Plumb represented Great Britain in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, in the Mistral windsurfing class.

The athlete suffered severe head injuries following a collision with a car in Knight's Hill, Charlton, and was taken to St George's Hospital in London by air ambulance.

"Howard was a talented windsurfer who represented his country at the 1996 Olympics, the highest level," notes John Derbyshire, RYA racing manager.

"He will be remembered for his disposition which endeared him to all that he met as a genuinely likeable man, who turned his passion for competitive windsurfing into another physical sport, cycling, which he enjoyed immensely. Those that he touched will miss him enormously."

Plumb worked as an engineer at the Pall Corporation, in Portsmouth, and was a member of the i-Team Cycling Club.