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With our new membership year starting on 1st April we are delighted that so many of you have already renewed your membership – thank you! For those of you who have yet to do so, you will find all the details of how to renew in an email you received from Carole Harling on 18th March. If you have any questions please email us at membership@foskd.org Please remember that from April 1st you will not be able to claim discounts from our concession partners unless you present your new membership card displaying this photograph.

Sue Hughes, Chairman, FOSKD

Forthcoming social events

Drinks in the Copperfield Bar of the Dickens Inn

On Monday 7th April 2014 please join us for drinks from 6.30pm in the Copperfield Bar of the Dickens Inn which is situated on the ground floor to the right of the main bar. This is a great opportunity to renew your membership – just bring along £15.00 (cheque or cash) with a note of your membership number and enjoy a catch up with your friends. Guests are very welcome at this event.

Oyster Yachts returning to the Marina

Oyster Yachts will be returning to the Marina at the end of April and they have invited members of the Friends to a private champagne reception on the evening of Wednesday 30th April with the opportunity to view and go on board the stylish collection ranging from the Oyster 54 to the Oyster 885. You will need to book a place for this special event and details will be emailed to members shortly. www.oysteryachts.com

Private tour guided by art historian and broadcaster Dan Cruickshank

Broadcaster and art historian Dan Cruickshank has kindly agreed to give a small group of Friends a tour of his Georgian home in Spitalfields together with a guided walk around the surrounding area. This will be in May and a booking form will be emailed to members once the exact date has been agreed.

Return visit to The Royal Foundation of St Katharine in Limehouse

On the evening of Wednesday 4th June we will make a return visit to The Royal Foundation of St Katharine in Limehouse following the very successful visit there last year. The Master, Mark Aitken, who together with his wife Kim is a member of FOSKD, has kindly agreed to give us a talk about the fascinating history of this "Royal Peculiar&pquot; which was originally founded in St Katharine Docks in 1147 consisting of a medieval chapel & hospital which were demolished in 1825 to make way for the building of the Docks. This will also be our summer party & with luck, if the sun shines, we can look forward to a glass or two of Pimms in their beautiful hidden garden!

Visit to the Brooklands Museum for the Concorde Champagne Day

Our visit to the Brooklands Museum for the Concorde Champagne Day has been arranged by our Hon. Secretary, Colin Mitchell provisionally for Monday 7th July. We will take the 0930 train from Waterloo with our own Routemaster bus to collect us at Weybridge station! After a reception in the historic Members' Bar, once on board Concorde you will be able to experience the "FLIGHT", visit the flight deck & view the rear cabin exhibition. Over lunch we will have a talk by former Chief Concorde Pilot, Capt. Mike Bannister. There will be sufficient time to explore the rest of the Brooklands Museum before returning to Waterloo at approximately 1700. You will receive booking information in due course.

Other events currently being planned by your Committee include:-

A visit to Tower Bridge for a special "behind the scenes" tour

In October we will have a visit to Tower Bridge for a special &pquot;behind the scenes&pquot; tour. You will learn about the Bridge's captivating history and construction from an experienced guide; be able to admire the spectacular panoramic views from the high-level walkways and wonder at the original steam pumping engines, accumulators and boilers in the atmospheric Engine Rooms. The Bridge's Senior Technical Officer will guide us around those areas normally out of bounds to the public, including the Bridge Control Room, the immense Bascule Chambers below river level and the Machinery Room, which houses the impressive hydraulics that power the lifting of the Bridge. Date to be confirmed. .

News from around the Dock

Bon voyage

We are saying goodbye to some of our boating Friends over the next few weeks as they head off for new adventures – or return to their home ports in the USA & Canada. Their presence over the winter has greatly enriched our group and new friendships have been forged. We wish them all well as they sail away and hope that they leave with fond memories of their time in St Katharine Docks.

Cash point tampered with

We have been made aware that the cash point machine close to Starbucks in the Marina has been tampered with on a number of occasions – if you need to withdraw cash there is another machine outside Tesco in International House which may be more secure.

The Venture Cup powerboat race is to start from St Katharine Docks
in early June!

The Venture Cup powerboat race competitors will arrive in St Katharine Docks on 4th June! The Venture Cup is the ultimate offshore powerboat race, featuring 30 international teams, it will re-trace the most famous powerboat race in history - the London to Monte-Carlo race of 1972. Over two weeks the fleet will race for over 2,750 miles in pursuit of this epic challenge. On 7th June at 10am the boats will depart for the start line at the Greenwich Meridian. www.ventureoffshorecup.com

Clipper Race update

The Clipper Race yachts are currently on their way to San Francisco battling storms in the Pacific Ocean and shortly to cross the International Dateline for the second time on their voyage. They are due to return to St Katharine Docks for the exciting finish of their round the world race on 12th July.

Classic Boat Rally

The Classic Boat Rally, part of the Mayor's Thames Festival, will return to the Marina on the weekend of the 13th & 14th September. This year there will be additional quayside activities and entertainment including a Jazz band playing on Marble Quay.

Contact us

Should you require any further information, please feel free to contact us at contactus@foskd.org