18/06/2026
The latest US addition to the PIPER Boat Family are Ronny and Dana from San Francisco. Well, who’s who here? Is Ronny the male captain, or is it Dana? This incredibly likeable couple are well aware of these name-related questions and mix-ups, and take it all very relaxed. So: Ronny may have a male first name, but apart from that there’s nothing masculine about her, whilst Dana, who has a more a female first name, is the skipper aboard the Calliope, which they bought second-hand – without even seeing it in person, just from a video. How do you end up on an adventure like this? By having good friends, namely Gilian and Jack from the PIPER Proper Job. The 2 couples have been friends for a long time, and Ronny and Dana were inspired by their spontaneous friends to buy a PIPER of their own and turn their backs on the US for quite a while. They’ve had plenty of boating experience, having previously owned a 42-foot trawler in San Francisco.
They’ve made a few changes to Calliope and adapted her to their needs. A microwave and a dishwasher have been fitted, the bathroom has been retiled, and now they’re absolutely delighted with their PIPER barge. They’ve sold two homes in the States and no longer own a car – just their PIPER and two bicycles on board. Their winter base will be Strasbourg; apart from that, they have no fixed plans and are just going with the flow. They also don’t yet know exactly how long they want to stay on Calliope… three years, perhaps? In winter, they’ve decided, they’ll return to San Francisco for 3 months and rent a furnished flat, so they can spend time with their two daughters and grandchildren. They’ve lived there all their lives; the couple have been together for 46 years, and Dana, now in his early 70s, is embarking on a whole new adventure with this new life plan. Hats off to them, and a very warm welcome to the international PIPER Boat Family.
