MarineMax Lifestyles Page 50

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MarineMax Lifestyles

"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.

MERIDIAN YACHTS

"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.

Jerry's boating life hasn't always been so lavish, but it never

lacked excitement or passion. "i loved the water and loved to
swim before i was even in grade school," he says. sadly, at the age
of 11, Jerry lost his father to heart disease. "my father's friends
became my fathers and my guiding lights," Jerry explains as he
preps the boat for launch. "they gave me the opportunity to do a
lot of things in life that the average guy would miss out on."

Jerry and Jeanne keep their 441, called Perkin Up, at a marina

slip on naples Bay in the gated waterside community of Windstar.
the yacht overlooks the club pool and offers the perfect spot for
watching naples' sunsets, known for their palette of oranges,
violets and every shade in between. the couple often invites
Windstar club friends to join them out on the Gulf for a ViP view
of the sun's epic performance. today, they enjoy the company of
longtime friends and neighbors tom Watts and his wife, Janeen
macrino. Jerry swivels the helm seat slightly and calls down the
bridge stairs. "Hey, Jeanne," he says, "there's a line on the port
side." He then turns to tom, who sits opposite him in the cockpit.
"Jeanne has this down pretty good." sure enough, she wrangles
the dock lines with ease and then settles in for the ride.

FOR THE LOVE OF WATER

Jerry takes a moment to maneuver out of the slip and into the

bay before continuing his story. "one of my father's friends was a
World War ii navy frogman," he says. "He started me in scuba at
12, and i helped him with underwater recovery."

Jerry grew up boating on lake texoma, south of oklahoma

city. He chuckles a little, recalling an early experience at the helm,
which involved him "borrowing" the family skiff. "i was kind of
adventurous as a kid," he says. "i admired that little boat and took
it across the lake to some islands without my parents' permission.
the trip went fine, but i got into a heap of trouble."

eventually, at the age of 23, Jerry bought his very own 16-foot

fiberglass boat, which he says he used for skiing circles around the
lake. "if you do something enough, you get good at it," he says.

"Dad actually built us our first boat," Jeanne chimes in,

relating her own childhood on the water. "We even built our first
skis." she describes her family vacations to Gulf shores, alabama.
With a hearty "roll tide" and a raise of her champagne glass, she
quickly makes her allegiance known. Her toast turns the topic to
college football. Jerry favors oklahoma state and even displays his
team spirit on the meridian with an orange and black aft deck rug.

tom and Janeen, on the other hand, are nebraska transplants

who say they proudly cheer on the cornhuskers. "though, we're
not really fans anymore," Janeen jokes with a grin, lamenting a
recent loss.

although equally passionate about the sport, Jeanne expertly

diffuses the football discussion by turning the topic back to her
family's old vacation cabin on the water. she reminisces about
crab traps and the gumbo they'd freeze so that they could indulge