Dury Alonso, in the center, in his last public appearance... on the occasion of the National Sailing Awards in Baiona

Sad news, very sad news I met this morning first thing... Dury died this morning. On this occasion my word on a personal level, as well as that of NAUTICA DIGITAL... I give it to another great friend Jaume Soler... and with him I leave you, with the emotion and pain present: DISCUSS IN PAZ AMIGO DURY.

Manuel Pedro Seoane, editor of NAUTICA DIGITAL

If there was a journalist who dominated like the palm of his hand the ocean candle in Spain, this was no otherAlejandro 'Dury' Alonso. I only called him a couple of weeks ago to tell the podcast listeners.Tripulan18as the Rum Road had gone, who better than him to tell us. I was just with your great friend.Javier de la Gandarawho had gone to see him at his house.

Today, Saturday, two weeks after you've spoken to Dury, you call me another great friend of yours,Miguel Lareo, editorMassmarto tell me:"Jaume, Dury died this morning.". I really didn't believe it. It's true that in the last two years Dury has been in and out of the hospital. Even in early September he was at the Monte Real Club de Yates de Baiona, his life club, collecting the award they had given to the regatist.Pablo Santurdewho could not attend the event. He left the hospital just to pick up this award for another of his regatist friends. That's how Dury was, I always helped you in what I could. I didn't hesitate to call you when I had the slightest doubt about something related to the ocean candle. He was the best on the street, he knew everything.

I met Dury over there in 1993. He was the press chief of the Galicia 93- Pescanova, a ship that participated in the Withbread - today The Ocean Race-. He also wrote in the magazine Navigation, in the shared collaborations and for a few years he was the reference of the ocean candle in the newspaperABC. He was not missing detail.

Since then, we have been in almost permanent contact. Especially in the last few years when he's been more delicate, he called me almost every week. Sometimes just to chat, nothing in particular. Even in one of his long stays at the hospital he sent this message by mail I guess to his contact list:

I won't be available until January 12, 2022, or later.

Don't insist!!!

Via mail ainfo @ dury.es

(c) Dury Alonso

I obviously didn't call you from this date. Well, it was he who called me, and I guess others, and in the face of such a message I asked him, what happened to you? And he told me that being in the hospital just wanted to talk to whoever he wanted. I felt lucky to have him on his list that I did want to talk to. And it's just that we talked about everything, not just sailing, for me I was a friend, I hope I'm talking about it too. He even made jokes about his health, his wheelchair, his adapted bed. Which is not easy.

He became a partner of theAsociación Española de la Prensa Deportiva (AEPD)and was also of the most active as to when it was played to renew the national card as of theAIPSinternational. He who was one of the pioneers in going to races such as the Vendée Globe or the Rum Route, recognized that being from this association made him feel supported, though being Dury Alonso and going to Les Sables d'Olonne, Brest or Saint-Malo, I don't think he would be too short on these credits. He himself was one of the most internationally recognized journalists by those parties.

I texted him last week, and he never answered me, which was weird about him because before or after he answered. Today he has done 14 days that he was in the hospital until his heart has said enough. Now I know why.

I'm already missing Dury, I'm gonna miss not getting her calls on a Saturday afternoon, to ask me anything or just to talk about time. Dury, asking me, when the teacher was him.

Rest in peace, Dury!

Jaume Soler
https: / / jaumesoler.net / obituario-adios-professor-adios-dury /