You know, I can’t actually remember the last time I was in Surfdock. No. I’m lying. I was windsurfing there with a group from work a couple of years ago, and I set up my first kite lessons  through Alan an awful long time ago now. I liked Alan a lot. Bought the odd bit of stuff in Surfdock when I started windsurfing first, which is longer ago than the kitesurfing. Scary long time ago now.

I used to see the van the odd time as well because he lived in Santry which I tended to pass quite frequently visiting friends, on the way to DCU and on the way into town occasionally. Came as a shock to me to find out he was missing yesterday. You always hope that you know…someone missing will turn up. Alan turned up today, apparently. He won’t be coming back.

I don’t know any of Alan’s family. I have a lot of sympathy for them. Unforeseen and complicated losses are very, very hard to swallow. For the windsurfing community in Ireland in particularly he is going to be a massive loss. When I started windsurfing, he pretty much was windsurfing in Dublin, and the shop in the ship in Ringsend was a little Mecca, an escape from the city. A point of freedom. I loved the smell in there; I loved the colours of the sails, loved looking at the boards. And I thought Alan was a great guy with the guts to do what he believed in and what he wanted.