Captain John ‘Alan’ Bell

Alan was first and foremost a seafarer. He started life at sea when he was 18 and continued until he retired. He worked his way up to Master Mariner which took him all over the world.

He always joked that he much preferred ships which didn’t carry passengers as they always needed so much pampering, oil or dried goods were much better behaved! He kept a journal all his life and even up until the last day he would always make some observations and comments about what was going on around him, including the time of his meals!

This sums up how he felt about going to sea – in his own words “I’ve seen the beauty of a star lit evening crossing the Caribbean and also experienced the terror of the mid Pacific Ocean Tempest. To myself and all true seafarers undeniable proof of the truth of his word”.

Alan leaves behind his wife and best friend of nearly 60 years Jean. He also leaves behind his son Jez, his partner Rachel and Jez’s son Kieran. He also leaves his son Richie, his wife Rosie and their children Sophie and Cameron and finally his daughter Jayne, her partner Ben and their children Nathan and Finlay.