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Luxury Yachts/Entertaining
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Dick Simon, Owner & Broker
Dianne Simon, Partner
Marty Slater, Sales
Kathy Wheelock, Dana Point Office Manager
Felicia Martinez, Charter Manager
Tim Horgan, Broker
Pete Coyle, Sales
Eddy Riener, Marketing
Jeff West, SalesMeridian Lines Magazine Archives
Meridian Lines Magazine Archives
Written by Amy Wideman | Photography by Cassie Wright Sometimes the most important voyage a yacht can embark upon is the route it takes to get to you, and sometimes that trip avoids the water altogether. For owner John O’Neill, a brand-new Meridian had to cover a lot of ground before making its first splash in freshwater. “Our 541 Sedan is the first Meridian ever shipped inland from saltwater,” John O’Neill explains. “Getting the boat from the factory in Merritt Island, Florida, all the way here to Lake Lanier in Georgia was quite the operation, but we’re really glad they made it happen.”
Written and photographed by Randy Scott There is a line forming outside Richard Walker’s Pancake House and Richard Walker is distracted. Although he is curating one of the most sumptuous breakfasts in San Diego, he can’t seem to keep his eye from the growing line outside. To showcase his restaurant’s award-winning gourmet food, Richard orders a baked German pancake—a house favorite—for all of us to share. The pancake’s bottom dwarfs the plate and its sides are stiffly standing at attention. It is a giant “flour pot” best served with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a dash of fresh lemon juice. Syrup? Nein! It would only mask the German pancake’s delectable flavor.
Written by Matthew Grosinger | Photography courtesy of Peter Lynn A yacht should function like a world-class hotel, offering a comfortable escape that still manages, in all of its inimitable luxury, to feel just like home. It should integrate you with a community of people likeminded in their desire to relax and explore in equal measure; and finally—and most importantly—it should host you in a world-class location. The best resorts are always on the periphery, yet right in the middle of it all. Peter Lynn and his family have found their ideal luxury hotel aboard a Meridian 441 Sedan, which serves as a tasteful retreat in prime locations—the Pacific Northwest and the picturesque San Juan Islands.
Exhilaration Welcome Is there a better sensation than unfettered excitement? The kind that starts at gut level and builds as it heads north, tickling your chin and nose, before bursting into song somewhere just behind your eyes—a sweet symphony of anticipation and realization that plays only when something spectacular is about to unfold. For Meridian owners, this sensation emerges with welcome regularity. That’s because you know how to carve out precious hours aboard your home away from home and indulge accordingly. Your Meridian is a key that unlocks enjoyment, adventure and relaxation—and once that door opens, you know you can return to that headspace again and again. Excitement and exhilaration course throughout this issue of Meridian Lines. On Lake Lanier in Georgia, a Meridian owner and his family claim every free weekend for sunset cruises and onboard feasts. In New Hampshire, a couple frequently shares their idyllic surroundings with friends. In their readiness to embrace joy, they are prime examples of capturing those enchanting opportunities every time you step off the dock and onto your Meridian.
Written by Roger Kamholz | Photography by Jamie Elvidge Twelve months a year of tropical-warm, boating-friendly weather, miles of magnificent coastline, and a national cuisine that he touts as “delicious and healthy” surely help to keep Meridian owner Hasan Basar firmly planted in Thailand. But those fine qualities are just bonuses for him; what he cherishes most about living in Thailand are its people. “It’s disorganized, and the city is noisy,” Hasan says of his hometown of Bangkok. “Things work, things don’t work. But the people are great. There is still among the Thais a genuine desire to be nice first to people. And that’s wonderful. No matter who you meet, people’s first reaction is to be decent toward each other.” Coming from a Western con-text, in which you’re typically on guard meeting new people, that may come as a surprise to some, he says. “The Thais have a genuine desire to please any person they meet.” As a result, his business dealings generally lack confrontation. “At the end of a day’s work, you can go home without stress.”
Written by Rosa Martinez | Photography by Jamie Elvidge Five men dressed in red climb a 30-meter pole. Four of them suspend themselves with rope from a ring, while the fifth man teeters at the very tip. There he plays a flute and drum. The music directs the four “flyers,” who make a dizzying, yet rhythmic descent toward the ground. For centuries, the Totanac people have been performing the Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyers), which originated with other indigenous groups, to appease Xipe Totec, the rain god—and other deities—ensuring fertility and beauty to the region. There must be something to the ritual, because Mexico’s town of Veracruz (in the state of Veracruz) offers a heavenly retreat for the water lover. Meridian 441 Sedan owner Jorge Sosa, his wife, Vanessa Aguirre, and their two young kids show off the city’s most revered sites from the bridge of their yacht.
Written by Jennifer Chesak | Photography by Steven J. Conway “Everyone’s life is an accumulation of events from the days when they were young,” Jerry Perkins says. Yes, he states the obvious, but Jerry’s unique on-water childhood is what ultimately led him to the well-appointed helm of his Meridian 441 Sedan, where the retiree relaxes with his wife, Jeanne, and their friends. “It has everything I like,” he says, “plus lots of modern, luxurious systems and options. We have been surprised at how often we have used the washer and dryer, for example.” The couple opted for the upgrade and even asked MarineMax Naples, their local Meridian Yachts dealer, to help them install a dishwasher. Other customizations include underwater lights below the swim platform, and a wood floor in the salon and galley, which gives the yacht an even sleeker interior and adds a home-like feel.
Written by Jennifer Chesak | Photography by Steven J. Conway Tennessee whiskey is not Kentucky bourbon; nor is Kentucky bourbon Tennessee whiskey. So when I find myself overlooking the Louisville, Kentucky, skyline from the bridge of a Meridian Yacht and sipping Jack Daniel’s—a Tennessee whiskey—my head spins a little. And not from the booze. First of all, have you been to Louisville? It’s quite beautiful—especially viewed from a yacht floating on the Ohio River—but more on that later. Back to the whiskey. In the galley of the Meridian 391 Sedan are no fewer than five bottles of various Jack Daniel’s labels, including Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, a 94-proof whiskey drawn from individual barrels. And in the salon and on the bridge are folks from the Louisville-based Brown-Forman Corporation, which owns the legendary Tennessee-made brand. The executives have climbed onboard the 391 to experience for an evening the allure of the Meridian lifestyle.
Written by Roger Kamholz, Photography courtesy of David Hagen David Hagen estimates that, in the five years that he and his wife, Linda, have owned their Meridian 391 Sedan, the couple has made about 50 ports of call throughout the Pacific Northwest. That’s pretty ambitious stuff, particularly for a self-described “chicken boater” like David, who says he hardly ever ventures out into questionable conditions. Once, when the Meridian was caught in a heavy fog while heading into Seattle, David opted to putter the whole way back in the wake of a crane-hauling barge doing 6 knots, rather than risk any sudden encounters with Washington State ferries that his radar might not discern from land. But in spite of this, the truth of the matter—which comes to light after hearing his experiences threading through the rich cruising grounds scattered between Seattle and the northern tip of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island—is that David doesn’t really shy away from exploration at all. He just proceeds carefully.
Written by Roger Kamholz, Photography courtesy of Cruz “You can go to places over the years by land, but when you get there by water it’s an entirely different experience.” I’m on the phone with a Meridian 441 Sedan owner who goes by the nickname Cruz. He needs little introduction to his fellow members of the Meridian Yacht Owners online forum, where Cruz acts as a moderator and is a frequent contributor. (Sensitive to his privacy, Cruz asked that Meridian Lines kindly not publish his or his boat’s name.) “You have a completely different perspective on everything,” he continues, “a better perspective, in my opinion. It’s amazing how you can rediscover something because you approach it from the water.”
Form and Function Like matter and energy, they are two forces inextricably tied to one another. Form and function each alone can give rise to beauty and utility, but when their powers align, a special kind of art is possible, which leaves one unable to discern between fine aesthetics and exceptional craft. This is the space Meridian’s industry-leading designers and builders strive to create. They surely succeeded in marrying exquisite form and versatile functionality in crafting the 441 and 541 Sedans. This issue of Meridian Lines explores the similarities and common philosophy behind these two vessels. And given that the younger 541 carries forward principles originating with its elder sibling, you might say the 541’s recent accolade in the boating press—the flagship Meridian Yacht was named one of Boating magazine’s 10 Best Boats of 2012—is a title the two could share.
Written by John Janowiak | Photography courtesy of Mike Finn Mike Finn will never forget his first extended boat trip along the Northwest coast. “The trip of ’82 is a trip I’ve talked about all my life,” he says. Years from now, his sons can say the same about their great trip of 2009. In April, Brandon and Casey, ages 14 and 7, hopped into their dad’s brand-new Meridian 490 and made the trip of a lifetime: a 10-day, 1,250-mile adventure from Portland, Oregon, to their hometown of Sitka, on the Alaska Panhandle.
Written by Roger Kamholz | Photography courtesy of Peter Walton Far-flung New Zealanders aboard a Meridian 459 complete a Northern Hemisphere classic: America’s Great Loop. This photo essay tells the story. The Great Loop, perhaps the most storied American boating journey, takes passengers on a far-reaching tour of lakes and waterways as they circle the eastern U.S., skirt the Gulf of Mexico and graze southern Canada. For the past year, those waters were a second home to Peter and Lyn Walton of Auckland, New Zealand. The couple completed the Loop—with stops in the Bahamas for relaxation—aboard their brand new 459, purchased from MarineMax Cape Haze, in Florida. After their unforgettable trip, the Waltons recently shipped the yacht to Auckland, where they continue to explore new and familiar waters alike.
The journey begins. Meridians intersect. Whether they’re yachts or lines of longitude. They also diverge and go their own way, mainly because the world is vast and there’s much ground—actually mostly water—to cover. Meridian Yachts has pursued its own course for close to 10 years—high time to start celebrating. What better way to do that than by committing the Meridian story to print? And that’s not simply the story of a company; far from it. It’s the story—many stories, really—of a rather small but steadily growing community of Meridian Yacht owners whose exacting tastes and demand for quality all led them to the same wise decision. Meridian Lines is the place to carry on that celebration.