An Oriana Original

My Dad, Bruce, was a crew member on the maiden voyage of the original SS Oriana in December 1960.

She held the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a P&O Ocean Liner, earning her the "Golden Cockerel" trophy.

When I turned up in 1962, Dad had to quit his life on the sea, and start life as a young father.

SS Oriana sailed her last voyage in 1986, and was eventually replaced by MV Oriana in 1995.

MV Oriana is visiting Brisbane in February 2008, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to check her out with Dad, and Mum, and my brother Kevin.

We're going on a pretty short cruise from Brisbane to Sydney. I don't really care where she goes, whether it rains, or how rough it is. For me, the fun thing will be experiencing Oriana with Dad, Mum and Kev.

The last time I was on a ship with Mum and Dad was in 1965. So that's a long time between drinks!