Malcolm Donald passes away
by Steph Merry, HRSC Commodore 30 Dec 2021 08:00 PST
Malcolm Donald © Trevor Pountain
It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the death of a long-time member and supporter of HRSC, Malcolm Donald. He was Sailing Secretary from the mid-eighties until 1996, running Wednesday evening racing often single-handedly from the club boat Retriever. He also played a key role in other major club events such as the Warming Pan and the Hamble Winter Series.
Jonty Sherwill said "He brought a huge amount of sailing knowledge to the Club, which he freely passed on to the members".
Malcolm raced His Folkboat Celia Mary very successfully, particularly enjoying the Round the Island Race. Jamie Wilkinson said "I remember that one RTIR, he went into the trap at Ryde Sands, got out and pulled the boat over on its side, walked the boat out of the trap into deeper water, climbed back on board and went on to win the race" (The Gold Roman Bowl, 1994).
In later years he raced model boats at the Gosport Model Boat and Yacht Club, often testing them in the river by the HRSC Club House. His videos can be watched on Malcolm's YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/hamblepoint. Club Manager, Gemma Payne remembers his interest in Russian politics. He used to tell her stories about the antics of Vladimir Putin. Malcolm was also a big "Saints" supporter.
Some of the older members will remember the "cardboard bomb" affair, when Malcolm, concerned about lack of security at BP in Hamble, walked unobstructed onto the BP site wearing a sign saying "Bomb" on his back. He had clearly made a valid point!
Malcolm was a gifted photographer, shooting on a medium format, twin lens Rolleiflex. You may be interested to see his stunning collection at www.malcolmdonald.com/photographsofthehambleriver.html
As many of you may know, Malcolm found recent years incredibly difficult, spending five years in a care home after a stroke, followed recently by another. At his own request, his body will be cremated without ceremony or mourners. If you wish to pay your respects to Malcolm, let us raise a glass to him on New Year's Eve; in Past Commodore Ross Elliston's words "He's gone on a voyage of adventure, we will all meet up one day".
Rest in peace, at last, Malcolm.