a first fling of NFL glory with the Buccaneers. Soon after, shipbuilder Wajer were instructed to prepare a beefed-up version for Brady.
The result is a 77ft colossus whose three bedrooms have extended capabilities for the overnight and weekend trips the family like to undertake down Florida’s east coast and on to the Bahamas. The craft also has a huge amount of tech, including a versatile, rotating deck, an advanced under-foot cooling system outside, and much quieter engine.
“Being a yachtie is all pretty new to me,” he says. “Naturally when I was at New England all that time, and based in Boston, I was surrounded by a passionate boating community. Yet moving down to Tampa Bay really stepped it up for me. I found myself right here on this beautiful coastline around Hillsborough Bay, and I think we all, as a family, really felt swept along by the seafaring vibe. I decided then it was definitely time to embrace that side of things and perhaps begin early preparations for what I might do in retirement, whenever that may come… just not yet,” he laughs.
Brady actually set out initially with the Dutch shipbuilder’s smaller 38ft version. “It seems I am stepping up the charge every year or so, and actually that feels like a good thing to me,” he says. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, and there is a lot to get your head around.
“I am the kind of person that I want to work it out for myself, rather than have someone do it all for me. I don’t want to just be a passenger or someone who sits on the boat and lets others do the hard work. A big part of the appeal for me is really getting my hands dirty and investing my own time in a project that should be a wonderful thing for our family for a long while to come.”
The Florida coastline clearly offers numerous options for Brady, whose wife is Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen. The couple have three children – John, 14; Benjamin, 12; and Vivian, nine.
“When you have young kids, it just feels even more like an activity that’s worth investing in. We spent Christmas and New Year on our boat and have had some great moments since we’ve been here.”
As for the name, Viva la Vida is Portuguese for ‘celebration of life’. “My wife, being Brazilian, is very much into that vibe, so it feels like the right name for us and a marker for what we want to go on to achieve in the next phase of what we do.
“There are some great reefs around here, and we love to go diving and snorkelling, so it’s all about being out there and active.”
At 6ft 4” Brady has stature that extends well beyond the seven Super Bowl titles he has claimed – six with the New England
WHEN YOU HAVE YOUNG KIDS, IT JUST FEELS EVEN MORE LIKE AN ACTIVITY THAT’S WORTH INVESTING IN. WE SPENT CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR ON OUR BOAT.
Patriots and one with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And yet, the sense is there is still more to come from the most decorated NFL player of his generation.
What keeps Brady at the forefront of the game is his unrelenting pursuit of excellence. Some of his contemporaries of the same age are now a decade retired, yet Brady – who will be 45 by the time the new season starts – doesn’t see age as a barrier, neither to success nor improvement.
“I am still looking at ways to improve my game and that’s the only way to be,” he says. “I think when you get to the point where your consideration is just on retaining and maintaining performance, you are probably on a downward slope.
“In a game, I will probably only nail one throw in seven or eight to the point where I am totally happy with the execution, the direction, the accuracy; and that’s a number I keep wanting to improve. That’s my first aim in a game – it has to be, as a quarterback.
“So for 20 years my measure of performance is about getting that number down to one in five, say. By keeping my mindset in the area of moving forward, I think I am able to retain other parts of my game that are perhaps of secondary focus.
“As always, it becomes about the whole package, but for as long as I feel I have something to offer, I’ll keep going.”
Even if that keeps him away from his cherished yacht for longer? “I think there will be plenty of time for that in future, and no better way to spend time relaxing when you know you have worked hard, and your job is done!”
20 | SUMMER 2022 | ONBOARD
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