![One-time royal yacht SS Gothic. Image: State Library of Victoria Image:One-time royal yacht SS Gothic. Image: State Library of Victoria](/globalassets/news-by-topic/ships-of-the-past/gothic1_web.jpg)
I was on SS Gothic on 18 November 1966 playing double bass in a small group at a New Zealand Lodge dinner dance.
Sadly, I cannot say we were the ship's orchestra as we were just there for that one night. The drummer Colin and I normally played in a four-piece modern jazz group together. Colin and his father Joe had a connection with Shaw Saville, which was how we ended up with the gig on the Gothic. At the dinner dance, Joe played dance band music on the keyboard and we attempted to follow. Those New Zealand ladies knew how to party, and I think it was a success.
For Colin and me the magic was that the New Zealand opera singer Inia Te Wiata was a guest and we accompanied him on several songs towards the end of the evening.
Terry Sole
Pages from the programme for the November 1966 musical dinner onboard the one-time royal yacht Gothic. Images: Terry Sole
More letters
Help us remember MN veterans of D-Day in North Wales
The 6 June ceremonies in Portsmouth and Ver-sur-Mer commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy Landings made little or no mention of the huge sacrifice and contribution made by the Fourth Service, the Merchant Navy. We intend to put this right in a ceremony in North Wales.
Corrupt port officials: what we all do to get by
Your article 'Corruption at ports endangering seafarers' in the May-June 2024 Telegraph covers a matter never discussed before I believe. I served as master worldwide for 25 years, and found demands of this kind frequently in Central and South America, and always at the Suez Canal.
P&O pirates
I don’t remember anyone saying that the crew members of the P&O ferries were signed off Articles by the shipping master prior to their removal from the vessels.